Carlo's Bake Shop.. Check.

Yes. The well known bakery from TLC's "Cake Boss." It's in Hoboken, NJ, which is a town over from where we live. It only took us a few minutes to get there & was totally worth the hour we waited in line. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves..

Sorry. I had to. This is for you Dad!

Lisa Gonzalez - Youngest of the Valastro sisters!

We got off the bus at 5:15pm and got right in line. It stretched about a block and although every one else would rather complain [about the heat & supposedly 2 hour wait], we were totally excited! Time passed quickly and we got our tickets. Number 29 & 30. According to if we were paying together or separate. It was just as small inside as I expected it would be, however I couldn't believe how many people they wanted to cram in there. I would have rather waited outside then be pushed up against someone I've never seen before. Anyway. It gave us enough time to squeeze in between people to see all of the goodies. There are no signs to identify each delicious pastry or price tags. I guess once you're in there it doesn't matter how much everything is because they know that you don't want to leave empty handed and that you are going to buy something. Obviously.

This is what I decided to get:
1 cannoli
1 eclair
1 lobster tail [sfogliatella]
 If I had known that it was only going to be $8.00 all together, I would have gotten more. 
Oh. Well. Guess that means I'll have to go back next weekend : )

Week four - in an organized list form..

cause that's the way I am.
And lists make me happy:

Ballet is still a little irritating.
However, Mr. Atwood's animated personality as well as his ability to sing in a combre back, continues to keep me thoroughly entertained.
Dunham still makes me cry [Not exaggerating. I'm super discreet].
The thirteen-sixteen year old dancers in my class still don't have spacial awareness.
Body conditioning is relaxing & Mrs. Amos's witty comments make me smile.
Our apartment is so much cooler than three weeks ago. We turn the AC once in a while.
The television has a cord now so we can at least watch movies.
Speaking of movies, we went to a thrift store today and I bought "Top Gun" on VHS for $.50!
I also bought "Hairspray" on DVD for $3.00!
West African is so much fun, but when it's 3:00 and time for class I'm so exhausted.
Sometimes it's a piece of cake to walk up the five flights of stairs. Most of the time it isn't.
However, the fourteen block walk [sometimes sprint] to and from Ailey is easier now, and considered a separate workout in our book.
I love exploring The City, and yes, sometimes Union City for new/interesting places to eat and shop!
I can't stop thinking about how delicious the tea & goodies from Alice's Tea Cup were.
I want to go back real bad.
Too bad they don't deliver : (
It's hard to believe that we only have two weeks left of classes.
I'm excited to perform in the show. Although everyone is clueless as to whether or not we have classes that day and what time rehearsals are.
I miss my family.
I miss Western Mass.
I miss my kitty Amber!
We've spotted a black & white kitten hanging around our apartment a couple times and are tempted to take him & love him since he seems lonely.
I surprisingly still have money in my account [I thought for sure I'd be in the negative by now].
I've been getting really excited that 1) I don't have to go back to school, and 2) I have a job doing what I love!
We've seen famous faces while at Ailey [Company members galore & Judith Jamison]!!!!!!!
I really love cold showers & usually take two a day. It's the only faucet in the apartment that doesn't constantly produce hot water.
Frozen grapes are SO good.
Thankfully, we haven't missed a bus or dance class since that day during our first week.
We've only gotten caught in the pouring rain once or twice, and it was after class so we really didn't care that we got wet.
I feel really old when dancers in the class talk about how they are going to be Juniors or Seniors in High School!
I'm still shocked that I am dancing at Alvin Ailey.

I am so blessed and thankful to my family & friends for supporting me in every way possible. You will never know how grateful I am & always will be for this experience. I love you all!

****

Things I want to do in the next two weeks:

Go to "Carlo's Bakery" [from Cake Boss on TLC] it's in Hoboken NJ, which is the town over from us!
Go to a Yankee's game!
Visit The Museum of Natural History because I know that I'll love it!
Take a trip to see our friend Mary Elizabeth who lives in Battery Park & see Ground Zero.

[I apologize for the list form. It makes me feel organized, and when I'm really tired and try to blog, I end up blabbing or forgetting what I wanted to say]




I really love this quote!

I hope everyone is enjoying summer. It will be over before we know it.
15 days till I get to see all of your beautiful faces again!

A trip to Wonderland!

I had such a wonderful weekend filled with scrumptious food & lovely friends.
Dana arrived Saturday evening since he had to drive a client to JFK airport, so he decided to make a weekend out of it! After strolling down the streets of Union City, [since he, for some reason, was very intrigued by all the Spanish stores] we decided to take advantage of his transportation and get some dinner.
We ate at Madison Bar & Grill in Hoboken [a ten minute drive] since Christine and her friend Kate said how wonderful it was when they went. I had chicken stuffed with spinach, goat cheese and pancetta with mashed potatoes. I thought it was the best thing I had ever tasted..

Until..

Alice's Tea Cup
Today we took a trip to the Upper West Side of Manhattan to meet our lovely friend Mary Elizabeth. We hadn't seen her since before our graduation, so it was very nice to catch up over the most delicious tea, scones, sandwiches and desserts that I have ever tasted! Here are some of the photos that I took, however you must look at my lovely roommates blog, because she took more than I did : )








YUP. That's my boyfriend..

***

I've been getting mail from my lovely friends and family. It really makes me happy to receive cute notes and hand drawn pictures : )

Thanks again momma for sending us food & wine. We've almost eaten all the Popsicles already.. haha!

I apologize for this posts' length and lack of detail. I try to take advantage of boyfriend time & therefore my blog is sacrificed. I hope you all understand : )

What did all of you do this weekend? I'd love to hear your exciting summer stories!!

Three amazing weeks left!

Day twenty.

It's was/still is about 100 degrees in NYC today. Waiting for the bus wasn't too torturous this morning because that side of the street is in the shade at 7:30 am. However, we are still confused as to why there is a bus schedule, when they don't show up on time. We got to our bus stop at 7:20 am to get on the 7:30 am bus. Well, it must have come before we got there. Which doesn't make sense to us. When we finally saw the number 156 [our bus route] it was 7:44 am - we assumed that it was supposed to be the 7:49 am bus. Do you see the problem?? Regardless of the bus drivers incapability to tell time, we made it to Ailey on time.
But seriously why even print out all those schedules?!

Ballet class was slightly less annoying today. Mrs. Marino actually corrected me and maybe even complimented me. She walked over and said in her Argentinian accent, "You are not using this [pushing on my stomach]. You need to pull it up. You have nice legs, but need to use this and flatten your hips [I fidget]. More [fidget again]. MORE [fidget again]. There. Good."
It is typical of me to only focus on the correction and completely tune out whatever compliment is twisted in between the teacher's words [in any class]. It wasn't until after, when Alivia mentioned that Mrs. Marino corrected me, that I realized she had actually said something nice.

After class, we sat at picnic table on the patio [see first pictures in previous post] and watched a ballet class while eating our lunch. While I was reading my book, I would glance up every so often to see what the students were doing. Pirouettes. Waltz. Adagio. Pique turns. I become jealous and a little upset. Our ballet class is nothing like what I was watching [last week, while watching the same class, Alivia and I decided that it was probably level 4.. we are in level 3]. I know that I could do everything that they were doing in that class. The teacher seemed so concerned with their transitions and quality of movement. Something that we are seriously lacking in our class. I want to dance. And glide across the floor like they do. I respect the faculty and their decisions during placement classes. However, I know that I could be doing more and I can't help but feel a little bummed. After placement classes and during orientation, the faculty members kept repeating, "Just because you were in level 10 at your school, doesn't mean you will be here. The teachers here at Ailey know what they are looking for and will place you accordingly." I remember thinking to myself, Of course. That makes sense. We're at the best modern dance school in the world. It doesn't matter to me what level I'm in. I'm just happy to be here. Most of this statement still stands true for me. However, I think that no matter how good of a dance school you go to, sometimes, one or two out of the five hundred students will get placed incorrectly.
There's nothing I can do except dance the best that I can. That's what I came here to do. And that's what I'm going to do.

Dun, Dun, Dun-ham [said in a deep voice]
Honestly, it was better today. Instead of falling over after she said, "Hold it" 8 times, I might have made it past "Hold it" number 10 or 15. I felt satisfied. Until she told us to lay down, bend our knees with our feet flat on the floor, and to put our palms face down next to our ears. "And push up." [Into a back bend. You make an arch with your body - hands and feet on the floor]. Ohh Noo! All I could do was close my eyes and breath deeply in and out like I never have before. I concentrated on my breath and the fact that I couldn't see anything. I'm not sure if it helped. I think I feel a lot better about the class when I don't analyze anything that happens in that hour and half. I just leave it in the LLC and pick it up again on Thursday at noon.

**

Something that has been irritating me a little:
I keep seeing people updating their twitters and facebook statuses with "By the pool all day." Or, "It's sooooo hot." Ughhh. Please. Come to our apartment in Union City. Walk fourteen blocks to class with the sun beating down on you. [I apologize, the heat makes me really cranky].
I don't think I would appreciate a pool anymore than I would on a day like today.

Try to stay cool everyone.
If you have any tips for staying hydrated/cool/sane in this crazy heat, please let me know. You can comment anonymously.Just tell me who you are at the end of your comment!

**

I meant to do write this in my post from the weekend - but I forgot:

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.
To my Momma, Dad, Seester, Gramma & Uncle Scott - for sending us yummy treats, things I have forgotten/need, mail, alcohol and toys to keep us entertained.
& to Dana for bringing it all down when he visited this weekend.

It was greatly appreciated : )

**



- Inspiration for this week -

A whole bunch of photos/Weekend with Boyfriend/America's Birthday

Successful first week of classes. Boyfriends [!!!!!!] came to visit.
What a wonderful way to celebrate America's Birthday!

Pictures from the patio behind Ailey. We like to sit out here during our breaks - The windows look into two different dance studios. It's fun to watch them : ]

*****

This weekend, our boyfriends came to visit us. I haven't seen Dana since he brought us down two and a half weeks ago. I was definitely in need of some boyfriend time. And I couldn't have asked for a better weekend.

Saturday, Dana arrived around 4:30 after a pretty long trip. He got a little lost in Southern Connecticut, but was able to use the GPS on his phone to get him here. Once we carted the various bags of goodies from my family up the five flights of stairs, we took the bus to Manhattan for dinner. Off of 9th Avenue, there is a road called "Restaurant Row." There are all sorts of places to eat and despite the business of the street and closeness to Times Square, it's a cute neighborhood. The restaurant that we ate at is called "Don't Tell Mama." We decided to go to this particular place because the previous night, we had wonder through and thought that they offered a pretty good menu and fair prices for NYC. For the most part, we were right. A few things bothered us about it, however. First of all, there was a musty sort of smell. We debated the possible reasons and decided that it had to do with the building and how all of them on the street are built on top of each other, which gives no possibility for air circulation. And the restaurants are in the lower part of the building (you have to go down a set of stairs from the street to get in). Whatever the real reason was, we thought it smelled a little bit like cats. Once the drinks came and I tasted my "Socialite" cocktail (recommended by the waiter) I didn't mind paying $12 dollars for it. It was soooooo good : ) Our meals were delicious, except they messed up Alivia's dinner. She asked for the sausage on the side and they put it right on top. That was a little disappointing. However she didn't want to make a fuss and ate what she could (I would have done the same thing.) When the bill came we laughed about how the garlic bread that they offered before our meal was $6 and how they included gratuity which was $25. HAHAHA! If it were up to us, we wouldn't have tipped them that much. Regardless, I think we all had a great time. It was nice to spend time with everyone and actually sit down and relax. I didn't mind being waited on either!
We came back to our sweltering apartment, played cards, laughed, took pictures and had a wonderful time just relaxing together.

We kept passing around these funny glasses. You look good babe!

*****

On Sunday, we went to Central Park for a picnic. It was so wonderful, however very, very hot and sweaty. Once we put the sheet down in the shade and laid down though, it was pretty comfortable.

Statue in front of Central Park

In front of Trump International Hotel & Tower

[We don't know these people, I was just creeping!]

We spent about three hours at the park just relaxing and left to come back to NJ for the fireworks later that night. The walk back to The Port Authority was long and hot. I could tell that we were all exhausted. Once we got back we all went straight for the air conditioned bedroom and took naps. We wanted to be fully rested for the wonderful Fourth of July fireworks on the Hudson River.

But they were more than wonderful.

We walked down to the river around 8:30 [only about five blocks from our apartment]. We were very grateful that we didn't have to go into Manhattan to see them, and honestly, I think we might have had the best view. No obstructing buildings or trees in the way.

They were simply beautiful. They were by far the best fireworks that I've ever seen. As they should be. They were in New York City.

I took a few still shots, but felt that I couldn't capture the enormous sparks of light without filming some of the 45 minute show. So I did.

[Empire State Building decorated in Red, White & Blue]

Butterflies

Today we are just hanging around. Doing laundry. Blogging. And watching movies.

Four more weeks.