The sky is falling

Apparently it really is in Manhattan. Another crane fell about 15 blocks from our apt but we are safe and sound. We do have a crane that is just down the block from our apt but even if it fell, it wouldn't reach our building.

Pity Party

As I imagined, New York has been tough to come back to after our incredible visit to "my state." (I often tease George that Alabama is MY state) I could even see the frustration in Clancy's eyes as he looked up at me after an intense search for a lake or some woods.

I was very pleased, however, that upon entering the apartment our mouse, Earl, was still trapped in our cabinets. I am intent on leaving that little creature for George to handle. Earl has to die (or Brittany will have a heart attack... Lacey can attest to this).

I am currently sitting by my little lonesome at work trying to convince myself to leave the pity party that is forcing itself on me and checking my email every second to see if anyone has sent me any pictures from the weekend. So send me pictures!!

Love to all,
Britt

Our fearless leader

This is Clancy's routine when the evil vacuum cleaner rears it's ugly head.

This is what Clancy does when I try and kiss my wife.

Mystic, CT

Last weekend we went to Mystic, CT with our friends, Wade and Pat Daniel. Mystic is a little seaport town about 2 and a half hours out of the city. Think of it like downtown Homewood with a river running down next to all the shops. If you've ever seen the the movie Mystic Pizza with Julia Roberts, it's based in this little town. We ate at the restaurant and it was good. Picture to the left for your viewing pleasure.

When we got in to Mystic, Wade had already done some research and found that there was a vineyard one exit up the interstate that does free tours everyday at 2:00. Although I'm slightly ashamed to say this, I'd never been to a vineyard and was very excited about doing checking this one off the to-do list. It was a small vineyard but still a very fun and educational experience. The process is very neat and intricate. A great takeaway: The Rule of 20 - if you are drinking red wine, put it in the frig 20 minutes before serving, and if you are drinking white wine, take it out of the frig 20 mins before serving.

After our vineyard experience we went back to Mystic and got prepared for a wonderful night at the Mohegan Sun http://www.mohegansun.com/, the 2nd largest casino in the world (according to our cabbie - strangely enough, they have normal American cabbies in CT - more on this subject later in the blog). The exterior of this casino is not at all like the Vegas strip. It is a beautiful building that is next to the Thames River on the Mohegan Indian reservation. The interior is beautiful as well and huge. Wade is an accountant and stumbled upon the fact that the Mohegan's don't have to pay tax on the revenue they bring in from business on the reservation. It's pretty amazing if you start to think about owning a gaming business that doesn't pay tax - I wonder how that compares to Vegas.. Oddly enough the ride home was one of the more memorable events of the night. We jumped in a cab and little did we know that our driver, Mike, was going to perform an incredible classic rock session the entire way back to Mystic (about 30 mins). I've never appreciated The Doors to the extent I should. I promised myself on the way home that I would download every Doors song I could find on the internet - I'm sure my father is appreciating that I'm saying this. This ride home is probably not going to be appreciated by our dedicated reader base but I wanted to share this experience with all of you.

Sunday we did alot of shopping and walking around in the seaport - pictures below. I bought a map of the state of Alabama from the 1800's that is worth around $400 - I got it for $72 (it had a tear in it that the shop owner is repairing). I'm really excited about it. On the way home, we discovered a Polo Ralph Lauren outlet store. I'm pretty confident that if I've ever met you, I bought you something at this store.

Mama's Day

In a “perfect” world, Mother’s Day is spent with your mom while letting her know how much you love her. I have had the privilege of doing this the last 22 years of my life. Since approximately 1000 miles separate me from my mom, this year was a little different. I’m not sure if it was the fact that I knew I was not going to get to hug her on this day, my fear that she would not feel my love for her over the phone, that I was going to miss out on the overall fellowship celebrating her at Jan’s, or that I simply miss her so much, but this year I appreciated Mother’s Day in a way that I never have before. I could not stop myself from reflecting on and realizing how truly amazing she is and the impact she has on my life. I can only hope that she felt as blessed as I did on her day. I love you Mom!

Privileges

Yeah... Britt allowed me to be an author on the blog!!!!!!

Every Day Brings Something New

Dying Easter Eggs!

George giving baby Pierce some sweet kisses.

This could mean 2 things.... she likes me or I bore her.

Our little picnic spot in Central Park.

Braves/Mets Game

I can't believe that we have lived in New York for over 4 months! Although I do feel like it has been decades since I have enjoyed a warm summer day, it seems like George and I just got married yesterday. I am just now getting used to everyday life in the city... I guess it took me a while! Now that I am happily content living in the city and actually appreciate it in many ways, I can admit that it was not easy at first. Of course being married to George was fabulous (he has been my “rock” throughout this whole transition), but being so far away and dealing with such an unfamiliar environment was not very much fun. “Uncomfortable” is a good word to describe how I felt for a while. Since I’ve been here, I’ve been taken out of my comfort zone so many times that I think I am numb to it. Heck, maybe I don’t even have a comfort zone anymore!

Once I finally realized that NY was not going to adapt to me, I decided that I might have to adapt to it. I don’t necessarily mean that my values have changed, but I have become a lot more aware of how diverse our world actually is. I’ve learned that it is a lot easier to try to understand and accept someone for who they are than to judge them because they are not like you… and believe me there are A LOT of people not like me here! From the billionaire housewives indulged in vanity that I see at work on a daily basis, to the once overlooked feeling I get when someone actually says “thank you” when you hold a door open for them, to the homeless man who sings outside our window almost every night, they have all taught me a thing or two about myself and made me realize how truly blessed I am.

On a lighter note, the fun things that George, Clancy, and I have been doing lately just add happiness to my newly found “comfortableness”. The last few weeks of our lives have been spent dying Easter eggs, hanging out with an extremely preppy crowd at The Masters, enjoying a much needed visit with both of our families in Atlanta, being followed by The Pope, laying out in Central Park, attempting to re-grow our absent muscles at the gym, learning as much as we can from Tim Keller, sighting a few intimidating celebrities, surviving an intolerant Mets crowd at a Braves/Mets game, and watching Clancy fall in love with all the ladies at the dog park. I have included some pictures from our recent escapades that I hope you will enjoy. Like the title says, every day brings something new!

We love all of you!

Britt