aruba, jamaica, ooh I wanna take ya

We loved Aruba! We new that it was a small island but we were very surprised when we walked off the plane and there was only 1 small terminal. The weather was nice and hot the whole time we were there but thanks to the constant trade winds we had a nice breeze to keep us cool. We loved how friendly everyone was and we were greeted with many BonBini's when we arrived (welcome in Aruba).

Because it was such a small island we learned our way around pretty quickly. A few days we rented a car and discovered different parts of the island. Our favorite was finding the local snorkel spots that weren't over crowded with tourists. Baby beach was a fun little find, it was on the other end of the island but it was very shallow, enough that you could sit or lay on your back on the sand in the water.

Our hotel was in downtown Oranjestad, the Capital of Aruba, and had a few brightly painted buildings filled with jewelry shops, restaurants and souvenir shops. You can clearly see that everything on the island is geared toward tourism and they treat their tourists like royalty. Everyone was so nice, but Jason learned, that much like South America, they take their time in Aruba and would get very frustrated when things weren't done as quickly as they are here in NY. We loved this cute little island and would agree that it is in fact - One Happy Island!

Baby Beach
California Lighthouse

Boca Catalina


Downtown Oranjestad


The view of the pool from our room

The marina across from our hotel

just another day in paradise

Our hotel was located on the marina side of the island so they had a private island to make up for their lack of beach, and it did just that. They provided a boat that would pull into the lobby of our hotel and take us to the island.

This was definitely our favorite part of Aruba. The island was just what I imagined a tropical paradise to be, complete with pink flamingos. We planned this trip hoping to relax and for Jason to unwind after the bar and I don't think there could have been anything more perfect to help him do this. It had everything we needed; palm trees, lounge chairs, ample fish for snorkeling, a cafe and tennis court. Our favorite was to wake up early and be the first ones on the island. We would play a little tennis before it got to hot and then cool off with a little snorkeling and then some reading and sun bathing.

The island was sectioned off creating a lagoon so you wouldn't drift out to sea. There were tons of huge blue parrot fish you could see while snorkeling and we learned that if you went outside of the rocks into the open water there was a ship wreck with lots of fish. This quickly became Jason's favorite spot, the visibility went on forever and there were tons of beautiful tropical fish swimming around for us to see.

I get nervous when I snorkel but I loved when we would venture outside of our safe lagooned waters and Jason would hold my hand as we swam around and discovered new fish.

There were iguanas and lizards wandering around but the highlight was watching the flamingos. It was fun to see their vibrant pink feathers and watch them wonder around in the water.

Feeding the flamingos







Around the island









Blue parrot fish

Jason snorkeling

Jason on the boat


Leaving the island

the big 5

While in Aruba, Jason and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary with a romantic dinner on the beach. The Old Man and The Sea was the perfect restaurant to celebrate this amazing milestone. Our table was right next to the water and it was so relaxing to sit and watch the sunset and listen to the ocean while enjoying our catch of the day.

I can't believe how fast these past 5 years have flown and I can't think of a better place to have spent our special day.

Jason also celebrated his 28th birthday while we were on the island and all he wanted to do for his special day was spend it with the fish - meaning we snorkeled all day! If I was more of a sport I think Jason would have snorkeled for hours on end but I would always get tired of looking at the fish and ensist that we go back. Hopefully one day we will have a child that shares Jason's love for the ocean so he can have a snorkel buddy that's more fun to go with than me:)

Our table on the beach (my camera was really blurry)



The view from our table as the sun was setting

the other side of aruba

One side of Aruba is white sandy beaches and the other is a desert, so one day we rented a jeep and did a little off-roading on the desert side. Everyone recommended renting a jeep so you could go off the main road and follow the trails to see some of the sites. It was a little bumpy at times but I think Jason enjoyed roughing it. Our first stop on the trail was the Alto Vista Chapel built in 1750, a quaint little chapel. Next we saw the Bushiribana Ruins with several wishing rocks stacked around. On the trail we kept seeing old shacks along the cliffs and thought they would be the perfect setting for a horror film, we also saw this weird stick thing with flattened soccer balls, old toys and other creepy things - we watch way to many scary movies.

After that we ventured on to the Natural Bridge, a bridge that was formed by the cliffs, that looked pretty cool, but unfortunately it collapsed a few years ago, but it was still amazing to see the huge waves crashing into the side of the cliffs. Next, we had quite the adventure trying to find the natural pool and after a longer hike then we had expected - we finally made it. It was a nice break from the heat and fun to see the pool among the huge rocks. After barely getting out of their alive, we were back on solid, smooth ground and enjoyed the rest of the evening cruising around Aruba with the top off.

We loved having a change of scenery and getting a chance to explore our adventurous side.

Alto Vista Chapel - built in 1750

A creepy sculpture thing that looked like it came straight out of a horror film

Ruins

Wishing rocks - you are suppose to stack them and make a wish


The natural bridge that collapsed


An Ostrich farm we found along the way (this ones for you, Kade)

The natural pool & Jason hiking out


Mountain goats taking over the road

3 years in nyc

Exactly 3 years ago today Jason and I boarded a plane with a one-way ticket to NYC and all of our belongings crammed into two suitcases each. I remember walking into our new apartment and thinking "how am I going to live in just one room for the next three years?" It took some adjusting and after first feeling lost in such a big city, I finally started to feel comfortable. Jason started school and I was left to figure out where to find basic necessities in the city, how to get to and from each location and just how to survive with out the normal things I use to use everyday. I can't believe how the time has flown, law school is over and we feel like this is the place for us. In Aruba people would ask where we were from and we would always say NY. It is our home, and I think after three years we can officially say we are true New Yorkers!

Our first trip to Central Park after moving to the city


* Aruba post to come

he's baaack!

I don't know if you were aware, but Jason has been missing for the past two months and he has FINALLY returned!! I cannot tell you how long we both have been waiting for this moment, I honestly think that if the bar had been even a week later we wouldn't have made it. It has been two very long, hard months since we have done anything together while he has been studying for the bar, and I am so happy to have him back. He will tell you after this experience he may never be the same man he once was, but I'm hoping a little R&R in Aruba will help bring him back to normal. Thank you all for your encouraging words and for checking in to see how he was doing, I know it really meant a lot.

the bar

Jason is currently sitting for the first day of the NY bar. As if the bar isn't intimidating enough - they go and cram several thousand nervous law graduates into this big cold, creepy building (Jacob Javitts Convention Center) for two days with only a gallon size plastic bag for their lunch and no cellphones to have contact with the outside world. Good luck, Babe!

seriously

Living tourist attraction Naked Cowboy has officially announced he is running for mayor of New York City.

shakespeare in the park

Since moving to the city I have always heard of Shakespeare in the Park but never took advantage of the free tickets to see a play in action. The deal is, you stand in line the morning of the performance and tickets are distributed first come first serve. This year Anne Hathaway played Viola in Twelfth Night and because of all of the amazing reviews, and the fact that it was the final weekend, those interested in attending the free event had to stand in line a little longer to get tickets.

Some of my wonderful friends insisted on attending and had to sleep in the park to get tickets for Friday's performance (read about Taylor's experience) and lucky me, a few of their husbands weren't able to attend, so I was invited to go in their place. Ironically, I was going to stand in line the next morning (not knowing that you had to stand in line overnight to get tickets) and was so excited when I got the call to go.

Other than the fact that Anne Hathaway was the lead, I knew nothing about the play but read up on the plot before going. One of the girls said that the movie She's the Man was based on the play and after realizing this we knew what it was about. Isn't it sad that we new nothing about this famous play, but thanks to Hollywood's remakes we knew what it was about?

The Delacorte Theater was the perfect setting for the play. A quaint little open air theater in the heart of Central Park with the Belvedere Castle in the background. It was a nice cool evening and we were very anxious for the play to begin. Before starting a few of the girls spotted David Schwimmer and we were able to spy on him through the binoculars and there were rumors that Neil Patrick Harris was also in attendance - we love our celebrities!



The play was hilarious! I was a little nervous going into it because I don't always fully understand Shakespeare but the actors did such an amazing job that it made it very easy to follow. I didn't know Twelfth Night was a comedy but I am so glad it was, I laughed through the entire performance.



I can not tell you how amazing Anne was - not only was she stunning but she did an amazing job playing a boy and she had a beautiful singing voice. Besides Anne we recognized a few of the other actors, Julie White (Scartlett Johansson's mom in The Nanny Diaries) and Audra McDonald (one of the doctors in Private Practice)it was fun to see so many actors we recognized and they all did a wonderful job.



After the show I was trying to hail a cab and Julie White walked up and started talking to a bunch of us that were congratulating her on her performance and then she stepped in front of me, raised her arm and got the cab that should have been mine. I wasn't too upset, had it been anyone else I would have complained:)

I loved everything about the evening and I have to say, Shakespeare in the Park is climbing the charts as one of my favorite NY events. So thank you for sleeping in the park ladies - I had such a great time!

4th of july

This year Jason was busy preparing to take the bar, so we decided to stay in the city for the 4th. I've heard the Macy's firework show is amazing, and apparently they heard we moved to the west side, so in honor of our move (and Henry Hudson's discovery) they moved the fireworks to the west side this year so we wouldn't have to leave home.

As I mentioned, Jason is studying non-stop, so I spent the day discovering the Upper West Side on my bicycle. I really love my new neighborhood, the day before Jason and I rode all over Riverside Park and along the Hudson River bike path. We saw the spot in Riverside Park where Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan kiss in You've Got Mail; we found several great picnic spots and discovered there are so many things to do along the Hudson. I know some of you say you could never live here, but if you were to really see the city, riding a bike through all the different parks and along the rivers (and not just Times Square) I think you would love it!

After a relaxing day I walked over to Kelli & Bryan's apartment and watched the fireworks from the penthouse floor of their building. We had a perfect view of the show. Macy's had 6 barges launching fireworks and each was synchronized to launch their fireworks at the same time. It really was amazing and lived up to it's reputation as being the best in the U.S., but I have to say, it's just not the same as watching them from the Theurer's front lawn:)