It's Good to Be Back

Traveling with kids is no joke; it's stressful and exhausting. I now know that I won't attempt to take a vacation with the kids for a couple of years, because it won't be a vacation at all. Even with all of my preparation, it felt like things still didn't go how I had planned. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't horrible, and it definitely could have been much worse, but it just wasn't a vacation.

Overall, we had a good time in New York. When we arrived Friday morning, we drove around a bit and headed over to New Jersey to visit the areas where Hubs had lived and grown up. Friday evening was the wedding rehearsal which followed a good amount of drinking at the hotel bar. The wedding on Saturday was spectacular. Good food and a great atmosphere. Sunday morning we headed to New York City for a bunch of touristy things. And Monday we flew back home.

On Friday and Saturday night we stayed at The Thayer Hotel at West Point and Sunday night at the Element in Times Square. The Element was fantastic!! The Thayer Hotel, not so much. Hubs and I, along with the other friends in our group were extremely disappointed by the quality of Thayer, considering the price. But that's  whole other post!

While in the city we visited the 9/11 Museum and the memorial itself. If it hadn't been so cold, I would have liked to stick around and explore some more, but with the wind and everything, it was too much for the babies. Oh, and of course my camera refused to work while we were at the memorial, so I only have cell phone pics. Although, I was able to do a panoramic photo of one of the fountains.

We road the subway, which along with most of the rest of the city, wasn't very stroller friendly, had great Chinese food, and visited the Empire State Building after dark. We used this cool app called Uber to get ourselves around with SUVs that work pretty much like taxis, but more sophisticated. You use the app to hail your private vehicle and pay afterwards. There is also an option to rate your driver. It's a really cool app, but really only available in major cities.

Empire State Building & our anniversary

Although I hate Georgia summers, I'd take them over New York winters any day. I'd love to visit New York again when it's warmer and probably without kids. I really can't complain though. It was a good trip. Considering we were in the city less than 24 hours, I'd say we were able to do a lot.

What are your must do's for New York City?

Meal Planning Monday - Week 4 (updated)

I dropped the ball with meal planning for this week. We've been in New York, so the only think on my mind has been good Chinese, pizza, and hot dogs. When we get back to Georgia tonight, I'll be updating this post with my meal plan.

In the mean time, link up your meal plan or recipe for the week and give me some ideas to steal. (:

Here is my updated meal plan for the week. We had Papa John's last night, which means my breakfast and lunch are pretty much taken care of for the rest of the week. Don't you just love left over pizza for breakfast?!

Week 4 Menu:
Monday: Pizza Delivery
Tuesday: Cabbage Rice Casserole
Wednesday: Imperial Rice with hardboiled eggs
Thursday: Crockpot Italian Sausage and Peppers on fetuccini
Friday: Orzo Stuffed Peppers
Saturday: Turkey Chili with cornbread
Sunday: Baked Ziti