Wish List Sunday Another beautiful Fall Day here on Long Island. Wow, do I feel for Tanya and the SoCal folks enduring the hot, steamy temps! I am so not a hot weather person, and that is why I'm lovin' this comfortable, crisp Autumn weather. Today, we will not be heading into NYC to grab some twofers for a Broadway show since Gianna really still needs another day to relax. However, I'll be taking the girls to see A Dolphin Tale 2. And trust me, I will find myself crying at yet another kids' movie! I woke up today thinking about the many things on my travel wish list, and I got to thinkin' that I better get my planning underway for the trips that are currently on my calendar. I also will be looking at my calendar today to see when I can sneak in a weekend here or there - particularly over the cold, dark and gray month of January - away with the kids. For now, I will be doing my best to get Presidents' Week (February) in Florida arranged as well as Elisa & Tanya's Birthday Celebration in Eastern Europe (June/July) underway!  I want to do some different things on this trip. Generally speaking, I go down to the Sunshine state a few times a year since my parents reside in Boca Raton in the winter. The kids love to go visit Grandma & Grandpa and the warm weather is such a nice break from the cold NY winters. This year, however, I'd like to do something a little different. The girls want to go to Disney World for a few days. I guess that will be fun. I'm thinking of possibly taking a a day to do something touristy, with or without them - I'm thinking that taking an hour and half drive to Everglades National Park might be a great little excursion! There certainly seems like there is a lot to do from seeing dolphins, birds and other wildlife. There are also boat tours which depart every hour, as well as afternoon canoe Trips Thursdays and Fridays. Nature walks and bike tours are also available. I will keep you posted!! Have you ever been here - any thoughts??  Now, when it comes to Tanya and my birthday trip to Eastern Europe, there is a helluva lot more to think about and plan out. Originally, we planned to visit: Hungary (Budapest), Slovakia (Bratislava), Czech Republic (Prague), Austria (Vienna) and Poland (Krakow). We really need to sit and discuss if this is the final itinerary or if we will expand certain visits and leave others for another trip. You can see the current itinerary on our Eastern Europe Trip page. What I can tell you is that I definitely want to see Budapest and experience Prague again with my "little" (who is taller than me) cousin, Tanya. Today I'll be doing some research on this in my spare time and keep you in the loop. So, what's on your wish list? Can we help you with any of your trip planning?? Feel free to let us know and drop us a line! Till tomorrow, -E  | United Nations Peace DayWhile we are definitely not having any Fall like weather over here in Southern California, I do have to say that I was quite happy with the 75 degree, overcast day that was all of 36 degrees cooler (at the hottest time of the afternoon) than it was a mere 6 days earlier! Because like Elisa, I am not a fan of hot weather WHATSOEVER!!! You'll be happy to know that I finally got my hair done yesterday; it was seriously driving me crazy! I had to pull the trigger, make a decision and get my butt into the salon asap, before I took matters into my own hands...because that my friends would NOT have been a very good idea!!  Before  After
After-which, Dave B & I headed to get some tea at Whole Foods (from a real jerky barista who should not be in a position dealing with customers), and followed that with going to Barnes and Noble. Have you know that I am definitely a bookstore fan, I could spend endless hours in a bookstore! With that being said, I really must add-on that I use to enjoy Borders much more than I enjoy Barnes and Noble. I found Borders to be a more comfortable store and with several comfortable seating areas, whereas none of the Barnes and Noble stores that I've been to have anything more than a few scattered uncomfortable chairs. But since this is what I've been left with, this is where you'll find me whenever I get the urge to go a bookstore (unless I'm in Portland...Powells FTW). Now on with my little experience: As usual, I always head to the travel section and to the Vegan cookbooks, I choose a stack of books that I'm interested in and I find somewhere to sit (usually on the ground). Dave and I looked around for a "good" place to pull up some floor and once we plopped our bums on the ground, I realized that we were sitting right in front of the "Relationship" section...LOL This should be funny!
  At this point we were really hysterical! Then only after a couple of minutes did I notice a couple of preteen girls peering around the corner, apparently looking for the "section" that we were sitting directly in front of! They immediately scattered back the other way away from the "section". And this wasn't the only time that this took place during our visit, we had both girls and boys peering around the corner in their sneaky little attempts to "educate themselves". So if you are ever in a bookstore and your preteen goes missing, I'd check the "Relationship"section! As for today, we'll be heading up to Santa Monica for a lovely Sunday Brunch, before the kids have 2 performances with the International Peace Choir. The performances are back to back and will definitely keep us busy running around for the remainder of the day! The first one is in Los Angeles for the United Nations Peace Day, and the second is for Harvest Haven which is taking place in Cerritos.  Last year at the United Nations Peace Day Celebration Whew! It'll be a LONG day, and then back home for a wonderful Italian Sunday Dinner with the Family! Wishing you a Super Sunday! Now, I've gotta RUN!!! -T |
