Improvising after a failed birthday plan.

I had this great adventure in PA planned and scheduled, but life throws you curve-balls and then you have to improvise.

After receiving a very disturbing cancellation email, I had to get my planning wheels in motion and figure out last minute what to do with my dearest friend.  What could we do that we haven't done yet and doesn't need much planning.  I thought, rock-climbing!

Well, we got lucky!  Cause we headed over to New Jersey Rock Gym with no reservations made and when we got there, the counter people said we needed a reservation BUT that we got lucky cause they had an instructor ready to go for us.  PHEW!!!!

Needless to say, we had a great time and later we had sore time but all in good fun.

No pain no gain, right?  Happy Birthday Crees!!!!

New addition.

Hello world!

Let me present to you the new addition to our lil family unit.  Isn't she the cutest thing ever (after Miss B., of course!)

S.P. will be very much loved and I cant wait to see her grow old with us.

Welcome to our world PP!

The Falls

The Falls

So I took my dearest mother to the Niagara Falls (it’s kind of an unofficial yearly tradition for me to take her somewhere she hasn’t been before), and boy was it fun!

We drove 7 hours there and went armed with the Clifton Hill Fun Pass – which allowed us to go on a few “activities” for a very low price.  For $25 e/a we were able to go on a 3D “roller coaster”, mini golf with the dinos, a kiddy “ghostblasters” ride, a wax museum and hopped twice on the SkyWheel.  I have to say it was the best deal I coulda gotten… and I was very satisfied.  Oh! and the package even came with some tokens to spend at the arcade!  We also went on Skylon Tower (skip the overpriced restaurant, just go for the view!) and of course, no Niagara Falls trip is ever complete without hopping on the Hornblower Cruise.

Clifton Hill

As for stay… I booked us a no-frills hotel.  The great Howard Johnson a/k/a HoJo, and for the cheapo price I got our stay to be, I couldn’t have asked for more!

This is definitely a trip that will not be forgotten!

To traveling on a budget! 

SOON!

It's been freezing here on the Northeast Coast, and I'm ready for a weather break!  How lucky am I (and my dearest boyfriend and my beautiful baby Butts) to have a Puerto Rico trip scheduled two days from today?!?  WUT WUT!!!

Arecibo (Home), Rincon (Beach/Surf), Caguas (Zipline/Waterfall Rock-climbing), San Juan (Dinning), Aguadilla (Naughty Private "Disco") are some of the towns/things we will be visiting/doing.

Nice nights with my mom and small family, reconnecting with a strayed friend, spending quality/fun time with my man, in my Island.... on 80 degree weather...  What else could I ever ask for?

Nothing.  At this moment, seems like I have it all.

'Till next time!

Nesting

Today I scheduled a lil Homegoods/TJMaxx/Marshalls trip with my boy bestie - since mah man and I are looking to get an apartment together soon rather than later.  I felt a lil sad leaving my baby Butts behind, so... I brought her with.  Ain't she the cutests!? ;-)

Good bye 2014

2014 was nice to me.  I certainly can’t complain.  Well, I can.  I mean… I can complain about that time that a good friend moved away.  I can also complain about that horrible job I ended up at that had me at the verge of CRAZY.  I can also complain about the fact that I wasn’t able to see my mom for Thanksgiving.  So yeah… If I think hard, I can come up with a few complaints, but…  regardless, I have to say, 2014 was a great year.  It was a year of change.  A year of challenges, that I believe I was able to accept, adapt and conquer.

2014 was a year of learning, adapting and growth.  I learned - and I am still learning, how to not be alone.  How to share my space with another human being.  How to think of another soul, besides just mine and what I want to do.  How to curb every selfish act, to include another person's wants.  I am still learning on how to not act on impulse.  To think before I act.  To think before I speak (I am still terrible at this one and to be honest, I think the stage I am at is as good as it gets! lol). I am still learning to keep my mind from wanting to run and stay... still... settled.

2014 brought me happiness.  It brought me peace.  It brought me "home"

With the good and the bad, I will always have a spot for this past year, but I am ready to look forward and keep growing along my partner in crime.

I hope this year ROCKS!

Happy New Year's Eve - and New Year!

Happy New Year's Eve everybody!!!!

I am so glad some of my new friends and the old were able to come out last night to have a nice and last year's meal together.

Today I am grateful for the new friendships forming in my life and for the ones that have been present and constant for years.

I wish all of my old and new friends (and my family, of course) a happy and wonderful and full of blessings and health new year!

May you all be able to make the right decisions.  And if  2015 comes with lemons...  go to the store and get some vodka!   *CHEERS*

Oooooooooooooooh Harras'

I have to say, after a $3,500 loss at Harras' and an $8,500 win at Borgata, it was a lucky night for my dear life companion, so "YAY!" to that.

The birthday dinner was ok.  We went to Bobby Flay Steak - party of 12.  I really wanted to like this place, but I can't say I did.  When we got there, we had to wait.  There's something about having a reservation/appointment for a specific time, getting to the place, and having to wait, that doesn't sit well with me.  It's a pretty big restaurant, yet, they only have one stall bathrooms.  ONE for the ladies, and ONE for the gents - which is the perfect setting to have to wait in line for longer than one should.  When we finally got seated, the wait to get water/drinks/appetizers/meal was way too long.  A party of 12 table should have at least 3 waiters tending to it, not just one.  For appetizer, I had the Chilled Lobster-Avocado Cocktail - I love lobster and avocado, but this wasn't executed the right way.  It would have been a better dish if it didn't have this overpowering taste to it that was neither the avocado or the lobster, and I couldn't quite figure out what it was.  For the entree I had the Porterhouse Lamb Chops (Medium) - I LOVE lamb.  I'll take lamb over steak any day of the week, but... they CHARRED my lamb.  Medium it was NOT!  I didn't send it back 'cause it was a late dinner and we had waited long enough to get to the entree course so I just had two and left the third one on the plate with a one way ticket to the dumpster.  The Cactus Pear Margarita cocktail was my fave part of dinner, but by no means was the best drink I've had.  I think it is to be noted that I ordered a second drink that never made it to the table.  Nobody messes with me and my drinks.  That was simply unacceptable!

Now, onto the nightmare part...

Harras' has to be one of the worst/dirty/disgusting hotels I've ever had the DISPLEASURE of staying at (and I've stayed at Travelodge, so I've had my share of bad rooms).

From DIRTY TOWELS to STAINED MATTRESS to FURNITURE FROM THE 70s to CLEANING LADIES COMING INTO OUR BEDROOM while we were still in bed at 10am, TV with TRULY BASIC CABLE, on demand  movies from the "comfortable" price of $15, LAMPS MISSING THEIR SHADES, no shower cap, no pens, no bottles of water, PAPER CUPS INSTEAD OF GLASS CUPS, and let's not forget A KING SIZED MATTRESS on a QUEEN SIZED BED FRAME.  I mean, the list goes on and on but if I were to list them all, I'd be writing this until the end of days. GROSS!

It's upsetting to come to a "fancy" hotel and have to deal with this shit.  This is the type of crap one expects to see at, say, Motel 9 or Econolodge, but never an overpriced hotel at AC.  And yeah, It was a comp room for us, but people pay a lot of money to stay here on weekends to have such a disgusting and pleasurable stay.  This place definitely left an impression on me.  A truly unforgettable one, but not in a good way!  I'm just APPALLED!

Well Hello AC!

Today we are on our way to AC to celebrate my boyfriend's friend's 40 something birthday.  All the boys are stoked since they suffer from the gambling bug.  I personally don't care much about casinos.  I hear "casino" and all that comes to mind is free drinks and food.  Mah man got us a comp room at Harras' Resort.  Who doesn't like freebies?!?!  I'm pretty excited about this trip since it's kind of a break from the weekly winter routine of doing absolutely nothing.

So...  can't wait to meet up with all the kids and celebrate "life"... or death - since every minute we grow old is a day closer to the hole, lol.

37 years ago... I was born.

What a day!

Today started like any other. Up by 7:10 a.m.  cuddled with my doggie for 15 minutes to then get off the bed to start my morning routine to get ready to go to work.  My wonderful boyfriend comes home from the gym and gives me my birthday gifts: (1) The sappiest -and most genuine card he's ever given me; (2) a lil tray of Rocher chocolates - which I DEVOURED by 10 a.m.; and (3) a water pick - which I was thinking of buying myself (therefore making it the perfect gift). Great start of the day I have to say!

All ready, I head out to face the day and commuting animals. What a NICE surprise it was to get to my work desk to find a nice Lil bouquet of flowers and a card from my boss!  Haven't had a boss do something nice like that for me in over FOUR years!  It's amazing how much the little things really count - especially when completely unexpected.  Lunch came and some of my coworkers got me a cupcake (candle and all!) And sang me happy birthday.  That was sweet and unexpected.  Later in the afternoon bossman let me leave half an hour earlier - because every minute counts, YAY!!!!

When I got home, I was so tired I pretty much wanted the couch to swallow me. My boyfriend tho, wasn't having that, so we went to a restaurant of my liking. Food at GP is mofo delicious! Later, as I see a waiter carrying around a big block of what I think is cheese, turns out it's my birthday cake!  This, I wasn't expecting.

Life is annoying at times... Unbearable even! But its days like today that u get to realize and appreciate the "little" things in life that make IT matter.

That is all.