I *HEART* NY

Anyone who knows me knows that I love musical theater. 

People who know me well also would know that I love the show Jane the Virgin. 

Now, what if the universe cosmically aligned to provide a Broadway that included my favorite actor from Jane the Virgin?!?! People: this is exactly what happened! Jaime Camil, who plays Rogelio De La Vega on Jane the Virgin, was guest-starring in CHICAGO on Broadway from the beginning of June to the beginning of July. Naturally, I HAD TO SEE THIS. Not going was literally not an option.

ALL THE YES.

I petitioned Jenn (Peru Gary) and Jess (Peru Buggs) and basically begged them to consider going so my life could be complete. (I'm nothing if not passionate!) Thankfully, they were both onboard with going! YAY! Jen took the reigns for planning, and organized everything as far as viable dates for all, purchasing our seats together, getting our Mega Bus tickets, AND getting us a BEAUTIFUL hotel within walking distance of our theater! (She also treated us to the hotel room which was very expensive since it was in such a prime location) JENN is OBVIOUSLY my hero!!  It was a quick overnight trip for us - just perfect for a "girls break!" We took the early bus down to New York (a near 4 hour drive) and arrived just in time for lunch. HELLO, Bubba Gumps!

Just a couple of Hawaiian Pochos in the big city!

This was just too funny not to include. We saw bread pudding on the menu, but Jenn doesn't like raisins.
She specifically asked if there were raisins, and the girl said no. She might've said there were currants
 (raisins right?) and not a lot.
Well. Not only were they straight up raisins, but there were TONS of them. Like, as soon as you put your spoon into
the dessert, it was gushing out raisins by the dozen. LOL! Jenn ate around the raisins obviously - or attempted to!

It happened to be pride week in NYC, so NYC was even more bustling than it usually is! We didnt really have too much time to sightsee. We ate lunch,  and went back to the hotel for a nap (HEY. we were working off of 3 hours sleep. Also, no kids so we COULD!!!) before the show! 

I've seen Chicago on Broadway before, so I knew the storyline, but the show was just as amazing as ever! It truly is one of my favorites!

Looking and feeling fabulous, if we do say so ourselves!

I was elated that Jenn and Jess both loved Chicago as much as I did! Jessica is also a "Rogelio" fan, so when we first saw him onstage we both did a little squeal and were starstruck pretty much every time he was on stage! SO FUN! 

I follow Jaime Camil on instagram, and saw that he had posted on occasion photos with fans after his show. There were a line of people waiting to meet him and take a picture with him, so we joined the ranks! One of the theater ushers confirmed that all of the stars exit from that doorway, so even if they didn't stop for a picture, we'd be able to see them. Well, he DID come out, and was very gracious and started taking photos and signing autographs!

I was discouraged because there were so many people (many were obviously Jane the Virgin fans because they were calling him by "ROGELIO!!! ROGELIO!!!" even though his name is Jaime!) Jenn, being her assertive self, bulldozed us to the friend and asked him, "Can we take a picture with you?" He said "OF COURSE! Let me just say hello to these people first then I'll be with you." SO NICE! there were a bunch of latina grandmas that he stopped to speak spanish with and give hugs to. Then it was our turn!

My life is now complete!

It was really refreshing to see how gracious and patient he was with all of his adoring fans. Even after doing the show (and shows throughout the week), he stopped to give photos and autographs to everyone in the line. It just made us like him even more! ALSO - he reposted my photo that I posted on Instagram! I was shrieking and crazy, and still honestly get excited about that if I think about it!

Okay, NOW my life is complete.

We capped of our amazing night with some late-night sushi. It was definitely New York pricing, but it was really fun just to be out and experiencing something new with some great friends. 

We slept in, checked out a local diner that one of the hotel bellman recommended to us (It did NOT disappoint!), then hurried over to our bus. We did not take into account the crazy traffic, so even though we were only 10 minutes away from our bus stop, the traffic was so bad we ended up missing our bus. Thankfully, Jenn was able to list us on the next bus home (which was an hour later) and we literally reserved the last three seats. It was a busy, fun-filled trip, and we were so grateful that we were able to bond for some sisterhood time! Also, kudos to our families for allowing us to venture and hold down the fort. 

To top off this amazing trip, when I came home, Rob had gotten a gift for me! It was a BEAUTIFUL lavender mixed potpourri complete with fancy ceramic vase. He seriously is the most thoughtful, sweet man. I love my husband!

 

A little bit of this and a little bit of that

Been WAY too long since I did a blog entry. I think the main reason is that I know I am behind on quite a few entries I've been meaning to post, so I keep putting it off....and then have MORE entries! SO! Today's blog is going to be relatively short and sweet! 

In July, Mom Taylor and Jace made the long drive down from Michigan to come see us! They were with us for two weeks since it was summer break. We had a great time doing a lot of nothing, really! It was too hot out for adventure (upper 90s and even into the 100s based on the heat index) on most days, so we kept close to our house most of the time and just were able to enjoy one another's company. Rob and Jace went to D.C. one day, while Mom and I stayed back to relax. We went out to eat a few times, and I was happy to be able to share some yummy healthy recipes with them, too. It was great that every swap we made, Jace and Mom Taylor really liked! (ground turkey for hamburger, zucchini "zoodles" instead of pasta noodles, egg whites, turkey sausage, etc!) It was good for Uriah to be able to spend some quality time with Grandma Taylor and Jace, too! As Uriah always is, he was a bit timid with them in the beginning, but by day 3 he was all good! This was also a good opportunity for me to get to know Jace one-on one. A lot of the times that I've been around Rob's family, there are so many people to meet and greet, that I don't get to spend a lot of one-on-one time getting to know people! When Destiny, and now Jace came to visit, it gave me the opportunity to really get to know them. We had a lot of fun watching silly movies, working out at the gym, and just relaxing! We look forward to the next visit!

Post gym, hangout time, and feedings!

Zoodles with Marinara, and me and Mom get a pedicure for her birthday!
Bottom pictures are in-process and FINAL product of best homemade cinnamon rolls ever!

We had such a nice visit, and look forward to many more visits and visitors while we are here! <3