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Friday, July 29, 2011

#117 go to Adventureland...

Done 7/24/11

The best days are the ones where you don't plan anything in advance.  Instead you let the day take you where you are meant to go.  So while I planned the brunch, the trip to Adventureland was totally unplanned & yet amazingly it will be the highlight of this day for me.

It's the perfect day to go to Adventureland.  It's not scortchingly hot out, yet you'll want to ride the water rides to cool off just a little.  And the kids won't complain about the heat, so yes, this is the perfect day for this trip.

Adventureland is located on Rte 110 in Farmingdale, NY.  It's a fun amusement park with various rides & plenty of games for winning stuff. 

We start the magic by going on the Adventure Falls ride.  Built in 2000, it's Long Islands first & currently only, log flume ride.  Just a little fun fact found on their website.  It's a ride with lots of laughs.

We'll also ride the Little Dipper which is the smaller version of Adventure Falls.  It's a quick ride, but fun.

Crocodile Run was my favorite water ride.  Nicole & I will get soaked!  Thanks Nicole for the laughs.  It was worth waiting in line for it.

Music Express is a favorite of mine.  I love the loud music & that you get a little dizzy going round & round on this one.

The Bumper Cars however, will always be the BEST RIDE EVER!  I love having road rage & having the right place to express it!  FYI...any little boys thinking about getting Nicole stuck in the corner better not turn their back on me!  Aunt Traci will bump the heck outta ya!!

The Glass House is a quick walk through, but try doing it with my three little rays of sunshine.  They make the walk an adventure.

The Antique Cars are too cute to pass up.  Although Stephanie drove, she admitted she wasn't 'really' driving.  'It's only pretend' as she will tell me.  It's okay Steph, you're still a good driver!

My next best ride...the Wave Swing.  I pass Adventureland every so often being I work in the area.  I am forever whining about going on these swings....well, I shall whine no more!!




And we also went on the Lady Bug Coaster.  Ryan will ask me to ride with him & we'll end up riding twice.  One tip on this ride...as you near the end of the first lap, get ready to smile or do something silly for the photo that is going to be taken.  At the start of the second ride, Ryan will tell me that he is going to do something silly for his pose.  As we near the turn, Ryan gets me ready for the picture about to be taken.  I freak out.  I have no clue what to do.  So I scream 'WooHoo', stick out my tongue & raise my arms.

Ryan, this is truly the BEST RIDE PHOTO EVER!!
Thank you Buddy.  I will cherish it always!




I will also cherish the dog that Stephanie won for me playing a game.  And I love how excited she was over the Smurfette I won for her.  And I know Ryan loved his Smurf.  I know I also cherish my Smurfette from Trisha.

For a day that was only supposed to be brunch & a shopping trip to Home Goods, it turned out to be a great day.  One filled with lots of laughs, great memories, & fun photos.

So with five celebrations now done, I'm starting to get excited again about this mission.  Thirty-five more celebrations remain.  I'm not sure what is next or when it's going to be...I just know it's going to be something fun.  And it will be done on my schedule.

Stick around.
More fun will be shared....

For now, here are a few pics from the day....







#155 Plan a brunch at 3 Brothers

Done 7/24/11

Planning these 40 celebrations has not been easy.  Trying to figure out who to invite & then getting my friends to agree on dates & locations is not an easy task.

Karaoke & the tea parties were fairly easy because I picked the locations & set the time & dates.

But sometimes even if I set the location, date & time, some friends would try to change the schedule.  What's worse is that some of these friends won't see a problem with canceling on me the day of these planned events.  I've even been 'unfriended' on Facebook over a few of these events.  Really?  Delete me as a friend because yes Loser, that is the mature thing to do.  Oh well...so now I have a few less holiday cards & gifts to worry about.

So while I have been trying to do at least one thing a week, my plans had been canceled against my wishes.

NO MORE.

These are MY 40 celebrations.
These are things I want to do.
It's about me celebrating turning 40.
I'm the one writing this blog...not them.
I'm the one who wants to have all this fun.

So no more cancelations...unless I have to cancel.
And no more letting my friends set the schedules.
It's all about me, so it's going to be on my terms.

NO EXCEPTIONS!

So moving on...let's discuss the latest celebration to be done...brunch at 3 Brothers...

Thank you Raul, Trisha, & my three little rays of sunshine a/k/a Nicole, Stephanie & Ryan for coming out to brunch today.  I love spending the time with you all & I'm looking forward to future events with you all.

As defined on Wikipedia:
Brunch is a combination of breakfast & lunch.  The term is portmanteau (big word for blend) of breakfast & lunch.  A meal is not considered brunch if it is started before 10am; such meals would still be considered breakfast.  Typically brunch is had between 11am & 1pm, close to lunch time but still before.  However on Sunday, anytime is acceptable for brunch.

Good to know.  Thank you to the people at Wikipedia for this information...




3 Brothers Pizza Cafe located in Rockville Centre, NY is our place for today's celebration.  Ahhh 3 Brothers...the perfect place for carnivores & herbivores to eat together.  The perfect place for great pizza (vegan or not), yummy desserts & a great cup of cappaccino.

In the short time that my vegetarian friend Raul & I have been coming here, we've tried various things on the menu.  Mostly the vegan, but I do the regular menu as well.  And the main reason we keep coming back...consistancy.  The food is always delicious & the staff is friendly.

FYI...I am not a vegetarian & obviously not even considering it, but the vegan menu offers a great selection & should be tried by my fellow carnivores.

Trisha & her kids are already at the place when Raul & I show up.  Stephanie sees us & quickly runs over to greet us.

My little buddy Stephanie.  Stephanie who earlier this morning cut off 12 inches of her hair for Locks of Love.  Stephanie who is happily showing off her gorgeous shorter hair.  Stephanie who looks adorable with that big sunny smile of hers.  It's so infectious that my mood is suddenly changed.

After greeting everyone at the table, I grab a seat & help myself to a piece of warm bread.  I love bread.  I love bread on my bread!!  3 Brothers serves a little loaf of this amazing bread.  It makes your mouth water.

I don't care about carbs today.
Or calories.
It's Sunday brunch.
There are no rules about food during my celebrations.

What I love about this group joining me today is that there is plenty of chatting & lots of laughs.  I'm always happiest around people who can make me smile & feel at ease.  And this group fits the bill.

So now the hard part...what do I want to eat?  Do I crave something from the breakfast menu?  Or do I crave something from the lunch menu?  Such are the decisions that will need to be made today.

Appetizers to start us off are ordered.

Fried zucchini sticks are brought to the table first.  Stephanie & Ryan will gladly eat them without any need of bribes or dares.  Nicole however wll make this a challenge for me.  I quickly learn my buddy Nicole does not like veggies.  She loves fruits, but alas, there is no love in her for veggies.  I try to talk her into having a bite...even a tiny bite.  No deal.  Then I try the old mom saying, 'How do you know you don't like it if you don't try it'?  Again, no deal.  I end up having to bribe her with a dollar for her to try a tiny bite.  She agrees & eats a teeny tiny bite.  And no folks, she won't be in a rush to eat this again any time soon!

Next we are served the vegan drumsticks.  For my fellow carnivores, these are supposed to be the vegan version of buffalo wings.  To my herbivore friends, you aren't fooling us with this fake meat.  To everyone reading this, the vegan drumsticks are actually quite delicious!!

Stephanie & Ryan will be adventurous & try the vegan drumsticks.  Nicole will pass as she doesn't like spicey foods.  No dare or bribes will be made on this round.

By now you're probably wondering what I craved...well, wonder no more. 
Behold....today's pick is...



I craved breakfast more than lunch today.  I went with the lovely, light & fluffy pancakes.  Served with fresh fruit & yummy syrup, this is defnitely worthy of being one of my forty celebrations!!

During our brunch, there will be plenty of talk about my forty celebrations.  Stephanie is so excited that I am going to do Build A Bear.  I believe she has already picked out making a Smurfette.  I might have to make that one too....

As brunch comes to an end, Trisha & I are looking forward to going to Home Goods.  I love Home Goods!  They have everything & anything you need or want for your home.  As always I luck out & find a few good deals.  Today I will find a Nordic Ware flower shaped cakelette pan for $16 & a 12 x 12" scrapbook for $10.

Before leaving brunch & going to Home Goods, we discuss what to do for the rest of the day.  Trisha tosses around a few ideas & finally suggests something.  Turns out her suggestion is one of the things on my list....read all about it in the next blog entry.

So with four things done, I'll get to number five later in the day.......




Saturday, July 23, 2011

92 - go to a midnight movie show w/Tracy wearing your jammies

Done 7/15/11

Thank you Tracy for joining me on another mission to celebrate turning 40. And I'm glad we got to see the last two 'Harry Potter' movies together at midnight...only this time I'm glad I'm not going to work later!!!

And thank you Patrick for staying awake the whole time! Even during the hour wait before the start of the movie. I'm glad you realize how cool your mom is for taking you to the midnight show. Granted, I've known her since high school & I already knew about her coolness. FYI...you & your sisters will be invited to the Thanksgiving trick-or-treating group I am trying to get together. Be prepared for an endless supply of candy when you come!

Okay, so cross off one more thing from my list...#92 go to a mightnight movie w/Tracy wearing your jammies. Now, I have to admit I wasn't exactly wearing my jammies...but this still counts, as I was wearing my underwear which technically are my jammies during the summer. And I did have on my awesome slippers!



Now I'm sure all you Harry Potter fans are going to want to know about the movie....go see it! I loved it. I thought it was really well done. I was interested in it the whole way through & it didn't bore me at all. I thought the special effects were brilliant. And no, we didn't see it in 3D. I see no point for 3D other than a higher priced ticket...which is a joke!
My last time going to see a Potter movie with Tracy at midnight was a last minute thing. It wasn't planned at all & luckily I was able to get a ticket. This time Tracy bought the tickets for all of us ahead of time. Good thing...the movie was showing in two theaters at the place we went & both were sold out! She's a smart cookie!
For the hour before the movie started we munched on popcorn & Twizzlers. And we listened to Patrick, Tracy's 10 year old cutie son, get hyped up as he wanted the movie to start 'NOW!'. He was rather amped up about being out so late & of course being in a movie theater at this hour of the night.
We all joked about trying to nap before coming to the movie. I believe between the three of us I might be the only one who actually got some napping done.
So finally the previews start. And they seemed to go on forever!!! FYI...we saw the preview for the 'Twilight' movie. Eh. Not interested. But if the chick is preggo, I just wanna know...does it come out a vampire??? And would the baby bite her during breast feeding & turn her into a vampire?? That would actually be worth going to see!
Previews end...movie immediately starts. No credits, just right into it.
Relax.
I'm not going to give anything away.
No spoilers.
I have to go into a movie fresh without hearing anything about it...so I won't ruin it for others.
I will just say that I loved the movie. I thought it was really well done & it didn't cheat Potter fans.
So with three missions now complete, 37 remain. I hope to pick up the pace & get a few more things done sooner rather than later...but I am enjoying these missions. I am looking forward to whatever ends up being done next....