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forever nyc. {my pictures.my words}

nyc. wow. how do i even begin? will i be able to write down everything we did, felt, saw, experienced? not even close. by far experiencing the magic of nyc is something i will never forget for the rest of my life. i will also be eternally grateful for one of the most amazing experiences i have ever had. truly amazing. in every way. looking back it feels like we were gone months ago, however it has only been a couple weeks since we have gotten back. i don't think i have recovered from the awesomeness that it was yet! i remember when our plane landed. i could not move fast enough to get my luggage, find our car waiting for us to begin the adventure that lie ahead. arriving on a friday at supper time was definitely a perfect way to gain a new found appreciation for what "rush hour gridlock" is all about. but it was so cool. maybe not so much for our driver, but it was a perfect way to see some of the sights and sounds first hand. i remember thinking...wow, there are so many cars and the buildings just keep closing in on us. some so high i could not even see the tops of them looking out the car window. i was amazed. our first night consisted of pizza at the coolest pizza joint just off of times square. to be honest, times square was cool for about 5 seconds then it was time to move on. definitely not my favorite but still neat to see it with my own eyes. so much shopping, flashy billboards and people! probably the biggest crowd we ever experienced during our entire trip, but it wasn't that bad. there were many a moments where i would catch myself and think "wow...i am in times square?" so awesome! after dinner it was the perfect night to walk down to the empire state building for our first official view of this incredible city. the sky was clear, the temperature outside perfect and i was so excited to share this moment with my hubby. sharing a dream of mine with him meant the world to me and in mere seconds we would be standing at the top of the world, on one of the most iconic and famous buildings in the world. so lucky. i still can't believe i was there some days! here we are touring around NYU. washington square on a saturday. one of our most favorite moments was touring around soho and greenwich...such amazing parts of manhattan. streets filled with cute shops, funky restaurants and cafe's, amazing architecture. so much history and creative energy. i could not get enough. it was truly a piece of paradise surrounded by the rush and busy energy of manhattan. it was here where we stumbled upon our first 9/11 memorial tribute. being it was only days from the 10th anniversary i knew that we would most likely see some sort of tribute. however thinking it and actually seeing it were two entirely different experiences. words cannot even begin to describe the horror this city has gone through. i found it so surreal to have been walking down the exact streets i had watched on tv become covered with rubble, debris, injured and very frightened people. just pure chaos. but now, it appears that life has gone on as best as it can. the city i believe, has recovered stronger than ever. it is beautiful. but in no way has anyone ever forgotten how life would be forever changed on that day. our day spent down at the world trade center and ground zero was something we will never forget. i still don't really know how to explain what i saw down there. even though we were able to take photos in the tribute museum, a part of me chose not too. maybe because the images in my head are enough. maybe because it was something i just don't know if i want to look back on. maybe it was just too sad. or maybe i just still do not want to believe so many people died that day. tragically and horrifically. i still don't know. but i do believe that everyone in this world should see what is in that museum. it will bring you back to what matters. what is real and important. it will change you. and most likely for the better. this church. amazing. powerful. located directly across the street from where the twin towers stood. when the buildings fell, several others that were located in and around the world trade center suffered significant damage, some also fell. this church stood strong, not even one window was blown out of it. one tree was damaged. that was all. if that does not make a person think, i do not know what will. seeing this church solidified so many things for me. it was so beautiful and a moment i will never let go of. i am so grateful to have witnessed such grace and an incredible sign of hope and strength. loved every second. i adored the beautiful buildings that stood so majestic around the city. breathtaking. each with a story, a deep history. loved visiting nbc studios and rockefeller center. matt and i went on the nbc studio tour which was a huge highlight for me especially. seeing the sets of dr. oz, saturday night live and late night with jimmy fallon was too cool. pictures were not allowed during this tour unfortunately!:( adored the top of the rock. we had the most perfect day to experience the heights of the city from the top of the world. it was incredible. loved seeing the city from this perspective. felt amazing! central park. yes, it is the most beautiful park in the world. at least to me. such a beautiful piece of heaven situated in the midst of one of the busiest cities in the world. a true escape. just simply gorgeous. the weather we had too when we visited was amazing. so grateful. below is a photo of the building where john lennon lived and where he was fatally shot. the imagine memorial is located across the street in strawberry fields in central park. so many people gathered here to honor one of the greatest artists ever to be. it was completely moving and inspiring. and very peaceful. strawberry fields is an amazing place in the park. matt and i celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary on broadway this year! we went to rock of ages and it was the most incredible show. it was such an incredible night. i still find it so unbelievable that we were here! on a foggy wednesday morning we made our way to the staten island ferry to go and catch a glimpse of lady liberty. it was really amazing to see her with my own eyes. again, love the history of this place. so many people began their dream of a new life here. starting with nothing except their belief and faith. a highlight for matt was enjoying a world famous pastrami sandwich from kat's deli. this famous restaurant had a very cool vibe, amazing staff and melt in your mouth sandwiches. best $15.00 sandwich ever! my highlight was heading to magnolia bakery in greenwich which was featured and made famous by it's appearance in sex and the city. greenwich is where most of SATC was filmed and little did i know that when we left the bakery and walked the block i would come across carrie bradshaw's apartment! it was beyond exciting for me! i just loved it and the neighborhood that we were in was completely what i feel nyc to be. amazing apartments, grand staircases and streets lined with the most beautiful trees. it was a very neat experience. bliss! evening spent walking the brooklyn bridge. one of my favorite moments. it was beautiful to walk away from manhattan in the day and then come back to the beautiful skyline at night. such an iconic moment and memory i will cherish forever. after a week in nyc it is official. i have left a piece of my heart there. so so grateful to have experienced the magic. amazing trip. thank you nyc.

worth remembering: creative escape 2011

when i began this journey and attended my first creative escape, i had no idea it would become such a huge part of my life for the next years that followed. i remember feeling so fortunate and lucky that i was picked in the lottery to attend in 2009 that i kind of made a deal with myself to just savor every second because in my eyes the opportunity was truly "once in a lifetime". in 2010, i decided to just take a chance and enter the lottery anyway. odds are, i would never be able to go again right? well, low and behold i attended the 2nd creative escape and it was even more fabulous and amazing than my first experience. after that second one, and when it was announced that this year, 2011 would be the last one it was an absolute given that i just had to be there. and what can i say...this year was completely incredible from start to finish. what a journey it has been. nothing beats the beauty of the desert. the hotel that hosts the convention, the sheraton wild horse resort and spa is truly fabulous. i love the atmosphere, the colors, the smell, the sound, the landscape. the music that fills the lobby and every corner of the hotel is so comforting and relaxing. it truly is a piece of desert paradise. and yes temperatures may have reached record setting high's of 119...but absolutely nothing could keep this girl away from just absorbing it all and snapping a few photos of the gardens around the resort. it is the best. sights like these i never want to forget. this years theme "worth remembering" brought us all back to the 1950's. the decor of creative escape made me think of poodle skirts, saddle shoes, ponytails, diners and ice cream floats. i loved the theme, and what was even hotter than the temperatures outside was mr. bazill's bright red shiny t-bird that dazzled during the thursday bazaar event. i was so lucky to see maggie holmes again too! she is an incredible photographer, scrapbooker and designer. she taught at last year's creative escape and this year she attended as a student. she had the most beautiful table set up during the bazaar full of her creativity and photography. she is also a momma to some of the most beautiful children i have ever seen! what an absolute treat it was to see her and chat for a bit. love her! she is someone i truly admire in many ways. next up on thursday was heidi swapp's mini class. she taught the coolest project! we were all able to YUDU screen our very own creative escape apron that we got to keep. we also were able to sew our own blossom as an accent to the apron which was really fun for me because i learned a new way to create flowers. oooh the possibilities! next up was the trunk show which always is my top favorite of the event. all of the teachers set up a table displaying some of their favorite projects. nothing beats being able to see projects i have admired through blogs, magazines etc. up close and personal. very inspiring. i also love how each teacher's personal style is so evident throughout their display's. a little bit of everything for everyone to enjoy. the ideas one gets after seeing such beautiful display's are incredible. my heart and mind are full for the next 10 years easy! it is always such an honor to be able to just absorb and enjoy the albums and projects. i feel very blessed that i was given the chance to have such an intimate glance into their creative life. i can appreciate that because scrapbooks are so personal, and such treasured possessions that it is really incredible how willing and open the instructors are to sharing their stories. thank you so much for that. meeting ali edwards. there are no words. all i can say is wow. this woman is amazing! her stories, her passion, her simplicity, her truth. everything about her makes me excited for life and for documenting my own. she makes it feel possible and exciting. i have always hoped that one day i would be able to learn from her. i believe that my believing and putting it out there created this moment and i am truly so appreciative and grateful. meeting her was a full circle moment for me. her class was amazing. one of the best parts about creative escape is not only the amount of creativity and learning that happens, but the incredible people that come and the friendships that are created. the women that i met throughout my years at creative escape will forever be with me and are some of my most treasured. we had so much fun learning, laughing, crying, scrapbooking. there is nothing more powerful than that of like minds and being together with you all doing what we love is truly the best. i am so grateful to have met you all and am a better person for it. heidi swapp delivered the keynote this year. her story...i do not have the words to even begin to describe her story. all i know is that her words and images touched me to the very core. her openness and passion are beyond anything that i have ever been around and because of things i had seen and heard through her presentation i am forever changed. my perspective has changed. my desires have changed. my belief in scrapbooking has intensified beyond measure. never underestimate the power of photographs. she is everything i love about scrapbooking and photography. there will never be enough thank you's to offer to her to how she has changed my life. from my first CE to the last CE, she is and forever will be an angel to me. she is one of those people who has come into my life and left footprints on my heart. once CE wrapped up, we spent the remainder of our time shopping and enjoying a relaxing sunday in HOT chandler, arizona. it was so nice to spend some girl time together. enjoying one another's company, sharing stories, and eating some amazing food! i will never forget the food at ling louie's and that banana spring roll dessert. be still my heart! right now, i just feel so full of thoughts that i am not sure if i can adequately express just what these past 3 years have meant to me. but one thing i DO know is what i believe. and what this event represents is exactly that. i found another quote the other day that i believe to be true with all my heart. it is something that i want to include in my life everyday. "surround yourself with people that inspire and uplift you. people who think big allow you to expand. you cannot put your hand into a pot of glue without some of it sticking and likewise you cannot interact with inspired people without some of that rubbing off on you" - John Demartinil. what i have learned, how i have been influenced for the better, how i see the world now, how i want to continue living my life has all been impacted and empowered by my time spent here and the people that i have met and the relationships that have formed. it is so bittersweet to say goodbye. my heart is sad, yet my heart is happy for everything that i have embraced. thank you so much CE for the life changing experience. eternally grateful am i.