Wednesday, Oui? Hakuna Matata

Sometime last year The Lion King came to Boston for a limited time tour. I REALLY wanted to see it, as I have wanted to see that particular show for a few years now. For one reason or another we missed the opportunity and I was pretty disappointed. So, being the brat I am, I decided we were going to see it in New York City! (As an aside, Mary Poppins is coming to Boston in February- I barely even had to ask Aaron if I could buy tickets- I think he realized how expensive it is to go to NYC as opposed to just sucking up $150 tickets in Boston, hehehe.)

New York City at Christmastime has to be one of the prettiest, most festive places to be in the month of December. From the ice skating and tree at Rockefeller Center, to all the stores decked out for the holidays, any Grinch's heart is guaranteed to grow a few sizes. It really was a great time.

We went with two of our very best friends, Nickie and Jay. We drove, which went better than expected-- probably because I didn't drive, and we were there before we knew it... (the way home was another story!) We arrived pretty late on Friday night; mostly because we had to stop in Boston to drop Bing and Manny off at their Uncle Matt and Uncle Nelson's house (they were babysitting for the weekend.) We were pretty tired from the drive so we managed to find a grocery store to get some snacks but, had to rely on the hotel "gift shop" for beer, which was almost as expensive as the drive up, LOL.

We stayed just outside of the city in NJ because Nickie and I were paranoid about bed bugs. Although I try to avoid hotel chains at all costs (I LOVE B&B's) I usually only stay at Hampton Inn if I have to do a large chain. After a HUGE breakfast we took a bus to the city and began our day of shopping, exploring and navigating through thick crowds.

We tried to eat here because they had coconut shrimp but, the line was over 3 hours!

With how busy I've been lately, this sign totally sums me up!

The TREE! It was much more amazing in person.

We had a DELICIOUS lunch at an Irish (of course) pub.

Central Park, Baby!

I must admit, I am a homebody. As beautiful as Times Square was, it was really overwhelming. Between the people and the lights (it was SO bright) I was a bit over-stimulated and was really looking forward to getting to the Minskoff Theatre to get off my feet and see The Lion King.

But, not without first snagging one perfect picture.

The show was amazing. I'm really glad I held out for NYC. Not only did I see a show I've been dreaming of in one of the most famous theater districts in the world, we went with two of our very best friends. I am completely guilty of bursting into tears the minute the curtain opened!

After a long day of walking the city, we took the bus back to our hotel; arriving close to midnight. We looked over our purchases and then hit the hay- we had a long day of driving ahead of us and we were planning to stop at Ikea in Connecticut........

.....which Nickie and I were excited about. I question how genuine Jay's smile was. If I had to guess, I'd say Ikea wasn't nearly as exciting for Jay and Aaron as it was for Nic and I.

Top Ten Two-Thousand-Ten

For my last Top Ten Tuesday of this year, I'm going to post my ten favorite pictures from 2010 (if I can possibly narrow it!)

Even though my underwear is showing... this was SUCH a good day!

Steph and I go way back... WAY back (and she had Alex in her tummy!)

While the tree falling postponed Alaska (and babies), it totaled Aaron's Honda, damaged our siding and wrecked our yard, it was a blessing in disguise because it forced us to landscape and build a new shed. While the yard is still a work in progress, it's much more beautiful now.

Happy 88th!

Every year Aaron and I go back to the waterfall where he proposed to me.

This was a REALLY good day.

Welcome Baby Sarah!

Times Square (You don't know about this trip yet!)

Family picture with Shamus!

Top Ten Tuesday: November in Review

To catch up a little more quickly, today's Top Ten Tuesday will highlight several events that took place in November. The eleventh month was a pretty good month for the Molloy household-- I, for one, only worked 17 days out of a 30 day month; not too shabby!

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Veteran's Day was devoted to Boston. We spent a brisk fall day at the New England Aquarium, Quincy Market, went downtown to watch the Veteran's Day parade, and topped off a perfect day at The Cheesecake Factory!

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Later in the month, Hilary and I traveled to my old stomping grounds (Seacoast of NH area). After a nice breakfast with my dear friend, Amy, we did some "Christmas shopping" at Calef's and The Christmas Dove! We spent way too much money on things we really didn't need (we were supposed to be "Christmas shopping".) But, it was a great day with two of my favorite girls!

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The Monday before Thanksgiving is ALWAYS the annual "turkey run". To an outsider of my family this means it's the day I travel to Portland to meet my mom & sister to have lunch with Pepe. This is also when my mother gifts us a farm fresh turkey for Thanksgiving!

This was Sarah's first annual turkey run!

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For the "real" Turkey day, Aaron's family joined us for a feast! We all chipped in and made a few delectable dishes- AND we ate way too much; we almost ate Shamus too! Doesn't he look delicious?

Matt & I waited for the tryptophan to wear off before we dove into the desserts!

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 Lastly (but certainly not least) November wrapped up with a celebration for Bing's 6th Birthday! We love you!

So there you have it, the Reader's Digest version of an action packed month. Hopefully December won't slip away before I have time to properly document another amazing month!

Rationalization 101

Finally, in the foreseeable future, I'll have more time to blog. You have to admit, I have been better lately- just not in the past two weeks. The last day of my school semester was Thursday so that will free up about 10 hours of my week. You should be hearing more from me. Further, I received a scathing email yesterday from one of my best friends simply saying "I'm sick of AIDS" so I figured I had better get cracking. Steph, my dearest, this one's for you- you know I love ya!

I have much to post about and catch up on, starting with Thanksgiving and our trip to NYC but, I won't go there just yet. I have to warm up a little; oil and fine tune this literary machine. So, I'll start with a funny yet "heartwarming" story, LOL.

As you well know, I love jewelry. I can live without fancy purses (for the most part), I don't own hundreds of pairs of shoes or jeans, I don't even have a fancy "app'd out" phone. My weakness falls with baubles; I love jewelry. Not only do I love all types of jewels, I like REAL jewelry-- precious metals, real stones, and clear beautiful diamonds. I know, it's shallow but, it's one of my only vices so cut me some slack.

That said, another vice I have is that I'm also a gift horse. It drives Aaron nuts. As of last month, I officially owned: a whale, a star, a loon, a polar bear, 3 trees in a national forest and I'm a member of: The ASPCA, The American Cancer Society, The Arbor Day Foundation, Greenpeace, The Sierra Club and The NRDC (National Resource Defense Council). Is that all? I hope so (for the sake of Aaron's blood-pressure).

In my recent newsletter from the NRDC there was an article about Pebble Mine, a massive proposed copper and gold mine set for ravage at the headwaters of Bristol Bay’s wild salmon fishery (in Alaska of all places! My Achilles heel!!) The NRDC is charging that "protecting the wild salmon fishery that sustains Alaska and its people – and provides food security for the entire country" is an essential environmental commitment and we hold the responsibility of its protection. Pebble Mine would be "a 2,000-foot-deep, two-mile-long behemoth that would despoil the pristine Bristol Bay watershed."

That said, environmentalists and large corporations including jewelers "Tiffany, Zales, and 30 other jewelers, representing $6 billion in annual sales, have pledged not to buy 'dirty' gold from Alaska's proposed Pebble Mine." Well now, that just warms my heart.

My favorite store is Zales and rarely do I buy jewelry from any other retailer. My love affair with Zales started in early 2000 when Zales pledged to use only conflict free (not "blood") diamonds. Then Zales suspended sales of Tanzanite after the discovery of child mining slaves and, now this. Awe, Zales, you shouldn't have.

So last week, to show my support, I went online and purchased a "conflict free diamond" necklace set in white gold from a mine that's not Pebble Mine. Moral of the story: one can show their support to environmental causes and give to charity in various ways... at least that's how I tried to rationalize my purchase to Aaron who wasn't so amused.

World AIDS Day 2010

As part of the curriculum of the intensive outpatient group I run, every six weeks I educate my adolescents about sexually transmitted infections; both bacterial and viral. Coincidentally, the week of sexual health falls this week and today I'll be educating my kids about HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis-C. While there is a lot of information "out there" about this virus, much of it is rumor, inaccurate facts and, to some extent, knowledge based on ignorance and fear.

Nothing pleases me more than after providing a bit of education my kiddos not only know about this global pandemic but, also have the education to protect themselves while understanding how this illness affects all human beings. You wouldn't believe how little adolescents know about the reality of this virus. Their lack of knowledge isn't their fault, it's ours, and we are responsible to them. With that said, part of the work of my and my colleagues mission involves infecting our youth with education-- education which we want them to transmit to everyone. Hopefully today, after learning all about a virus that does not discriminate, they will leave the room armed with facts, knowledge, and compassion; it's our hope they will be contagious.

Today is World AIDS Day. What do you know about HIV/AIDS?

According to UNAIDS.com estimates (2009), there are now 33.2 million people living with HIV, including 2.5 million children.

Did you know:

1. You cannot get HIV from shaking hands or hugging a person with HIV/AIDS.
2. You cannot get HIV from using a public telephone, drinking fountain, restroom, swimming pool, jacuzzi, or hot tub.
3. You cannot get HIV from sharing a drink.
4. You cannot get HIV from being coughed or sneezed on by a person with HIV/AIDS.
5. You cannot get HIV from giving blood.
6. You cannot get HIV from a mosquito bite.
7. There are approximately 33.2 million people living with HIV, including about 2.5 children.
8. Half of all children living with HIV will die before their second birthday.
9. It takes about 14-weeks for HIV to incubate in the body. This means it can go undetected for over 3 months.
10. When AIDS was first "discovered" it was called GRIDS (gay-related-immunodeficiency-syndrome) because it was thought to occur mostly in homosexual men... but (THANKFULLY) the disease was renamed somewhere between 1982 and 1984 when scientists realized that the disease does not discriminate between humans.
11. A 2009 study indicated that HIV infections have reduced by approximately 17% in the past eight years. What do you think contributes to the decrease in infection rates? Education, for one. Spread the word.

http://www.aids.gov/basic/101/index.html

Today, just as I do about every 56-days, I'm giving blood. While transfusions are not a viable option for HIV/AIDS treatment, there are over 5-million blood transfusions in America every year. It's estimated that 5-10% of the world's blood supply is infected it HIV/AIDS- most of which is contained in blood outside of the U.S due to sub par testing procedures in poorer countries. There is a need for blood and, as small and helpless as I feel against the pandemic of HIV/AIDS, there are things I can do to make a difference. Giving one small pint of my blood makes a difference; I have about 10 healthy pints, I can spare just one
and so can you.

Find out what you can do to help fight this global pandemic. Action. Education. Awareness.