Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

Another 2 1/2 weeks has gone by....time goes by way too fast! We have done so much! We went to a Baltimore Orioles game, finally! We kept meaning to, but always had something else to do. We went on the day the 50,000,000th fan entered the stadium. They won 50,000 dollars and season tix for 5 years. We had a 1 in about 40,000 chance of winning but it wasn't our day. The game was a lot of fun! The oriole stadium is beautiful! We got free Orioles T-shirts b/c it was T-shirt night, an Orioles blanket, and a pin commemorating the 50,000,000th fan!
On our nights we haven't had something to do, collin and I have tried to get outside and be active. The area we live in is perfect for running. It's great weather in the evening and so many people get out with their families and dogs and enjoy the fresh air. I'll miss that part a lot when we move. Hopefully, our next home will have that ammenity as well.
Last weekend, we drove down to Richmond, VA. One of my closest friends, Christi lives there with her fiance. I went bridesmaid dress shopping with the girls while Collin hung out with Christi's fiance. Collin and Andy hit it off well and We got a beautiful dress so it was time to go out for the evening in Richmond. Downtown Richmond was a neat little area. We went to dinner and then spent some time at an Irish pub. Since I had been up for about 36 hours at this point (due to working Fri night), we decided to call it an early night. On Sunday, we all went to busch gardens together. We spent our day riding rides and enjoying a relaxing day. We got to do a beer tasting at the Anheuser-Busch house. It was a neat experience with food pairings and a personal server.
This past weekend was so much fun! I worked Sat night so when I got home Sunday morning, we left for NYC!!! I couldn't even sleep on the way. I was too excited! I have been to NYC before, but this was different. I was getting to share it with collin for his first time there, and we were going to a Yankees game at Yankee Stadium in it's final year. It was an amazing experience to see a Yankees game for one, but to know it was in a stadium that was known for so many historical baseball moments was exceptional. It's sad that next year it won't be the Yankees Stadium anymore. We saw the new stadium they are currently building. IT is going to be crazy with a Hard Rock Cafe included inside the stadium. After the game, we took a short trip over to Manhattan so collin could get a brief overview of what NYC is all about! We parked on the jersey shore and rode the Path train into Manhattan. AFter a few confusing train and subway connections, we finally made it to the WTC. Our subway rode right through the middle of Ground Zero. That is a sight that I will never forget. Last year when I visited this part of the subway was closed. Due to it being late on a Sunday, the WTC museums and tours were closed so we went to Wall St. Collin was overwhelmed to see the NY Stock Exchange, a place he dreamed of working at when he was younger. We then headed to Little Italy so I could take collin to my favorite pizza place, Lombardi's. It is supposed to be the oldest pizzerria in the US. We sat at the bar until our table was ready and enjoyed a drink. Our bartender was so much fun and the fresh sangria (another one of my favorite things about Lombardi's) was delicious! We got our seat and got to eat the yummy pizza!! It makes me happy everytime and the price is surprisingly reasonable.
We then headed to Times Square. There is nothing like Times square if you've never seen it so it was cool being with Collin for his first time there. He was so excited to see the NASDAQ studio. We then went to the Empire State Building. The line was 1 1/2 hours so we bought an express pass. It costs quite a bit more, but it is worth it big time. We weren't going to be home until 3 in the morning as it was so I'm thankful we chose to do express. It was only about 10 mins for us to get to the top. It was nighttime when we got to the top and it was windy. It was beautiful as always, but I just wish it wasn't so crowded. It has such a romantic vibe, but it's ruined by the number of people and everyone pushing to get their view off the building, but collin and I made the most of it. He was really glad we had the time to see it. Afterwards, we headed back home to MD.
Today, Labor Day, we went to the Maryland Rennaissance Festival. This is something I've never experienced in my life. It is really popular in this area, and it is a lot of fun! Everything is renaissance themed. All of the characters speak and dress as if they were from this era. The fair is filled with comedy shows, musical performances, magic acts, sword swallowers, games, axe throwing, stores, and best of all "The Joust". We had a great time. Our favorite two things were the sword swallower and the joust. The joust was set up as real as it could possibly be. They had a presiding court of kings and queens up in a tall building, the knights rode in on horses and we were the ladies and gents of the land there to cheer on our knight. It was really amazing to watch. There were several competitions, but the joust was great! We left in the evening to go to Annapolis, MD.
It was only about 10 mins from the fair, and it was worth going. It's a town right on the harbor famous for the Naval Academy. While in Annapolis, we cruised the harbor aboard the Queen Harbor. It was a tour of the harbor by water. We went at the perfect time so the view and sunset was amazing. We had the best seat on the boat. I loved it! After the cruise, we went to Pusser's seafood to eat! We sat outside on the dock, and I had the most delicious crab cakes I have ever tasted!! It was a perfect ending to our weekend!