New York City. This is for anyone who has ever been to NYC!!

First of all, thank you to those of you who have already given me suggestions for things to do in NYC. I have written them down, looked them up and found some winners!

But this post is for anyone how lives or has ever been to NYC!

My friends and I will be there for 6 days and 5 nights and trying to narrow down things to do feels impossible. I have been to New York once but I was only 13 years old. I do remember it like it was yesterday but I am beyond excited to go back and at Christmas! The fashion, the restaurants, the architecture, the lights...NYC is fantastic.

When it comes to restaurants here is our dilemma.

People have suggested some amazing restaurants with fabulous views and amazing atmosphere. But the problem is....when I pull up the menus online...
1) I can barely read the menu because I don't know what anything is
and
2) The meals are all at least $50 per person.

Now I do love atmosphere and nice restaurants but I do not eat super elegant food and typically if I pay a pretty penny for a meal I want more than a tiny little piece of meat. You know what I mean?

So my question for you is...

What are your favorite restaurants where we can get good quality food in a fun atmosphere for not too much $$$? None of us are too big on seafood if that helps. I have been researching but I figured asking people who has tasted it first hand would be a good idea. Our hotel is on 41st street and 9th avenue I believe...if this gives you a reference to where we are staying. I would love to go to some "off the beaten path", maybe not so crowded little cafes or restaurants if you know of any. Also any lounges you would suggest would be wonderful.

Also have any of you seen any good Broadway shows recently? We thought about going to see Wicked but it is coming to my home town in February for about half the price so I think we are going to hold out for that. Any smaller shows that are good? Ones that aren't so popular? I know some of these are fantastic but I don't know which ones specifically.

I believe the only "touristy" things we are doing is a tour of lower Manhattan, taking the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and doing the Ground Zero memorial/museum. Because 3 out of 4 of us have been to NYC we didn't want to spend all our time doing tours but wanted to do a few highlight tours.

Suggestions?
Ideas?
Must sees?
Shopping ideas?
Restaurants?
Shows?
What to wear?
Anything really :)


Thank you so much! 9 shorts days away!! Cant wait!!

Weigh-In. New York. Such an exciting month!

It's Christmas time again!

The most wonderful time of the year in my opinion. The birth of our Savior and there is no greater feeling than being surrounded by family, friends, lights, presents, Christmas trees, holiday parties and love. But the greatest of these is love...by a mile.

When it comes to my family and Christmas there are gatherings galore. We start several days before Christmas and continue them until several days after Christmas. I have a large family on both sides and getting together with everyone is such a fun time.

An added bonus this year is my trip to New York coming up in 13 short days!! Thank you to those of you who have given me suggestions of restaurants, shopping, shows, etc. In such a large city and only 6 days we definitely need some good ideas! There are four of us girls going. We leave at the crack of dawn on the 15th and return Tuesday night, the 20th. So excited! Going to NYC during Christmas has always been a dream of mine. Many pictures will be taken I can assure you!

I also wanted to give a little weight update. Unfortunately Thanksgiving and all the delicious food got the best of me this year. I didn't think I overdid it too bad but after a nearly 3 pound gain in the last two weeks, I guess I should have been more conscience of what I was eating. This morning I weighed 179.2 pounds. Still in the 170's thank goodness but about 3 pounds higher than I was in mid-November. But as of yesterday I am back on the bandwagon. The holidays are just hard when trying to lose weight. Period.

After much contemplation and thought, I have decided that I want to set a final goal for myself. Some people don't like to set goals that are set in stone but it gives me the motivation I need.

I have always said that my final goal weight will be 160 pounds. That is also a huge milestone for me because I started my lap band journey at 260 pounds and that would be a 100 pound loss. I am currently 179 pounds, thus I need to lose 19 pounds in total. By April 18, 2012, my birthday, I would love to hit my ultimate goal.

That would mean I need to lose 19 pounds in the next 4 and a half months. That is roughly only a pound a week starting now. If I want to make this easy on myself I need to start asap. So that is where I am at. I have lost 81 pounds and I am proud of how far I have come. 19 pounds to go. These will be the hardest but I am ready for the challenge!

I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!
Happy Holidays!!!

Recent pictures and weigh-in!

The weight it coming off! Slowly but surely.

This morning I weighed 176.8 pounds!

This is only 1.6 pounds away from my all-time lowest. (About 6 weeks ago at the end of September I got down to 175.2 pounds.) I will be there again hopefully very soon. I have made myself stick to around 1,000-1,200 calories per day and have not budged for the last week and a half. This week I had a good exercise session on Tuesday and also today.

The weekend always scares me because my family and I always seem to eat at the best restaurants on the weekends and that makes it so hard to be good. But it's a must. There is no turning back. I know the rules of eating out...I just have to stick to them.

I also found something so cool the other day. I was in a cleaning mood and decided to go through my "junk" drawers to organize important papers and throw some things away. I found my original lap band journal that I started about a year before my surgery with notes from doctor visits, questions I had for my doctor, notes from the seminars, etc. I found a sheet of paper I filled out with my nutritionist about 2 weeks before my surgery. She put down that she wanted my goal weight to be around 180 pounds. At 80 pounds down from 260 pounds (which I was 260 pounds at that time) and being 5'7'', 180 pounds would be the perfect place to end up. I told her at that time I would love to get down to 170 pounds and she agreed this would be reasonable.

All that to say...180 pounds has come and gone and I am on my way to a healthier me :) At the time 80 pounds to lose seemed so far away and so hard to do but as you know with hard work and determination anything is possible.

Hope you all have a great weekend! I am going to see Dave Barnes in concert tomorrow night. He is the best!

The Scale. New York City. Pictures.

Its been about two weeks since I have posted but it feels like an eternity. I have tried to keep up with all the blogging but haven't taken a second to blog myself.

I have been great. Really great and very happy with the way my life is going right now. Loving spending all my time with my boyfriend, Kevin, his daughter and all my friends and family.

I guess all this happiness has caused me to not care so much about the scale. Or maybe going to so many delicious restaurants and making poor food choices is just causing the scale to head in the wrong direction.

Nevertheless....

About two weeks ago I weighed in around 177 pounds and this morning I weighed 180 pounds. Not absolutely terrible but definitely heading in the wrong direction. I am wanting to be 169 pounds by my trip to New York which fortunately but unfortunately is only 38 days away.

1 pound lost every 3 days....uh oh.

Maybe it can be done. Who really knows at this point. Today I have eaten 1,300 calories and I am done for the day. Regardless...I am fulling capable of getting my healthy eating back under control and I realize 3 pounds gained isn't anything to cry over.


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And now....New York City!! The Big Apple!! NYC here we come in 38 days!!

Myself and three of my very best friends are going to New York City the week before Christmas and we are ecstatic! I have only been to NYC one time and I was 13 years old and the city means a million times more to me now. First of all there is no way we are going to be able to cram in everything we want to do in 6 days but dang it we are going to do our best! Pretty soon I am going to need restaurant recommendations, tour recommendations, etc. We are also very excited about our cute hotel which is only about 5 blocks from Times Square.

We are leaving at the crack of dawn December 15th at like 5 in the morning and getting back December 20th around 10 at night. We still haven't started the detailed planning of the trip but soon we will sit down and figure everything out day by day. Any suggestions you may have are welcomed by me!

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Lastly, here are some pictures from mine and my boyfriends trip to Auburn last weekend! Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Happy 2nd Bandiversary!!

Yesterday was my 2 year bandiversary!! Time sure does fly by!

I remember all so well the months before my surgery preparing to make one of the biggest decisions of my life. Going to numerous nutrition classes, doctor visits galore, sleep studies and the list goes on and on.

Until finally October 23, 2009 came and marked such an amazing day in my life. I can proudly say I am a much happier, healthier, smaller, more confident version of myself. I am staying pretty consistent in weight loss from last year to this year. Within my first year of having surgery I lost 41 pounds. Within my second year of surgery I have lost 42 pounds. And in total, since beginning my lap band journey, I have lost 83 pounds. I am 8 pounds shy of my goal of being in the 160's by my 2 year bandiversary (yesterday) but I am thankful for every single pound lost. My scale read 177.2 pounds this morning and I am well on my way to my ultimate goal of 160 pounds.

Not only have I changed physically but I am a better person mentally and emotionally. Going from a size 22 jeans to a size 12 is wonderful. But as a female, being able to cross my legs is priceless. Being able to swiftly walk up stairs and not be out of breathe is amazing. Seeing that I actually have collar bones is great. Looking forward to eating healthy and going grocery shopping for healthier food is fun. I never thought I would look forward to working out and sweating to death in the gym. And seeing people I haven't seen since before my surgery and having them not even recognize me is amazing beyond words.

Thank you to all of you who have offered such kind words of encouragement to me over the past couple of years. We have grown together as family and we can all relate to each others struggles and accomplishments. That is priceless and thank you for your friendships.

Getting back down!

Happy Tuesday everyone!!

Let's jump right in. Time for my weigh-in:

This morning I weighed 178.2 pounds.

(Last Monday I was at 180.8 pounds)

Hey, I will take a 2 pound loss in a week anytime!! My main focus right now is not just eating around 1,000 calories per day but making sure they are 1,000 good, nutritious calories. Making healthier snack choices, drinking plenty of water and not eating absolutely anything past 8 p.m.!

*Side note: I think back before my surgery when I used to eat anything and everything if I was hungry. My job at the time had me getting off work at 11 p.m. and at least 4 times per week I would go through the drive-thru at either Taco Bell or Wendy's and eat around 800 calories at that time alone!! I was hungry after working and wanted a "snack". I can't imagine now putting that many unhealthy calories in my body at 11 p.m. much less 800 calories and sometimes more!!

But my goal still stands....to be in the 160's by October 23rd. That would require losing 9 pounds in the next 19 days! Approximately 3 pounds per week. Hard goal? Yes but I'm going to give it a go! My dad and I have been exercising more so this is a plus. Last Thursday and yesterday we mapped out a 3-mile walk in my neighborhood which was pretty intense with all the steep hills. I also went to the grocery store last night and splurged on $130 worth of healthy foods. I went a little overboard but I wanted to be prepared for the next few weeks. I made sure to get nutritious meals, low-calorie snacks and lots of protein! To me being prepared and planning out your meals is key and will help you to not overeat or eat the wrong foods.

Also, the nutrition and weight loss seminar at my church starts tonight and I am super excited about it! My dad and I are both doing it and it lasts the whole month of October every Tuesday night. It is completely free to come and the man leading it is a weight loss/nutrition/health freak who lost something like 100 pounds in 6 months. I have heard he is inspirational and has tons of good tips and tricks to teach us. If I learn anything super interesting, I will fill you in!!

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I have been looking at all your pictures from Chicago and it looks like y'all had a blast!! I hate that I couldn't go this year and I miss seeing all my friends from last year. I know there were a lot of new girls that got to go this year too and I hate that I couldn't meet all of you but hopefully next year!! Everyone looked wonderful and it was good to see your smiling faces again :)

Time for a jump start!

Ladies...gentleman...how is everyone doing on this lovely Monday? I havent posted in a few weeks so it is time for a new post.

Things have been the same for the most part...work is still keeping me busy, along with friends, family and my wonderful boyfriend. I am a sales auditor so you would figure as sales start to slow down towards the end of the year so would I. That is not the case...I stay just as busy. This is a good thing though. Definitely makes the days go by faster.

It's football season again so you know I have been enjoying those Auburn games. We have had season tickets since before I came to be so football seasons are a fun time around my house. This brings me to my next point. While football season is full of fun and excitement, it is also full of delicious and at the same time terrible-for-you food! Ugh!

Let me back up for a minute. Last week Monday through Friday afternoon I did so well with my eating. Stayed around 1,000 calories a day. Got in a few good 3-mile walks with my dad. From Monday to Friday afternoon I was down about 3 pounds. I actually got down to 177.2 as of Friday morning. This was my lowest weight so far. I was ecstatic.

Well here comes the weekend. After Chinese for dinner Friday night, Irish pub with the parentals before the game Saturday, Pizza Hut (although I only had 2 pieces) for dinner Saturday night and Ruby Tuesdays for dinner last night...that 177.2 came and went pretty quickly.

This morning....

I weighed....

180.8 pounds.

Ugh. Why do we do this? We know portion control. We know what to eat and not eat. We know how to lose weight. But sometimes the rules fly out the window...right?

So anyways, time for a jump start. My goal is to be in the 160's by October 23rd (yes this means 169.8 pounds does count!!) 28 days to lose 11 pounds doesnt seem so realistic but I am going with it as best as I know how.

Ironically my church is doing a weekly ealth and fitness class each Tuesday for the whole month of October starting next Tuesday. It is free to anyone that comes and they will teach techniques to lose weight, the best exercises for certain parts of the body, what foods to combine with each other and what foods to not combine with each other. I am super duper excited about this and my dad is going to go with me!! It is exactly the motivation I need to lose these 11 pounds!!

Today of course I was good (who wouldn't be after seeing you gained 3 pounds in 3 days!) I ate around 900 calories but tried to get as much protein as I could.

Here's to the next 27 days of losing weight! Can't wait for this seminar at my church. It came at the perfect time :)

Lately...

Hey friends!

I have missed all of you lately. I had been trying to keep up with your blogs every few days but haven't been on here as much as I would like to be. I have enjoyed reading everyone's posts about Chicago but it makes me a little sad because I can't go this year. I will miss all my friends from last year and I hate I won't be able to meet new friends this year. But I know all of you will have an amazing time! Please bring back tons of pictures...I know you will!

As far as my weight, it has been up and down the past few weeks but as of today I am back down to my lowest. On August 26th I hit 178.6 pounds which is my lowest ever. I had been in the 180's since May and I was ready for a change. The past 2 weeks I have gone up and down...from 178 to 183 and I am pretty sure this has something to do with football parties, going out of town and tailgating. But this morning I was back at 178.6 pounds...on the dot. I am good with this. I know how to work my way back down after a weekend of being "bad". The trick is going to be learning how to not be "bad" on football weekends...full of tailgating and delicious food. Especially since football season just started! Ahh!!


Here are a few pictures from this past weekend :) Have a fabulous Friday!

Finally!!

I am pleased to announce my weigh-in results from yesterday!

Seeing that I have been in the 180's since May 1st (or May 4th...I can't remember) I was ecstatic to see a new number on my scale!!

After about 2 weeks of hardcore discipline my scale said 178.6 pounds yesterday morning!! Finally in the 170's!! This makes my total weight lost 82 pounds since having surgery and it sure is a great feeling.

Originally I wanted to be 160 pounds (my goal) by my 2 year bandiversary which is October 23rd. But seeing that I would need to lose 18 pounds in the next 7 weeks seems a little too hard and quite frankly healthy for myself. My new goal is to just see the 160's by October 23rd. If that means 169 pounds I am perfect with that and if that means 165 pounds I am good with that too. Either way I need to lose about 9 more pounds in the next 7 weeks!!

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I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! I am headed in about an hour to Nashville with my family and some friends. My parents are having a reunion with a bunch of their good friends from high school and everyone is bringing their kids to "show off" as my mom would say.

Happy Saturday :)

Getting back down to my lowest!

Just wanted to do a little blog update with an exciting daily weigh-in!

Now I am the type that weighs myself each morning no matter what. I know some of you are completely against the idea of this and may only weigh yourself once every few days or maybe even once a week.

I just can't stay away from the dreaded scale. Sometimes we like each other and sometimes we don't. There are some days where it just doesn't want to move and some days it moves....just in the wrong direction. I am fine with this. But I still consistently weigh myself each day. I have a routine....

Get out of bed....

Use the bathroom...

Take any pajamas off....

Then weigh myself.

I keep track of my weight and all my goals with a dry erase marker on my bathroom mirror so I have a daily reminder of where I am and where I want to be.

I find this time in the morning to be my most true weight.

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Well I have been eating well and been very disciplined for the past 2 weeks or so. Trying to get in at least 60 grams of protein, 70 oz of water and as much fruits and veggies as I can.

Two weeks ago I was around 186 pounds.

This morning I weighed 180.8 pounds!!!

My goal is to be around 160 pounds by my two year bandiversary which is October 23rd. I realize this means I must lose about 2.2 pounds a week according to my math. This doesn't seem like the most healthy option but I will do what I can do lose the weight in a timely manner. Even if I can hit 169...which means losing 11 more pounds...that would be amazing!

I have been in the 180's since May and frankly I am just ready to see 179 pounds! I also realize it isn't seeing a number on the scale that makes you skinny but with each pound I lose I gain motivation because I am getting closer to where I need to be.

And thank you so much to everyone's sweet comments on my last post! I love comparison pictures and I just wanted to share a few with yall!

Lastly...here are a few pictures from the Braves game with my Kevin this past weekend. The Bravos lost but we had a great time spending the day with each other! Have a wonderful Wednesday :)

Oh how we love comparison shots!

It's always fun when you run across pictures of yourself pre-lapband.

A few days ago I was looking at old pictures and came across some from my cousin, Lindsay's birthday trip to the beach in May of 2009. It was 5 months before my surgery and right around my heaviest weight of 260 pounds.

You don't always remember how far you have come until you see yourself in an old picture.

Beach trip--May 2009:

Beach trip--July 2011:
2 years passed and 80 pounds gone!

Hope everyone has a fabulous Sunday! Kevin and I are headed to the Braves game tomorrow in Atlanta against the Cubs! Watch for us on t.v.!! :)

It's been a while...

Where do I even begin?

First of all, I never intended to be on a 2 month hiatus from my blog and thank you to those of you who stuck around! So many things have happened since May when I did my last post. It's been a roller coaster ride to say the least but I am happy and that is what matters the most.

I guess there is no easy way to post this so I will go ahead and get it out of the way. Burch and I, who I was with for 3 years, broke up at the beginning of May. Without going into too many details out of respect for him, I will just say the relationship took its course and we are better off not being together. It was my decision and it was definitely not mutual but I hope and pray he finds happiness again. He is a great guy who deserves so much in life but I realized that lifetime partner he needs is not me. It was a hard decision but one that had to be made.

With all that said, I have found happiness again and couldn't be better. I am dating a guy named Kevin. I have known his brother for the past year and a half and that is how we met. He is so precious to me and treats me like a princess and is one of most genuine, sincere, caring guys I have ever come to know. I feel privileged that God brought him to me and I look forward to what the future holds.

Now....

as for my weight loss...

Haha!

It has been a roller coaster. I just got home yesterday from an 8-day beach trip with the family and I definitely gained some weight during this trip (as expected).

The lowest I have seen on the scale since I posted last was around 181 pounds and that was sometime towards the beginning of June. The day I left for the beach my scale read 182.6 pounds. And as of this morning my scale read 186 pounds. That is a 3.5 pound gain at the beach which is unfortunate but somewhere around what I expected.

My ultimate goal is to lose 100 pounds by my 2 year bandiversary which is on October 23. My starting weight was 260 pounds and my goal is to be at 160 pounds. I currently weigh 186 pounds so that would mean I need to lose 26 pounds in the next 3 months. This goal is difficult but attainable. Starting tomorrow (haha it is always tomorrow, isn't it?) I have to get back on track. I am a member at Snap Fitness and for the next three months I need to be taking advantage of this. I will do the best I can and I intend to keep yall updated a little more often than once every 2 months!

Thanks again for sticking around and keeping up with me! Below are just a few pictures from the past few weeks! Have a great week!!

Weigh-In!!

I feel like I haven't posted in forever! It hasn't been that long but it sure does feel like it!!

Decided I would do a little weigh-in before I call it a night :)

This morning I weighed: 184.6 pounds!!

My goal was to be 185 pounds or below by June 1st so as long as I stay at this point I am feeling good about it. I actually hit my absolute lowest weight of 182.6 pounds on Monday but since then I have eaten a little bit of Japanese and Mexican food and they don't like my scale very much. But I am very pleased with 184.6 pounds. That puts me around 75 pounds lost total and about 25 pounds to go until my ultimate goal weight!!

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In other news:

I went this past weekend to Auburn to visit my friends Kyndal and Kelsey and their family! We had a great time together and Saturday during our shopping trip I bought a pair of jeans and a pair of pants....both of them SIZE 14!! I can't explain what an amazing feeling that is! Here are some pictures of me and my girls and my brother! Hope you enjoy :)

Monday Weigh-In

! This morning things were looking good on the scale. Sometimes our scales love us and sometimes they really don't like us. But today I am super excited!!

I hit my lowest ever of....

186.8 pounds!!

Goodness! My monthly goal is to be at 185 pounds by June 1st. I am thinking that shouldn't be too hard considering I have 22 days to lose 2 pounds :)

Total weight loss: 73 pounds
Total weight to lose: 27 pounds!!


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I had a huge NSV tonight!! Back when I worked at Anthropologie, before my surgery at the weight of 260 pounds, I would buy all kinds of clothes because I could get them for such good prices. Designer dresses, designer jeans, jewelry....at like 70% off and sometimes more than that!

Back in the summer of 2009 we had a pair of Joe's Jean denim capris go on sale from $178 to $99. Then they went on sale from $99 to $49 and I eventually got them for like $20! One problem, they were a size 32 (US size 14). I was a size 20/22 at this point and could literally barely get them over my knees. Every 3 or 4 months since my surgery I can put them on a slide them a little higher but still way to small for me.

The last time I tried them on before tonight was right after Christmas. I got them to barely come all the way up but the zipper was so far from zipping it wasn't even funny. I saw them hanging in my closet tonight and decided to try them on.

I couldn't believe what happened. They fit! Completely fit without the slightly pulling or sucking in. They are such a perfect fit around my waist and on my legs...I couldn't believe what happened!

Now that I know I can fit into Anthropologie's pants and jeans there is a big shopping spree in my future. I can finally buy the clothes I have loved for years.

180's!! And QUESTION for you New Yorkers!!

Woohoo!!
This morning the scale loves me :)

I now weigh 189.2 pounds!!

Total weight lost: 71 pounds
Total weight to lose: 29 more pounds!!

I have been in the 190's since around the first week of March so I was ready to see the 180's. As you know my goal is to lose 5 pounds a month until October in order to hit my goal of 160 pounds by my 2 year bandiversary on October 23rd. This means by June 1st I need to be around 185 pounds to stay on track.

With the help of Snap Fitness (which I am joining with my mom tomorrow) and Lean Cuisine hopefully I can stay on track!

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Question for all the New Yorkers and New York Lovers:

The hotel my friends and I are most likely going to stay is called The Distrikt Hotel. It looks nice, modern and relatively close to some of the main attractions. The location is West 40th St. between 8th and 9th Ave.

Now this doesn't mean anything to me since I am not familiar with all the streets and avenues and roads, etc. But for those of yall familiar with the city, is this a good location? How long of a walk is it to Times Squares, etc? Thanks for your help!!

Everyone have a wonderful Wednesday!!

Up, down, up, down.....

Does anyone else seem to have the same "up, down, up, down...." problem as me when it comes to the scale?

This morning my weight was 191.4 pounds. I could feel that I hadn't lost any weight this weekend although I did eat sensibly. One week I will be 190.8...the next week 191.6...the next 190.4 and so on and so forth. I wasn't surprised at my weight but I did want to hit 189 by May 1st. Looks like that goal didn't pan out quite as planned haha.

My mom and I decided we are going to Snap Fitness this Wednesday to sign up and join. Maybe this will be the boost I need.

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Some of you messaged me and asked me so I figured I would answer on here...

I'm not going to Chicago this year :(

Not because I wouldn't LOVE to go and not because it wasn't an absolute BLAST last year and not because I don't miss all you girls.

The main reason is because I only have 2 weeks of vacation each year at work. I am using my first week of vacation for the beach this summer and I am using my second week of vacation to go to New York City with my girlfriends the week before Christmas. Because NYC is going to be a pretty costly trip, I am saving all my money for that trip. It makes me sad because I loved meeting you amazing girls and Chicago is such a fun city but I had to pick and choose and unfortunately I have no more vacation at work to use :(

**I think my girlfriends and I have finally chosen a hotel in NYC. In another post I will ask you New Yorkers and New York lovers if you know anything about this hotel and see if the location is a good one!!

Although I am looking forward to NYC, it makes me sad that I will be missing out on Chicago this year. So moving on.

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Here are some pictures from Easter I said I was going to post. I will do another "Photos I Love" post soon! Enjoy and have a blessed day!!