Category: Recreation

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Popular Attraction in NYC You Don’t Want to Miss

Among all the cities across the globe, New York City is among the most famous, and for good reason. If you plan on taking a trip to this eclectic city, be sure to catch these attractions!

Times Square

There is absolutely no way you can go to New York City and skip over Times Square. This iconic area in the city features constant excitement around the clock. From the dazzling lights, to the eclectic shops and eateries, to the dynamic array of people constantly making their way around, Times Square is definitely not a spot in NYC to be missed. There’s really never a dull moment there!

Empire State Building

Another iconic landmark in New York City, the Empire State Building is open to tourists 18 hours a day. You can take a guided audio tour if you want in order to learn more about the things you’ll be seeing from the top of the city. You can even take a bus tour of popular attractions in NYC!

Central Park

This lush area of greenery is spectacular all year round. It offers the ideal getaway from the concrete jungle of the city, and features 50 fountains, 21 playgrounds, bike paths and rentals, and 36 bridges.

Statue of Liberty

There’s simply nothing that symbolizes NYC more than the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island. There are a number of city boat tours that go around the island that you can take, in addition to tours offered on the premises that you can reserve in advance.

New York City is definitely a one of a kind place to visit, offering a host of things to see, hear, and do!

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Where to Enjoy Live Jazz in Palm Desert

Palm Desert has the perfect blend of nature and culture. From the majestic red rocks to its nightlife, there’s something for everyone in this eclectic city. Live jazz is common place in Palm Desert, but finding the best place will take a little work. Jazz is meant to be heard with broad acoustics and minimal interruptions from the crowd.

1.) The Show at Agua Caliente

The Agua Caliente is a resort, casino and spa in Rancho Mirage, CA. In 2008, the show was opened here: a venue dedicated to the arts. Boasting musicians like Billy Joel, Matchbox 20 and REO Speedwagon, The Show is also known for its jazz performances. The four-level facility keeps the shows intimate, with plush seats surrounding the stage.

2.) McCallum Theatre

The breathtaking stage of McCallum Theater opened in 1988 and has been wowing its guests with a wide range of musical acts ever since. The best place to see a Broadway show in Palm Desert, their jazz café series is equally impressive. The state-of-the-art sound system is perfect for capturing the intricacies of jazz, while even the farthest reaching seats can enjoy the show with an unobstructed view.

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Happy Labor Day weekend

Well it looks like it’s going to be a great Labor Day weekend The weather is supposed to be warm and sunny, and we have been invited to my brother’s house to hang around his pool and enjoy some grilled burgers and chicken. We plan to bring a nice grape salad to chip in with the food.

I hope that each and every one of you has a safe and happy Labor Day. Unfortunately it’s also the sign of Autumn beginning but that’s okay. All things must change!!

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Easy Easter Egg Tarts

I was on a mission to find something simple and easy to make for dessert for the neighborhood picnic this year. Well I found a a delicious looking fruit tart recipe. It has a sugar cookie crust and is topped with a yummy cream cheese frosting and fresh fruit. Because I’ve been short on time I’m using a store bought refrigerated cookie dough that I just have to slice and bake and a tray of fresh fruit. The cream cheese frosting has just a little vanilla and  powdered sugar mixed in with whipped cream cheese. This is just the type of thing I was looking for. Simple, fast, easy, and will still have the crowd oohing and ahhing.

To make it festive I thought I’d bake it in the shape of a giant Easter egg. Then, I thought it would be fun if I made them in individual sizes. I’m going to bake  a few dozen egg shaped cookies and then bring the frosting and fruit with me. Of course I’ll decorate a few to give people an idea of what to do.

I bet the kids will LOVE to decorate their own tarts. It’s a great way to get them to eat fresh fruit and have fun doing it. I’m excited for them just thinking about it.

I can’t wait to dive into these yummy Easter Egg tarts!

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Would love to learn how to salsa dance

salsa dancing (free clip art)
salsa dancing (free clip art)

I always wanted to take a variety of dance classes when I was married. My ex agreed to taking a brief course in ballroom dancing, but it was a disaster. He kept telling me that I was trying to lead and made a big scene. I used to dance with a variety of partners before we married, and nobody ever told me that I was trying to lead! Maybe my ex just needed to be a little bit stronger in his leading, I don’t know. Regardless, we never went dancing after that, and that made me really sad because I love to dance! I wish I could find a partner to take salsa classes santa monica with me so I could go out and have some fun again!

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Happy 4th of July

fireworks (free clip art)
fireworks (free clip art)
I sure hope you guys are having a ‘blast’ today. We have a special July 4th package deal going on where the whole house is decorated for the 4th, and we are having a huge picnic type dinner for everyone in the community too. The other local businesses like the tubing guys up river are throwing in with me and offering tubing and canoeing along with my package.

It’s kind of a bring your own fireworks type display and everyone brings a side dish too from the community. Watermelons are in the river getting good and cold and so is the beer. We always have the best time, and the house is booked solid for the whole 3 day weekend. 

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Saving and Spending

So I decided that I wanted to take the family on a nice vacation this year but, realized I needed to take a look at our finances first. I’ve always had an idea of how much we spend on everything, but never really had a budget that was written down. In order to get a realistic idea of what we’re saving and spending, I thought maybe I should track everything.

I looked up free budget software online to get started. After all, I’m trying to save and I don’t want to shill out more money in all of this. At first I thought I would be overwhelmed. I watched a few video demos on how easy the software programs are to use. Some programs wanted a ton of information and others looked just like a spread sheet. I already have spread sheet software… that’s not what I was looking for.

I looked at reviews for best budgeting sites to get opinions of what other people thought worked and didn’t for them. I’ve narrowed it down to three different sites. I think just to get a good idea of what each site can do for me I’ll use them each for the next two months. At the end of the two months I should be able to tell which software will work best for me in the long run.

I can’t wait to see where our money is actually going. I wonder if I’ll find that it hasn’t been going where I thought it had been this whole time. No matter where it’s going I want to save so that we can afford a nice vacation. Budgeting here we come!

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If Cars Could Talk

If cars could talk I’m sure they would have a lot to say about their owners. I bet each of the cars I’ve had will have something different to say about me. That’s probably because I was a different person with each of the cars I’ve owned.

The first car I owned as a teenager. I didn’t take care of it as best as I should have. There was wrappers from fast food places all over inside. I didn’t wash it nearly as much as it needed. That car would probably tell you I neglected it cosmetically. I always took it to get an oil change and tune ups as needed. I even bought new tires for it.

The next car I had in college would tell you that I loved to party. I would take it out to go dancing almost every night of the week. We drove up and down the coast to visit other dancers and go to different dance exchanges. That car would tell you I am a well traveled person.

Another car I had would tell you that I am a hard worker. I drove it to work every day. I also took pride in my car. It was the first car I owned with heated seats and I just couldn’t get enough of them. I washed this car weekly and even spent extra cash to get it detailed. I loved that car and wish I still had it today.

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Online Book Club Using Audio Books

I recently thought about joining a book club. Well, now I’m thinking that would be great but it would also be great if I could listen to audio books online free. I would love to be able to the books as I’m doing other things at the same time like doing the dishes, folding laundry, or even sweeping and mopping.

I’m a busy mom and I have a lot on my plate. I’d like to be able to get in some reading and still take care of all my responsibilities. I’ll have to see what books I can find online and then maybe start a book club myself based on the books I find. I know I can’t be the only one out there that has the same dilemma that I do, and wants to be a productive mom and still get in some fun entertainment time. Audio books sound like the way to go. Pun intended.

Here’s an idea. Do any of you want to join a book club with me? We could do an online book club and check in with each other here or maybe in a Facebook group or something. Any suggestions on books we should read?

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Considering Joining A Book Club

I’ve been considering joining a book club. I used to always be reading something new. I haven’t picked up a new book in some time. I think it would be a lot of fun to get back into my daily reading habit. I always used to read before bed. It helps me relax and feel calm before heading to sleep.

Although, some times it would keep me up longer when I was reading a good book. It would be difficult to put it down. I would tell myself I’ll stop at the end of this chapter in order to avoid it getting really out of hand.

The reason why I’m thinking of joining a book club is because I would love to have someone to share and discuss what I think  about the book.  I love chit chatting about what I watch on television with my friends so why not do the same thing with the books I read. I think it it would be lots of fun to talk about what what the characters are doing and why they are doing it.

Digging deeper into the meaning of books is really exciting. I know it would be neat to hear the perspectives of others on the same book I’m reading. Perhaps they caught something I didn’t  or view something in a total different way that I had never thought about.