Moving and A Trip to NYC

Before our roadtrip to Newport, we experienced a vehicle mishap on the way home from the big surprise birthday party I threw for my husband. It wasn't pretty; simply a lot of smoke and a car overheating to christen our adventures a few days before the move. The good news is that all the work was covered by our extended warranty, our car is three years old and has been paid off for over a year and-a-half is now running amazingly well again. The mechanic found an emission issue when he hooked his computer device up to our car. We consider ourselves lucky that our car had a minor mishap (pure bad luck that a hose busted, and yes, we do keep our car up to service with regular oil changes if you are wondering if that was the cause of the issues), without a diagnostic test ran we might have found ourselves stranded in a parking lot with a car that would not start far from friends and a dealership en route to Rhode Island. While our car was being repaired, we were given two extra days to spend time with our local Charleston friends.

On our drive up we were able to see our friends the Carr family in Virgina Beach, Virginia, the Rimmer famiy in Annapolis, Maryland, meet our friends the Andersons in the Georgetown area right ouside of WA D.C. We are so lucky to have good friends scattered along the east coast.

Once we got to Newport, the townhouse we had found was not as we had been told, nor were the pictures we had recieved prior of the place pictures to the exact townhouse that we were renting. The scenic view of the Narragansett Bay, the court yard, and the backyard in the pictures were in reality a back of another townhouse, two parking lots, a dumpster and a very small backyard that was a cement slab with a small strip of grass. I almost cried because I'm pregnant and honestly was exhausted from our roadtip. I then polietly told the realtor that this townhouse was not as it had been represented and the deal breaker to the place was the backyard. Two boys and a dog need a backyard to run around in. This is when my friend Fari who lives in Newport called and asked us to come over for lunch. I told her, "Ft. Adams housing is very INTERESTING!" She told me to come over, rent her house the following week from her (they are moving to San Diego), and that she knew I'd hate Ft. Adams. Then she told me to tell the realtor it was a no-go and to come over for lunch, she'd already ordered pizza! My friend Fari is a SAINT!!! I was very nice to our realtor and basically begged that she let us not move in the next day and that we should consider all prior agreements living there to be null and void. None of our things were moved into the townhouse the following day, and we rescheduled the movers to move our belongings into Fari's house the following week. Thankfully it all worked out! And the new place is reasonably priced and beautiful! I'd post a picture to show you... But I don't think it is wise to post photos of your home on the internet. You may see glimpses of our neighbor's homes in pictures, but not of ours until the day we move at least.

Originally we thought we would move into our new place and then go visit New York City for a few days. Instead, we saved money waiting for a place to move into and went to New York City to visit.

Here are some photos of our adventures in New York City:

G on the Ellis Island computers. We were able to look up a few family ancestors that come through Ellis Island on their immigration into the U.S. I was thrilled, the boys someday may find it fascinating.
On the Stanton Island Ferry.
On the Stanton Island Ferry.
J at the top of the Rockefeller building.
Us at the top of the Rockefeller building.
G looking out at NYC at the top of the Rockefeller building. One of the things I love the most is my kids seeing and experiencing new places. I wonder what is going through his mind.
On the New York City Subway system.
J at the park. I love this photo of him.
James in Times Square NYC.
Enjoying a rainy day in Times Square NYC.
My high school friend/ college roommate Melanie and I. Melanie and her boyfriend, Kevin have lived in NYC since last September. It was wonderful visiting with her and they showed us around the city a bit too.
James and the boys with James' friend Keith. Keith has lived in NYC for years, and not only was it wonderful for all of us to spend time with him, he was a great informal tour guide of NYC. At times NYC can be overwhelming; it was nice to have friends like Keith, Melanie and Kevin to point us in the right direction and to give us helpful tourist suggestions.
A picture of the Statue of Liberty. We took a ferry out to see the Statue of Liberty one of the cold wet days we were in NYC. The monument itself was closed to travel to the top, due to remodeling for the year, but we were able to go to the island it is on and see it from several feet away.