nate is great

My good friend here, Katie, wrangled up some tickets to a taping of the new Nate Berkus show. I had only seen him a couple of times, on Oprah, but liked his decorating style. Plus his show is filmed in New York City, so I was extra excited to go! It was my first time venturing into the City, and was very surprised at how quick and easy it is to get there. Katie even found a great parking garage right next to the Manhattan Temple that is super cheap considering the options available. First we grabbed a quick (and delicious) bite before jumping into line outside the studio. We assumed that your spot in line would determine your seating inside the studio... WRONG! We were one of the first in line, but that is not why we were put in the front row. They forced us to sign our lives away, making us promise not to "blog" about selection details for the audience. Let's just say we got lucky and they must have really liked our outfits! The taping was really fun and we got really good at pretending to be overjoyed at the sight of Nate, and ignoring the huge cameras. I'm so grateful for the experience and can't wait to attend more tapings! So many great shows are filmed there. Hey, I hear they film Jerry Springer here in CT... perhaps next time the boys get a break from school.

camp out

During Sam's recent 2 week break we broke out the tent and went camping with our friends. I actually "roughed it", meaning I slept in a sleeping bag on the ground- no air mattress! Based on the half hour of sleep I got all night, next time there will indeed be an air mattress involved. We roasted weenies, s'mores and stayed up talking with good friends until all our fire wood burned out. There was only minor trauma when something fell out of a tree while we chatted around the fire. It was pitch black and it scared the crap out of me for the rest of the night. I swear it was a bear cub. Maybe camping just isn't for me, UNLESS it's at a beach or somewhere without wild carnivores. In the morning Katie made us a delicious breakfast, if you don't count the poisoned bacon. She is actually an excellent cook, and we're so glad they braved the wilderness with us.