Take me back to the Black Hills...

Hello everyone!

2 months has passed since my last post ... since then I've managed to complete 5 assignments (urghh!), survive the Talent Review period (most intense period of work during the year), visit Mexico, Dominican Republic and Canada, spot 3 A Grade celebrities, tick another 10 states off our list and host my friend Michelle for an awesome weekend in NY and NJ.

Let's start first with the celebs.  In April there was the Tribeca Film Festival and as part of it there was a Director Talks series, and I went to see one with Ben Stiller and Jay Roach (Director of Meet the Parents franchise and Austin Powers franchise).  I'm a big movie fan, and Austin Powers and Tropic Thunder are two all time faves of mine so it was really cool to hear from them about making the movies.  Here's a pic of the two:

Second celeb spotting was out at a work dinner.  I was at a restaurant on Park Ave called Wolfgang's Steak House and as our group was entering, so did Dan Ackroyd.  I missed him at that point (I'm really bad at celeb spotting) but he walked past our table when he finished his meal and spoke with us - well it was really a bit of a monologue - so I managed to get this pic.

Third celeb spotting was on Monday, and it was Bette Midler.  Michelle and I went to her one woman show "I'll eat you Last" and at the end we saw her as she was coming out the stage door.  She was awesome to see in the show - an amazing actress. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to get a photo with her ourselves, but this was good enough!


It was Memorial Weekend a couple of weeks ago so I took an extra day off and Brett, Jack and I hit the road with the mission to knock off a few more states.  We managed another 10 (Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minneapolis, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri & Kansas), taking our total up to 35.  The highlight of the trip was getting out to Mount Rushmore, which is in the south west of South Dakota.  This is also the home of the Black Hills, which for the Calamity Jane fans out there, was also a big highlight.  Lucky Brett had to suffer me singing the soundtrack from the movie (unassisted by the actual music) pretty much for the entire time we were in South Dakota.

Jack and I with the four presidents

Along the journey, we also managed to see many great and interesting things...

Me and my new mate in a town called Wall Drug (!!)

One of "The General's" used in the filming of Dukes of Hazard (somewhere in a little roadside museum in the mid-west) 

Falls from a town called Sioux Falls in South Dakota

"Paddock Art" in North Dakota (9 Cadillacs seriously in the middle of nowhere)

Brett and I at Lake Michigan in Chicago

 The Moose Mobile

A random dinosaur

The biggest cross I've ever seen (in Missouri)

One of the thousands of fireworks stores across the country (we were very tempted to stock up, however they're illegal in Jersey and I don't think this is something we want to get deported for).

The biggest container of cheese balls I've seen (the height of the container was at least 40 cms high!)



Last weekend Michelle (who, along with having the same name, we also share the same birthday!) came to visit on her first leg of her world wide holiday (she's now in Berlin, before heading to Czech Republic, followed by a relaxing week in Tuscany and a quick stop in Honkers).  The holiday definitely didn't start of relaxing.  Here is our jam packed 3 1/2 days in photos: 

 

Enjoying cocktails in SoHo after shopping

People enjoying the sun in Washington Square

Down at the Jersey Shore at a pub where we went to watch a friend play a show (unfortunately after the 2 1/2 hour drive, we missed the show due to my bad directions...)

The other band that was playing at the Jersey Shore pub.  These guys looked as though they had spent too much time on the couch with the green stuff (the one on the right was still wearing his trackies!).

Enjoying cocktails for brunch in Williamsburg, Brooklyn before hitting the flea markets

Walking off the cocktails on the Brooklyn Bridge

Pizza, pasta and wine in Little Italy

Michelle fell in love with the M&M store in Times Square (after we spent 2 hours in the Sketchers store).

At the Yankees before being washed out

Enjoying our Miller beer at Yankee Stadium

Our last night together enjoying champagne in a coffee cup at the theatre

Now time to prep for the onslaught of the Carville / Crompton crew (6 in total), who I will meet up with in Las Vegas in 19 days, before 2 weeks in NY.  I can't wait until they're here!

See you later everyone!

Michele