Hello Kitty! Rescued a homeless animal - #14 of 45

A couple of week-ends ago I went to an assistant principal conference in Austin.  Our school's admin intern, Jinger, went with me.  One night we were leaving to go find a Starbucks when Jinger noticed a kitten in the parking lot of the hotel.  Of course I have to go check it out.  There was the sweetest little black and white (although she was so dirty the white fur was gray).  The mama cat was there too.  I sat and tried to get this wild kitten to come to me and she really did get fairly close.  About that time, Laurie, that works with hotel security stopped and told us that was the hotel cat she had been feeding for years and was a horrible mama!  I told her I wanted the kitten, so she went and found an old rusty beaver looking trap to catch this kitten.  It worked but the kitten was not happy at all.  We then put the cage on a service cart with a towel over the cage and headed up the service elevator to our room.  Jinger could not believe we were moving this wild animal through a hotel.  The kitten not in love with us at all as she banged her paws against the cage and hissed like a snake.  We just left her alone and the next morning she let me hold her.  Our conference was over at noon and we began transporting this kitten down to my car.  She hid most of the way home but I got her and held her the rest of the way home.  Jinger just kept saying that she could not believe I was doing this.  I couldn't just let her live in the parking lot.  She quickly acclimated to my house.  See she is even waving!  She is the sweetest natured thing and has lots of energy just like kittens do.  This new thing will be more than a memory as she will stay around for a long time to come!

Welcome, Zoey!!

Memories from the BIG APPLE - Final Day - Day 4 and #12 & 13 of 45 off my list!

Day 4 - Our last day.....we were headed to Central Park.  We were determined to see the "Friends Fountain" and the castle.  I was wearing a maxi sun dress thinking that was a great plan.  It ended up being a record heat day for NYC at 95 degrees.  Now I am a Texas girl through and through, but I didn't dress for 95 degrees.  I am a problem solver as are my buddies so you will see that in a bit. On our walk toward the park we found the LOVE....

Crystal & Kya found LOVE on Sunday....

We headed into the park and I bought a map for us.  The girl asked if we wanted to see anything in particular and when we told her she laughed.  It was a hike for sure.  We walked and walked --sweating and I was getting all kinds of irritated that I wore this long dress that I just thought would be comfy.  We passed a fountain that KIND OF --- MIGHT--- pass for the Friends fountain but it was really small.  We kept looking at our map and we were where it was marked.  Then.... we found Allen.

He was an "official" Central Park Visitor Center employee.  He let us know that the map we bought was not an "official" Central Park map.  WHAT??  Then he proceeded to tell us that the Friends Fountain IS NOT located in Central Park but on a movie lot in HOLLYWOOD!!! We were devastated!  So then I asked him if the castle was fake too.  He laughed and told us exactly how to get to it. We went walking down the long and winding road.... hey that could be a song..... :)  We got to the castle and we walked up the road only for another disappointment.  I swear in movies I thought it had a huge staircase in front and was very grand..... sigh.....

 No grand staircase outside.  There was a pond - very green --all around.  Well at least I can say I went to Central Park and saw something new.  #12 - Castle at Central Park

There is no denying that Central Park is BEAUTIFUL - even when it's 95 degrees.

We were so very hot!  We couldn't miss a photo opp though.  Love that backdrop.

We were hot and starving and trying to get out of the park.  Julie said to head toward where we heard cars.  Crystal posted on Facebook that we were lost in Central Park and it posted a map!  We quickly found a street and realized we were in the 80s.  There was NO WAY we were walking back to how we came(55th St.).  We were going to John's Pizza and I quickly offered to pay for a cab.   #13 - I hailed a cab in NYC.  I was successful because I had seen in done so much in Sex in the City episodes. :)

Thank you, Carrie Bradshaw!

If you notice my dress is quite a bit shorter than in the "LOVE" picture.  I pulled that dress up and tied it to my it to my Coach shoulder bag.  Hey, no one wants to be around me when I'm hot and hungry.  No judgement please.  We did get a cab and headed for John's Pizza.  It was really great pizza.  I had been there before but love the building.  It is an old church.  The ceiling is beautiful.

We went into a few souvenir shops and were only a few blocks from our hotel at that point.  We went and grabbed our bags and the bellhop got us a cab this time and off to the airport we went.  We were sad to leave because we were having such a great adventure together but reality must resume so back to Texas we went.

Thanks to the most amazing traveling chicks ever!  I can't wait for our next adventure together.  Thanks to the readers for reliving this journey with me.

I heart NYC --- until we meet again!