Went to the Bead District in NYC yesterday

I belong to a bead society group and yesterday we took a planned trip to NYC to the bead district.

I did some research and found a bunch of bead stores that I wanted to go visit. Two of my friends and I partnered up and hung together for the day.

We all had places we wanted to go. We started out hitting a few bead stores. There was something to see in each one, but basically it was the same thing in each store. I got some discounts some places and that was thrilling to receive.

I got to take Eclipse with me. He was so good. He was the best companion I could have had. He kept me calm in the stressful situations and didn't have one accident the entire time. He was funny when I ate. He got to eat steak for two meals and he even ate part of a bagel. The city was a new place for him and there were so many things to see and smell.

I didn't get any questions about him the entire day. I guess in NY, people are more used to dogs being with their humans.

I got to walk on Broadway (but not near the theatres. I got to be in Harold's square. I was even in Hell's Kitchen. I saw Madison Square Garden, the Empire State Building, and so much more. It wasn't my first trip to NYC, but it was the longest time I've spent there walking the streets and seeing everything.

We stopped at Chelsea Market before we left the city. That is a really neat place. I went into a lot of the shops and even got a Christmas gift for someone there. I ate at a small Mexican stand. Boy was that disappointing. I ordered a quesadilla and it turned out to look like a soft taco. And it was very small. Eclipse ate more of it than I did.  

I toted a large bag around which got heavier and heavier as the day went along. One store had packages of beads for $2 a bag (about a half pound). Of course I picked up a lot of them. They aren't the best beads, but they will work perfectly for some projects I have coming up.

The bus ride was very interesting. Our bus driver, Cameron, was a really nice guy. He took care of us and got us there and back safely. If we do this again, we are requesting him as our driver.

We had to be on the bus at 6:30. I got up about 4:15 to get ready. I was driving several people so we didn't have to keep as many cars in the parking lot. One person stayed at my house and we hit the road about 5:15. We picked up Lisa and her daughter, then off to pick up Patti. We got lost because I mistyped her address and I had the wrong phone number. She finally called and we found her in a minute and off we went to the pick up location. We got there about 6 and got right on the bus.

We were treated to bagels and muffins with coffee and drinks. That was a nice surprise. We laughed and enjoyed each other's company for the entire ride. We had prize drawings (It worked out that everyone got a prize). Then before we got off the bus, we were all given a little snack bag to take with us. It held a few snacks, some water and some chocolate. That was a nice gift.

On the ride back, a few movies played and we got a little silly. There was some wine and drinks shared - not by me tho - and lots of snacks. Everyone was kind of tired, but that didn't keep us calm or quiet. Some people slept on the bus, but some of us stayed up and talked. Eclipse slept the entire ride home, except for the one bathroom break the bus driver stopped for. (The bathroom on the bus had an issue and we couldn't use it on the way home.)

I didn't get to sleep until after 2am. I woke up at 11:30, then took another 3 hour nap on the couch. Boy was I exhausted.

Over all, it was a great trip. I enjoyed myself and plan on going on the next one.

So freaked out right now

I am so freaked out right now.

I was just chatting online with a former neighbor. She told me that before her family moved, that their home was broken into. She told me that her back sliding back door was smashed and they lost thousands and thousands of dollars worth of property.

The thieves pawned her jewelry and that's how they found them. Well the thieves are one of my other neighbors. The police broke their door in one Sunday morning at 5am and found their laptops and some other property. The police also found 23 illegal guns in the house. The house is a rental property and is rented by an elderly lady. She had her  handicapped son, and his two adult sons living with her. The two grandsons are the thieves.

I am so freaked out. The grandsons and I had a conversation one day and they told me that they were criminals and would take anything that they wanted, but would never steal from me. I thought they were joking. I guess not. And I wonder if they told me they would never steal from me because we are really nice to them and their father. Or because we have God to protect us. Or because we have a retired cop and 2 pit bulls living here.

They guys pawned $6,000 worth of jewelry for $87. How dumb can they be?????

I am so upset by all of this. My former neighbor had their house on the market when this happened and they took the first offer they got, just to get out of our neighborhood. They didn't tell anyone about the break in because they didn't want it to effect the sale of their house. I can understand that. But I wish we had known that there were so many illegal guns 3 doors down from me.

I'm not a gun hater. I actually love guns and love to shoot. I don't own a gun but would if I had the chance. I am just wigged out that they had so many and in the hands of these two irresponsible young males who are criminals. Thank God that they are off the street - the guns and the thieves.