my lil' entrepreneurs....

It's almost time for our summer vacation to NYC.

As you might know..... we drive to NY from NM every summer to see Grandma-Great.

It's the one thing we happily look forward to every single summer.

Believe me......we have a great time traveling from state to state..... sightseeing, museums, zoos, farmers markets, outdoor fairs, etc...

And there are plenty of stuff my kiddos want along the way and having four kids.....that stuff adds up!!! 

They usually have to careful decide what may or may not be worth their money.

So this year, in order to stretch their summer spending dollars, they've decided to sell a few things.

An arts and craft show of sorts with a few other things too.

We decided to head out to our local flea market.

My little entrepreneurs made some arts and craft items (made with love from their tiny hands) to sell along with some items they've out grown.

Fifi made hair clips and headbands from ribbons, feathers and beads....

Cookie made rings and keychains from small trinkets

Sweetheart hand knitted scarves and bracelets.

And Bammy acted as their banker, bookkeeper and cashier.

Sweetheart with her scarves and bracelet bar

Making the customers smile.
Along with every bracelet Sweetheart sold she recited a poem to the
 customer of friendship, love and best wishes as she puts the bracelet on their wrists.

I had so many compliments on my kiddos WONDERFUL business ethics.

very personable, very connective, great customer relations, unique, fantastically crafted items cuteness.

By days end... they did EXCELLENT... they had the satisfaction of a job well done......their crafts were a hit...... AND their profit margins were through the roof!

My little entrepreneurs.... they never stop making me PROUD!

(How about clicking here to see what we were up to last summer.....)

chim chim cheree

It's a super early start to the day for the cast and crew of Mary Poppins..that's me.

As for today is break down day for the set of Mary Poppins.

I'm always amazed at the process of setting up right up to a complete breakdown a week later. 

Then doing the whole thing again in another city.

Everything is so precise... so smooth and timely.

Everything is arranged in the theatre moving trucks right down to exact categorized sections.

The whole process always amazes me.
Every single Broadway production I've worked for are sticklers for organization.
I commend the process

I enjoyed being a part of the Mary Poppins crew.....absolutely memorable.

Thank you for coming to ABQ!

It's a pleasure working with you.

supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

It that time again for 

props, costumes, wigs, lightening, cables, sets and world class actors/performers.

Today, I'm on the set of Disney's, and Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins as they make a five day tour in New Mexico.
What an AMAZING set......it reminded me of my Sweetheart and Cookie's tiny toy doll house that open up to one scene than flips over to an entirely different set.
Exactly, only LIFE SIZE!!
There was a two story umbrella that opened up on the stage...... it was astonishing to see how much details go into this particular production!!
Thank you, Cameron Mackintosh productions, for this FANTASTIC stage show.
It was a pleasure being part of crew.

Les Mis strike down

It's going to be another long night on the set of Les Misérables.

Tonight the show ends its tour date of Albuquerque

All the props, costumes, wigs, lighting, cables and actors head off to Costa Mesa, California.

Below is a photo of the break down process that happens after the show ends. 

Even as the audience begins to leave the theatre.......the big trucks are waiting.

Its all a pretty AMAZING process.

 I enjoyed working with the Les Mis touring crew.

Everything ran so smooth.

I was inspired by the organization and leadership skills.

Great job!!!

When was the last time you went to see Les Misérables?

See it soon... a number of people worked hard to put on this wonderful show.

I'm honored to say I was part of that team!!

it's a beautiful day y'all

♥  Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis  ♥

Pigeon Forge Welcomes Us

Knoxville's Eccentric Sunsphere

Nashville the Country Music Capital

Stainless Steel Pyramid by the Mississippi River in Memphis

Y'all Come Back Now

When I asked the children why they loved Tennessee so much.
 They replied with the following:

Annual family berry picking
Homestyle southern soul food
Drinks served in mason jars
Dollywood / Splash Country
Wide green countryside and vines draped off of every tree and post
Cowboys and tractors
Old country stores and fleamarkets
Elvis and BB King
Country music and the Blues 
Farms-white fences-horses and cows (lots and lots of cows)
Smokin' Smoky Mountains

"There is a place. Like no place on Earth. A land full of wonder, mystery, and danger! Some say to survive it: You need to be as mad as a hatter." 
(quoted by The Mad Hatter)

Guess where the chess pieces are stored.......

"Fast is good but accurate is better! "

What a memorable day full of love, laughter and blue suede shoes...........

As we came out of the restaurant we snapped this shot of a stunning Memphis Sunset.

Double Rainbows and a leprechaun??!

Is it lunchtime yet???

"Mommy, we're out of carrots and granola bars!!"

After hiking throughout Niagara Falls and Goat Island we decided to take a lunch break on Goat Island.
There's a cute little restaurant at the top of the Horseshoe Falls called Top of the Falls.

Do you remember we were at the Top of the Rock a few days ago and today we're Top of the Falls.

(http://www.niagarafallsstatepark.com/Files/top_rest_menu_2011.PDF)

Can you believe this was the view from our table...... WOW!!

After a pleasant air conditioned lunch with a phenomenal view we were up for another adventure, so we decided to board the Maiden of the Mist for a ride up close to the falls.

 It was very reasonable for a boat trip.(about the cost of a movie night)

(www.maidofthemist.com)

"We're ready for our Maid of the Mist voyage"

The Maid of the Mist was a 30 minutes ride on a double decker boat that took us 170 feet below the brink of all the Falls and back. 

They provided us with the raincoats because on this ride you will get wet drenched!!

Click the link below for live webcam footage of the American Falls!

(http://www.niagarafallslive.com/american_falls_live_webcam.htm)

The water hits the rocks with unbelievable force!

Cookie was so excited to see the rainbow and she was sure that the treasure was under those rocks in the water.

Isn't this the most beautiful shot of the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls taken by Bam.

This was probably how our boat looked headed toward the Falls from above.

Double Rainbow by the Canadian Horseshoe Falls

Heavy mist and dew on Cookie's camera lens

Unbelievable refreshing! Now where is that leprechaun?

Bon Voyage Maid of the Mist

Cookies thinks she spies a leprechaun!
No Cookie, that is not the illusive leprechaun!!

My pride and joy with smiles on their faces and feeling tired after a long day of chasing rainbows with Mommy.

At days end, we had a beautiful view of Niagara Falls fireworks and full illumination. 

Although, due to full memory card in camera all we can offer is stock footage.

 And believe us when we tell you it was more amazing looking than these photos below....

Can you taste the rainbow? Yes you can!!

Beams of light come from Skylon in Canada
(www.skylon.com)

That's ahlattawatta!!

It's another day of FUN in the HOT, HOT Summer Sun....
(Try to guess where we are from just the first two photos below)

This place is very popular with the tourist....

We're almost there.....

"Red Maple Leaf" 

Any guess yet.....

Yes! We're at Niagara Falls!!!

I love that you can see Bam's reflection

This sign says it all; 'Welcome to Niagara Falls'. What family road trip would be complete without a stop to a popular national park like Niagara Falls.

(www.niagarafallsstatepark.com)
(www.nps.gov/nifa)
 (http://www.niagarafallslive.com/facts_about_niagara_falls.htm)

Bam is so excited!!

The rushing and roaring of the waterfall was more louder than any we've ever heard!
Absolutely AMAZING!!

It's crazy that the railing isn't more back away from the edge.....

The mist from the falls is everywhere and quite cooling for a day like today's triple digit heat.
We were all soooo very....
 Exhilarated
 Energized
 and
 Exciting

"Mommy can you believe that Ontario, Canada is literally a stones throw away!"

"I don't think this water will ever stop flowing Mommy"

"I can't wait to journal about this!"

The vortexing whirlpool is mersmerizing....

Vortexing whirlpool???
Yes...
The huge volume of water rushing from the Falls is crushed into the narrow Great Gorge, creating the Whirlpool Rapids that stretch over a mile. The water surface drops 50 ft. and the rushing water can reach speeds of 9 miles per second. In a Whirlpool, you can see the "reversal phenomenon." When the water travel over the rapids and enter the pool, then travel counterclockwise around the pool past the natural outlet. The pressure builds up when the water tries to cut across itself to reach the outlet and this pressure forces the water under the incoming stream. This swirling water creates a vortex or whirlpool.

check out this live webcam link below
(http://www.niagarafallslive.com/Niagara_Falls_Webcam.htm)

Niagara Falls Landscapers are they fearless or  just crazy!

Did you know........

1. The Niagara Falls has a 167 foot height (or 52 meter drop)
2. Niagara Falls in the second largest in the world next to Victoria Falls in Africa.
3. One fifth of all the fresh water in the world lies in the four Upper Great Lakes-Michigan, Huron, Superior and Erie. All the outflow empties into the Niagara river and eventually cascades over the falls and eventually into the Atlantic Ocean.
4. Niagara Falls attracts 12 million visitors every year to marvel at her beauty
5. The volume of water is 600,000 U.S. gallons per second or 32 feet per second, that go over the Niagara Falls. This causes the water to fall at between 280 and 2,509 tons of force at the various falls.
6. The falls create 4 million kilowatts of electricity which is shared between Canada and the U.S. Niagara Falls is the largest producer of electric power in the world.
7. The Niagara Falls consist of the American Falls, the Bridal Veil Falls and the Horse Shoe Falls.
8. The Horse Shoe Falls are known as the Canadian Horse Shoe Falls but actually 1/3 of it is on U.S. Territory according to the United States Geological Survey.

THIS IS A DEFINITE MUST SEE!!