Chapter 1 New York City- Sharon's Bachelorette Bash

The girls at "The Perfect Pint"

Nothing says NYC like a shot for the bachelorette party at a New York pub. It was the first of many places we would visit on our amazing trip to New York and New Jersey.

Jim went on his bachelor party a couple of weeks ago to Key West, with several college buddies and a good friend of ours. Boys, being boys, did not take any pictures- not sure we would want to post them anyway. However, I made up for their lack of documentation and took HUNDREDS of pictures from our trip. Our friend Jen was amazing and convinced her Dad to let us stay with him and his wife, at the Rectory. Yep. Jen's Dad is an Episcopalian priest, along with his wife. The incredibly amazing rectory was our home away from home for a few days.






Julie and I flew up a day early and then met up with everyone on Thursday. Our trip began with a cruise around the city- tons of photo opportunities. After the cruise we headed back to Mountain Lakes (New Jersey) where we visited the "club" that Jen's Dad is a member of. When we walked in I think we found the only Gator in Jersey, ironically named Al! Al treated us to round a drinks, only after "forcing" us to sing We are the Boys two times.






The next morning we packed our overnight bags and headed towards the city. Jen once again saved the day and her friend Ingrid allowed us to stay in her studio apartment - only blocks away from Central Park. We dropped off our bags and met up with Ingrid for lunch at Dean's. The Rat Pack theme of the restaurant thrilled Beth and we had a great lunch (with the small exception of the bloody mary on my blackberry). After lunch we braved the drizzle and headed to Grand Central Station. It was exactly like you see in the movies (so was Tiffany's on 5th Avenue).






Our next stop was on the Gray Line, the double decker bus tour. This was a great way for us to see numerous sites in the city and have a semi-intelligent tour guide tell us all about the city. With the rain still plaguing us, we huddled under cheap ponchos and headed to Chinatown. This was an experience for me! I am now the proud owner of a "faux" Burberry creation and two "cashmere" scarves (perfect for Alaska I believe!). After being led down a suspicious alley- we fled Chinatown and took refuge in Little Italy, and yet another cocktail. I learned very quickly that the only two places to use the little girl's room in NYC is Starbucks (literally one on every corner) and drinking establishments. As the heat index was well into the 100's- hot coffee just wasn't a viable option for us this trip.






That evening (after skillfully navigating  the NYC subway system), we headed to our Broadway Show- Wicked! This was an AMAZING show!! After cooling off with a “Flying Monkey” and an “Ozmapoltian”, complete with its own sippy cup we thoroughly enjoyed the show. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting the City.






Once we learned all that happened before Dorothy dropped in, we headed to the Empire State Building. After flying up 86 flights, in an elevator- not our brooms, we literally were blown away (quite windy that high above the ground) by the views. The City at night is indescribable. While during the day the oppressive amount of people and things are overwhelming- but at night it almost looks serene. The lights, so compactly clustered, fade out to mere twinkling stars as the city slips into the darkness. There is no noise that high up, only wind and as Julie noticed, bugs. It was extremely hard to take pictures- but I did attempt.


As we left the building we were “fortunate” enough to find a lonely limo that needed 5 crazy girls to take home. For the incredibly low price of $25 plus tip we were chauffeured in style back to our studio apartment in the city. Following a few more local pit stops for authentic New York pizza and of course, more bathroom breaks we retired to our cramped, but wonderful home for the night.






Saturday was intended to be our “hit everything else on the list” day. At this point, the list included: Central Park Carousel, Ground Zero, at least one museum, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Wall Street (the bull), and don’t forget The Cake Boss (in Hoboken, NJ). Oh- and any and all souvenirs and other shopping we wished to do. Needless to say, that didn’t happen. However, we did get to go to Ground Zero, which was completely blocked and we were unable to see. But we did go to St. Paul’s- the church right by the Towers that escaped with no damage from the attack. The church served as a staging place immediately following the attack and the days and weeks followed was a place for all the workers and volunteers to rest. Now most of the church is filled with shrines and memorials to the victims and heroes from that day.






Our next mission was to walk to the ferry to head over to see Lady Liberty and Ellis Island. After a long, agonizing and miserably hot walk we discovered a line that was at least 2 hours long to just buy the tickets for the ferry. Executive decision sometimes must be made, and I sacrificed this outing for other agenda items.






Sometimes, when you get five opinionated and stubborn women together, it is hard to get things accomplished. But then sometimes, when at least three of these women are tired and hot, it is easy to lead the way. At this point, we had arrived to that time. Julie, who had traveled to NYC with her husband several times, decided it was time to go see the Bull off Wall Street and then eat at a great place, the Bull & Finch. We hailed two cabs (big grrr to NYC/NJ who passed legislation that “prohibits” more than four people to ride in a cab at a time) with the determination of hot, tired and THIRSTY women. Beth, Melissa and I got in one cab and Julie and Jen in the next. At this point my Southern charm and patience has pretty much left me and I very firmly tell the cabbie (side note- NY cabbies are not nearly as appreciative of Southern accents as Florida Legislators) we were heading to the Bull & Finch on Wall Street. “Where?” he says rudely. “ THE BULL & FINCH ON WALL STREET- its a restaurant, its famous!!”, was my less than polite reply. This went on for several seconds- only proceeding to frustrate the driver and myself greatly. He finally decides to follow the other cab- muttering the whole time. As we literally circle the block Julie and Jen’s cab pulls over and an equally irritated cabbie and Julie appear to be fighting. $6 later and it is determined that 1) We were right by the bull on Wall Street and 2) The Bull & Finch is a bar in Boston (AKA Cheers)- not Manhattan.


To Be Continued…

NYC, Here we come!!!!

In 48 hours one of my best friends, Julie Fess, and I will be landing in New York City for my bachelorette party!!!  We will soon be joined by my lifelong friend, Melissa Montes De Oca, Jim's sister, Beth and our friend Jen Hatfield. 

I have NEVER been to New York, so I am super excited.  I am not excited by the potential bachelorette party games that may occur- but I'm willing to suck it up just to be in NYC. 

I'm not bringing a laptop, but will be bringing my camera- so future blogs should be filled with beautiful pics! 

Letter to My 20 Year Old Self

One of the HUNDREDS of wedding site emails I get weekly had a link to this site, Cassie Boorn, and the author had put out a request for women to write letters to their 20 year old self, giving advice and maybe a hint of what was yet to come. At first I wasn't sure I was old enough to write such a letter- then it hit me. Its been almost 12 years since 20 came and went. So here goes...my letter to the 20 year old Sharon



Dear Sharon,

First, I thought you would like to know....we turn out pretty darn good girl! But don't let that fool you- it has not been easy and your 20's were pretty darn rocky at times- yet we have made it into our "30s" and are very happy with where life is taking us. If I could go back in time this is some of the advice I wish we had been given.

Even in your 30's you are still trying to find where exactly you fit in. But now you know that's ok! There is not one group of people that you should be friends with, there isn't one type of music or clothing style or lifestyle that is meant to be yours. I think that if we focused more on enjoying ourselves, and less on trying to be someone we aren't life would go a little more smoothly for you- and maybe you would have more long term friends too.

But...its ok to let friends go that aren't good for you. You don't have to pretend to keep up a friendship because you think you should. Stop wasting time with people who aren't really your friend or really don't care for you.

That includes boys. You spend an awful lot of time looking for "the one". But trust me-you can't rush it. In fact, in just a couple more years (after you finally walk away from you know who) you are going to meet the man that you will marry. Only it will still take almost another 10 years for him to realize it! While he is worth the wait- don't wait on him. Live your life until the time is right for both of you! Enjoy being single, enjoy being a young professional, and get yourself ready for a life together (which means no student loans in grad school missy....we are going to be paying on those things for the rest of our life!).

No matter how painful life is- please remember, Everything happens for a reason. It will take you a few years to really get that into your head- but its true. Even the long-term relationship that goes no where- it only sets in place everything else in your life. I promise.

Study! You are smart- things usually come pretty easy for you- but we only did the bare minimum to get by in school (although you rocked grad school). But put more effort into things- even things you don't enjoy.

Its ok to be sad. Its ok to love someone so much that you can't eat, sleep or function when they leave. Most importantly, its ok to FIGHT for what you really want. You are going to have to fight hard for the man you end up marrying (and hopefully have babies with). He sometimes doesn't get it like you do. It will take him a little while to figure it out- but he's worth it. He is only a diamond in the rough when you meet him- but he is the man of your dreams in a few years and worth every minute of time and attention you can give him.

Stand up for yourself in your first real job- but be respectful of those who hired you and had a lot more knowledge and experience in your profession (which won't be teaching by the way- have fun thinking about that!). While you won't end up staying there long- you can learn a lot from there and you should (and did).

For that matter, stand up for yourself everyday! You try too hard to be a people pleaser- get over it. You know your stuff and you should be proud of that. Now, that doesn't mean being ugly or mean- but stop letting people use you and walk over you. Please?

Force yourself to mingle at events (starting now!). We still have a hard time doing that- but it gets easier each time.

Walk around naked! I'm not sure how we got to be so prude- but its ok to be naked. (Now, please don't streak through the streets or parade around in front of people naked- but you will be much more comfortable in your own skin if you do this at home).

Finally, I am really proud of what you will become and have great hopes for our future. You are a fiercely loyal woman. You work hard, have done well in your life and have so much more to do. Stay active in your community and don't forget where you came from. Your family, your town and your connections got you where I am today- and they deserve a shout out- a bunch of shout outs. Try to stay closer to God in the future- it will prevent the really bad bumps that are coming your way if you do. But if you don't (which knowing how stubborn we are- you probably won't) remember that He never leaves you and is waiting for you when you finally decided to grow up. I promise.



Love,



A slightly more together-Sharon Maylene Spann...soon to be Mrs. ________
(You didn't think I would tell you did you?)



P.S.- Put the crackberry away. You will know what I mean soon enough.

Our garden and yard....

We have dragonflies everywhere....
Knockout Roses

Squash and Cucumbers


My blueberries

Jim laying out our stepping stones

The tomato topsy turvy that is now the owner of hummingbird feeders and dianthus hanging baskets

Ok, so I know I have been remiss in my blogging since Sine Die. Ironically enough, I haven't had as much free time (that I was willing to use) to blog. There have been several ideas and things I would like to share, but there just has not been the time.

One of the things I really love about our house is our yard. It is really a great size for us. Plenty of room to experiment, have a small garden and still have plenty of colors. The only thing I am not happy about it our lack of grass. Somehow my turf grass degree toting fiance' and I are unable to get grass to grow. But other than that we love our yard.

This year I have a ton of native flowers plants that I got at my favorite nursery here in town, Tallahassee Native Nurseries . Combine that with plants we have picked up from numerous of Jim's growers across the state (and Lowe's) we have quite a collection that should make my OCD nature cringe, however it makes my heart sing. Jim is amazing at putting up with my plant fetish- and never backs down on a project I might conjure.

This year we have our garden with squash, cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapenos, and various herbs. We also have blueberry bushes that are producing this year.

I am very happy with how the yard is coming along, although I joke that it will be perfect right about the time we move to our "forever farm". But for now it gives us plenty to do on our weekends and allows us many hours of pleasure and pain (those stones are heavy!).

Its Time to Sine Die

Sine Die literally means "without day". For those of us in the legislative process it means the end of the most chaotic 60 days of our live each year. Today the Florida Legislature will adjourn the 112th legislative session, sine die. For Jim and I it is about 55 days overdue.

This was my first session with Enterprise Florida and my first session lobbying in over 5 years. When I left lobbying before I was miserable- so I was really hesitant about this session. I LOVED my job as a legislative assistant, but I needed to be in Tallahassee full time and the pay was less than stellar. That left me with limited options for employment so back to lobbying I went. So far I have really enjoyed the new job. I want to qualify that statement though, I don't love my job like I loved working for the Florida House, but I like my job and I enjoy going to work everyday. What I really love is my life now. My job has allowed me to have a life that I LOVE- and for that I am extremely happy with my decision.

Session was probably one of the toughest I can ever remember - and all the "old timers" agree. Our budget is non-exsistent and it seems that people are afraid to do anything out of the box. It was a real battle to get the smallest things accomplished and I can't believe some of the things I saw happen this year. That being said, we had a really good session overall and I will stop complaining about it. :-)

Jim had a tough but productive Session as well. His fertilizer legislation, before it was all said and done, included animal beastiality and a guns to work amendment. At "press time" the bill had to be killed because of all the garbage added onto it. A year's worth of work down the drain. But he did have two other pieces of legislation that passed both the House and Senate and now are on their way to the Governor. The Florida Nursery Growers and Landscapers Association should be very proud of the work he does for them, of course I am biased on that.

Tomorrow morning we will wake up and life will hopefully settle into a more controlled pace and we will be able to enjoy some down time. Unless of course the Governor vetoes the budget. I am looking forward to our wedding in a mere 120 days, and our honeymoon to Alaska. Oh, and my bachelorette trip to New York.

With that, may the Florida House adjourn Sine Die...

My New Hobby

I've always loved photography- even if I do not have the time to really learn the art. I started a new job in January, and one of the perks of quitting a state job is they pay you for all of your saved vacation time (480 hours for me). Besides paying off my car and such, I splurged and bought a Nikon Digital SLR camera. I started taking lots of pictures of Polly and Tebow, with the occasional picture of Jim that he didn't know I was taking. The last two weeks I was able to visit my friends in Alabama and take pictures of their newborn son, Eli. I wanted to share a few of the pictures I was able to take of him - I can tell already he is going to be quite the looker and I really really hope that Jim and I don't have a daughter first :-) Thanks Alana and Davey for letting me practice my new hobby with your family.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Ok, so I am not actually Sharon Spratt, yet. That won't happen until August 28, 2010 (approx 127 days from today). But in my mind we have already begun our family, so why wait until then to write about it?

Ironically a "blast from the past" yesterday inspired me to once again begin blogging (I have another blog, but have not been good about keeping it up). The reason I say ironically is because of the title of our blog, Living Life Forward. At this stage in life, most people come with baggage. Lord knows that I bring along more than my fair share. But I know we have learned from those experiences and do not have to live in the past.

So- where do we go from here? Jim and I plan to go far :-) Maybe not in physical distance, but definitely in our goals and dreams. I think the next few years are going to be exciting for us as we grow and expand our family and lives. If you are reading this you probably know all about us, so no need for me to go into details of who we are. But I invite you to watch us grow into who we were meant to be- living our life forward.