Sincerely, Sarah: Some Bad Luck & NYC!

If you're looking for a quick read and pictures scroll down. If you've got some time to delve into my life these past two weeks, then read on :)

Let's get the not so fun stuff out of the way and we can end on a happy note :)

For those of you who are my Facebook friends, I'm sure you are somewhat up-to-speed on our bad luck streak going on around here. I thought by leaving Utah, things would chill out while I was gone and not be so bad when I got home....wrong.

Let's list the bad luck going on and I will divulge
1. Someone from the UK tries buying motorcycle equipment on our credit card
2. Someone ran a credit report with my debit card information
3. Southwest calls multiple times stating they have me on a flight I never booked
4. Flight from TX > NY gets canceled;
5. Tyson gets in an accident Saturday afternoon
6. We both get rear-ended Tuesday afternoon

Maybe you feel this is not so bad, let me remind you, this is all in a TWO WEEK time period.

*DIVULGING*
1. I check my bank accounts about 5 times a day: OCD, but for purposes like this, I was able to catch losing thousands of dollars. The account is for Tyson's tuition; cards have never been used and have been in my wallet since day 1. WellsFargo tells me the thief got my account information from my card- weird. Thankfully Wells Fargo, as always, was so helpful and has returned the money back into our account in full.

2. Decided to run my free credit report online and make sure things were good to go. (DO NOT use freecreditreport.com - horrible reviews, and from personal experience, TERRIBLE customer service). The following day, I had a $20 charge on my account for the FREE report I ran. I call up the appropriate contact, "Does a Mary Ann have access to your credit card?" oh yes that's my... duh NO! They immediately within 24 hours returned the money back into my account as "Mary" had accessed it around the same time-frame....weird.

3. Phone Rings (automated voice): "This is Southwest Airlines. If this is Sarah Buck press 1" ... 1... "Your flight for Friday June 15th to Houston, TX has been moved to 7:30 PM. Thank you." .... oh how nice of them to remind m.... what the... A) I can't remember the last time I even flew Southwest. B) My flight wasn't until Friday the 22nd.....Phone Rings (automated voice): "This is Southwest Airlines. If this is Sarah Buck press 1" ... 1... "Your flight for Friday June 15th to Houston, TX has been moved to Gate B10. Thank you." .... oh how nice of them to let me kn.... what the... okay time to call Southwest. Of course, horrible customer service once I tell them I'm not flying with them that night; I figured with my full name, telephone number, departure city, and my connecting flight for next week on file, they could have told me SOMETHING. I hope Sarah A Buck from SLC had a safe flight in 26A; I personally don't like the window seat but to each their own. I scanned my bank accounts hundreds of times - nothing... good to go... but weird.

4. Flight from Utah > Houston; no trouble, on-time. Arrive in Houston, some time to spare to catch a bite and wait for boarding. The time on "Departure Time" slowly moves from 7PM > 7:45PM > 8:30 > 9:30. Okay, well, I guess I can handle getting into NY at 2AM. I'll be tired but at least I'll get there. I decide to get comfortable and continue reading my book. I glance up at the screen in hopes of a sooner boarding time... the word CANCELED laughs right in my face. I grab my things and walk up to the desk, "Are we going to be assigned to different flights since this one is cancelled?" "It's cancelled?" (turns around at the screen) "No one even told us!" People around me start panicking as I stand first in line ready for my rescheduled flight. "The next available flight is at 5AM tomorrow landing in Newark." "I'll take it!" I figured because I was one of the few not freaking out, she handed me my new ticket, pointed to "Seat 3A" and gave me a wink. I guess I can handle the airport overnight to be rewarded with First Class in the morning. It wasn't horrible; I kept reading and tried to make a pillow out of some sweat pants (didn't think to pack a jacket or a blanket). The temperature had dropped to the low 60s and I couldn't take it anymore. I gathered my things and sat on the bathroom counter, reading my book, under the hand dryers - perfect idea.

5. Tyson picks me up, we spend about 2 hours making our way from New Jersey to Long Island so he can drop me off at the hotel before he gets called onto a job. I couldn't get an early check-in so I just chilled in the lobby reading. About 15 minutes goes by and I see Tyson's name come up on my phone. I immediately knew he had gotten in an accident. "Hello?" "Hey, ummm so I just got in an accident." Running on about an hour of sleep in the past 36 hours (couldn't get comfortable on the plane), I wasn't sure how to react to this or what to do. Staying calm, I do what I can to help with limited resources. Towing guy gave Tyson his company car to drive the rest of the day until we could get a rental the next day. So nice of him!

6. After a fun last few days with the hubs, we decide to head out a little earlier than planned to get to the airport. Driving down the L.I.E. at about 65, traffic comes to a stop in about 5 seconds, the car behind us stops, and all of a sudden I hear squealing tires, a loud crash, and we jolt forward, hitting the car in front of us before ricocheting back again to the car behind us. I'm known to have late reactions and this was no exception. Once we had been hit, then hit the one in front, its then that i decide to scream.. close enough... Tys and I both curse at the same time.... REALLY??? I am BEYOND grateful we decided to purchase rental car insurance. I told the lady at the time, with our luck we might as well get it. I start panicking because I can't miss my flight; we've already dealt with expensive flight changes and didn't want it to happen again. Everyone was pretty calm and working together; except the foreign man who caused the whole scene - said it wasn't his fault since we slammed on our breaks. Sorry buddy, not how it works here in the US. Thankfully we were able to leave for the airport while the ladies took care of the foreigner; gotta love the strong New York women. However, I was annoyed with all the honking and screaming as people had to move around us - not to mention people on the other side of the barrier were driving slow, windows down and making fun of us.... really??? RUDE! It's safe to say, after a weekend on those roads... and I can't believe I'm gonna say it.... I missed Utah drivers! lol that's how bad it is :)

.....let's just hope this sore neck and back doesn't turn into something worse.....

*With all of this crap going on, I know I'm just being challenged. I'm okay with it; I just wish they were cheaper challenges! I've always been short tempered and quick to react before thinking. These past few years I've really focused on taking a deep breath and thinking about what I'm about to say, how I'm going to react, and if it's even worth reacting to. I take quiet moments to assess my situation and make a mental list (yes, I love all kinds of lists!) of what I can fix now and what is out of my control. I deal with my responsibilities and wait for the chips to fall where they may. It's been making my life a lot easier to deal with lately that's for sure.... I'm ready for my good luck to come back around... or no luck at all. I don't need good luck or bad luck... I just want to go drama free for at least a week lol.

I once heard a phrase that was something like, Instead of thinking 'Why Me?' think 'Why Not?' Seriously though. Who am I to go through life without trials. It's all about how you handle it.

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PPHHEEWW!!!
Onto the fun stuff!
I've clumped the weekend in pictures so it's not a long scrolling page of single pics.

Our first kisses in 46 days... way too long for anyone!

Tyson loved his rental car; except for the color :)

Aboard the LIRR to head to Manhattan

Lovin the nasty busy streets of New York :)

Heading on in to Madame Tussaud's

love the bitter beer face man lol

I'm sure you'll be able to recognize these next few people :)

Then we kept walking to head for Times Square...

eww gross ... kissing... :)

Then made our way up to Central Park...

So sad the zoo was closed :(

Such a fun Sunday afternoon in the busy city of NYC!

I loved having IHOP crepes every morning! The waitress said they're pulling my crepe off the menu next month.... we had a deep discussion about how we thought it was the worst decision IHOP could make! lol

Nothing like ending the nights with a 7eleven run for my favorite treats :D

Tyson had to work Monday so I chilled with my book and ordered some bland overpriced room service.
Yes, I realize my book collection now consists of the Fifty Shades trilogy, and no, I'm not ashamed nor am I embarrassed. I'm grown up, married, and mature enough to handle a raunchy fictitious romance novel that seems to resemble a Rated R version of Twilight lol.
I will delve into this further once I wrap up the series here shortly :)