Yorkville in Deckerville

For a couple of years now, we have been talking about going to Deckerville, Michigan where our friend Scott is from.  It finally worked out to take a road trip with Scott, Katie, Richard and Jessa during the Labor Day Holiday Weekend.  These are some of our best friends in NYC, they are like family and we are so blessed to share our lives with them.  We definitely missed that Brett and Erin couldn't make it, so maybe we'll have to do a take two of this trip in the future!

 

We rented a mini-van and left NYC on Thursday evening, arriving in Deckerville by Friday Morning.  Check out that cotton candy sunrise.  Here are a couple shots of where we stayed.  How lovely, right?  

We had the best time getting to hang out with our gracious hosts, the  

McVittie's.  I loved this sign that used to be on Scott's family's farm.  We chopped wood, watched College Football, made s'mores, learned how to make "dowelies" and then ate lots of dowelies.  (Crescent roll, wrapped around a Dowel, cooked over the fire, and then stuffed with a breakfast sausage and cheese!)  Basically, we made as many meals as possible over the open-fire.

We shot guns, shot bows and arrows, hung out in the pool, played golf, went to Lake Huron, star gazed and visited the dairy farm that is adjacent to Scott's family's land, and used to be his family.


Chopping Wood


Katie and Tessa


Dowelies!










Bulls Eye!


Golf Outing


Nice Form!


Such a pro!


Our team, we came in 2nd by 2 shots!


The New Yorkers








By Lake Huron






Cooooolllllddd water!


Emoji pose :)


On our way to Deckerville, we told our friends that I was 8 weeks pregnant!


Headed to the Dairy Farm next door.


Mooooo!


Sweet calves!




Momma Cow and baby calf just born!




The gals, poolside :)

One of these is not like the other... Why am I eating my sandwich instead of corn? Hah!



I am so grateful for the time to just rest, to slow down, to appreciate having no agenda and to have a little respite from the hustle and bustle of NYC.  It's always nice to get a away for a little while both to experience something new, and to appreciate the energy of the City when you get back!  It was the absolute perfect farewell to summer!

We're Having a Baby!

It is with so much joy and excitement, that we share the news!
We are having a baby!!!

After I found out I was pregnant, I couldn't wait to see Rob's reaction!  I knew that we were planning on going to The Smith for dinner, and I knew they had a photo booth, so what better way to tell Rob, then to capture his reaction on camera?

This was me at 5 1/2 weeks

This was our first sonogram at 7 weeks.


This was our most recent sonogram at 12 weeks!

We've been waiting on God's timing to start our family, and so it is with much thankfulness and excitement that we look forward to becoming parents.
Baby Hickson is due April 8th, 2015!

I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
Psalm 9:1-2

New England Road Trip in Four Days

We have been wanting to take a road trip throughout New England for awhile.  All we knew was that we wanted to go drive up to Maine, and we wanted to go in the summer so we could take advantage of the best part of Lobster Season.  We set out on an early Friday morning in July in our perfectly proportioned rental car.

All set to go, leaving NYC.

Portland, Maine is only a five hour drive from Manhattan, but we wanted to make lots of stops along the way, so our first day consisted of a scenic drive up to Boston where we stayed the night.

Our first stop was in New London, CT.  We set out around 7:30am, and knew that we would be in New London around 9:45am, in time to get brunch.  We wanted to go to a mom & pop restaurant and were not disappointed.  We decided on The Yolk Cafe where there was outdoor seating and we could take Bess.  This place was great, and the atmosphere was so much fun.  The owner and chef was a Harley-Riding, fun loving lady, who would playfully through pieces of bread from behind the counter out the window to some of the younger patrons.  She even busted out a marshmallow gun!  It was a great place to stop for our first resting point.  New London was once a whaling port, and still had that seaside shipping industry feel, which set the tone for many of the small towns we saw throughout our road trip.

Our next stop was Newport, Rhode Island, about a one hour drive from New London.  

We trecked along the Cliff Walks, and enjoyed the breathtaking views.  We thought we saw seals, but turns out it was just big black labs on the dog beach below.

When we had just finished our hike along the cliffs, I got a note from our friends Peggy and Jim from Miami.  They were also in Newport at that very moment!!! We joined them for an afternoon coffee break and cupcakes and got to catch up for a bit, which was such an unexpected bonus to our trip!

After recharging with our mid-afternoon snacks, we made our way to Cape Cod, MA about an hour and a half away.  We got there at about 5pm.

Our traveling diva, I mean, companion.

 

We stopped in the town of Sandwich, MA, which is the oldest town on Cape Cod.  We walked along the boardwalk in the marshlands, and drove along the beach.  The marshes were so beautiful, lush and green!

Our photographer, getting very into his subject.

It was sooooo bright!

Ok, that's better!

Bess is like, "Ok guys, enough with the selfies!"

We found a board that had Bess's name!

Artistic Family Selfie

After walking around for about an hour, we headed to Boston, MA, another hour away.  This was our final stop for the day, and we met up with a family friend who lives in Boston for dinner.

Rob, Mario and me at Sterlings for dinner.

Love this picture!

The next morning, after a refreshing night of sleep, we got breakfast and walked over to Boston Common for a picnic.

Delciousness.

Enjoying Boston Common Coffee Co. in Boston Common!

Loved this Book Shop that was on the way back to our Hotel.

That blur right there is Bess, running at full speed up and down the halls of the Hotel.

After our picnic and stroll through Boston Common, we made our way up the East Coast to Maine.  The original plan was to set out before sunrise, but we couldn't help it and really wanted the chance to walk around Boston Common especially since our Hotel was only a couple of blocks away.

We took the scenic route up US-1/ A1A instead of up I-95, so it took about three times as long, but was so worth it.  The views on our road trip, and the time we spent in the car along the way was just as much a part of our vacation as the destinations themselves.
  

So that we could see as much of the coast as possible, we made sure to pinpoint these locations on our GPS: Salisbury Beach State Reservation, Beach Rd, Salisbury, MA; Seabrook Back Dunes, Seabrook, NH; Hampton Salt Marsh Conservation Area, Hampton, NH; Odiorne Point State Park, Rye, NH; Wallis Sands State Park, Rye, NH; and Rye Harbor State Park, Rye, NH.

Lots of folks enjoying the sunshine on the beach.

We couldn't help but be reminded of the drive up A1A in Broward County around Hollywood and Ft. Lauderdale as we drove through these New Hampshire beach towns.  If it it weren't for the lobster shacks and clam bakes, you wouldn't have noticed much of a difference.

And then... we were in Maine!  Our first stop was the highly recommended Lobster Shack Restaurant in Cape Elizabeth.  It's located on a gorgeous rocky cliff, just south of Portland, and surrounded by the ocean and lighthouses.

Bess was not a fan of the fog horn from the lighthouse.

Amazing edit by Robs.

The line to wait to order our fresh seafood.

The view!

After lunch we had some homemade ice-cream at the Kettle Cove Creamery and Cafe.

The Salted Caramel was amazing.

After we were sufficiently filled up on delicious fresh seafood and homemade ice-cream, we went on a DIY lighthouse tour of sorts.

Just couldn't resist this picture.

Our first stop, the Portland Head Light lighthouse.

It was so picturesque.

Next up was Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse along this rocky jetty.

Our last stop was the Bug Light lighthouse, which was along the shore of a park where people were bringing picnics for dinner and flying kites.

After making our way to the house were were staying at and dropping of our stuff, as well as our tuckered out pup, we made our way to the Portland Lobster Company for dinner.  They had live music and a super casual atmosphere.

Our lobster buzzer lit up and let us know that our dinner was ready.  Rob and I looked up directions on how to eat a whole lobster so that we would be ready and not look like TOTAL amateurs.  The lobster came with coleslaw, corn on the cob, and melted butter on the side.  It was fun to crack the claws, and the best part was the lobster tail.

Afterward, we walked through downtown to the Novare Res Bier Cafe for dessert.  We had a Belgian Waffle à la mode coverered in fresh peaches and tried a Stout from the Maine Beer Company.

The next morning we got to really explore the house we were staying at and admire the unique decor in each room.  I loved these vintage suitcases all stacked up and this contrasting photograph of a beautiful white furry dog.

The kitchen was sooooo cute!!!

We spent Sunday morning driving up the coast of Maine to Acadia National Park.  We decided that we wanted to continue our trek up A1A instead of I-95.  We stopped along the way a couple of times to take pictures.  We made our way through Rockland and Belfast Maine before reaching Acadia.

Modern Art Museum in Rockland.

I just loved seeing this Map of New England hanging on the wall of the bakery that we stopped at for breakfast and coffee.  It was fun recognizing many of the places we had already visited so far.

What a good sport.

Fishing boat and lobster traps.

Lobster buoys

It was lunch time when we arrived to Acadia National Park, so we made our way directly to the Jordan Pond House to eat and try their famous popovers.

Our view from our table.

Afterward, we hiked a small trail with Bess to Little Long Pond, which was a dog friendly area of the Park.  A lot of areas were actually dog friendly, but we thought it would be fun to go to this area and see how Bess would be around the the water.

Tree sap


After the short hike through the woods, we reached a gorgeous meadow and the pond.

Bess ran circles around us!

Thinking about swimming...

Nope, she didn't want to get in the water, so she hopped on the small patch of grass.

I got in and tried to coax her into the pond with a big stick she had liked playing fetch with, and thankfully, it finally worked!

Look at her go!  She was a natural!

And then of course, the aftermath drying ritual which she normally does all over our apartment when we've given her a bath!

We drove around the park a little while and then hiked along the Ocean Path, which had amazing views of the Atlantic.

Brave Climbers below us.

Our last stop was Cadillac Peak a 1,528 foot high Mountain.  We drove up about 10 minutes along a very twisty-turny two-lane road.  Rob may or may not have been extremely nervous about the height... once we weren't driving anymore though, he was okay :)

It was realllllyyyy windy!

Smile!

We made it!

Another sweet shot by Robs

All of that hiking and sightseeing really got our appetites going, so on the way back to Portland, we stopped at a Lobster Pound shack.  The lobster we had the night before in Portland was good... this lobster was GREAT, mouth-watering and delicious!
 

The next day was our last morning in Maine and we ventured around Portland.

This sign made me laugh out loud.. get it?  Knotty? HAHA!

We took Bess to a dog park, and then said farewell to Maine!

We made one last stop on the way back to NYC in Old Portsmouth, NH.  We had lunch at an Irish Pub that was located in what used to be the Old Portsmouth bank.  We sat outside and had the view of the town's Church across the street.

Inside the Pub.

Original vault doors.

After lunch we took the faster way back to NYC along I-95 and made it home before 5pm with plenty of time to settle in before heading back to work the next day.  I am so incredibly thankful for the fun trip we had exploring New England.  The sites were gorgeous, the seafood was fresh and delicious, and the memories were so special.

Windy, fun, family pic at the top of Cadillac Mountain.

Cool Town, Evening in the City

Cool Town, Evening in the City

The Second Half of Summer

What a great summer.  Our goal was to make the most of each beautiful day in this City that we could.  To explore outdoors, to eat in the Park, to spend time with friends, to visit new places.  And we did just that! 

View from the rooftop our our friends apartment during one of many cook outs.

Like I mentioned in the last post, we went to the Met, and included in the admission is a free visit to the Cloisters if you go within the week!  The Cloisters is a European Medieval Museum and Garden. It was incredible.  The day was just absolutely gorgeous, the views from northern Manhattan were breathtaking.  I'm so glad we explored up there for the afternoon.

Unicorn in Captivity, Tapestry made around 1495-1505


A butterfly in the gardens


Lavender, it smelled amazing


This guy


Make a wish!


Exploring


Out on a terrace


So many small details everywhere!



The inner courtyard and gardens






After the Cloisters, we headed down to Pier I and had some snacks as we watched the sunset over the Hudson River.


After Church the next day, we had a little picnic in the Park and just enjoyed being outside.  Seriously after such a freezing cold winter, we really enjoyed the mild summer.


We had a fun visit with my Tio Gerald and Titi Michi, who came up to see the Queen (and Adam Lambert) concert.  It was so much fun!  Bohemian Rhapsody was AMAZINNNNGGG, and Killer Queen was great too!!






Their visit was short and sweet, but little did we know they'd be back in just a few weeks!


Our sweet friends, Ryan and Caitlin got married.  Their wedding was so much fun, and the venue, a book store in SoHo, was so charming.




I was wearing a tall pair of heels, I wasn't exactly taller than Richard, but he was a good sport for this funny picture.


At the end of July we had an outing at work, and went to a Yankees game.

Me and Sharon


We ventured out to Long Beach on Long Island with friends


Christy, me and Robs beachin' it


We had lots of game nights!

We went on a road trip throughout New England mid-summer, but I want to do a post about that all on it's own, so stay tuned!

Rob took Maternity photos of Maggie and Jonathan.  The day started out kind of rainy, so we headed indoors to Grand Central Terminal.


This is one of my favorites.


That night, we had a belated birthday celebration for Robs.  We had a delicious dinner at The Smith, and then went to see STOMP.  It was high energy fun the entire time.


We enjoyed the second stint of Shakespeare in the Park, and got to see John Lithgow in King Lear.


As we waited in line, Bessy got to meet an Airdale!


Dinner picnic in the park before the show!


We also had a fun visit from Ms. Jennie B!


Scott and Katie made homemade ice cream and we couldn't help but invite ourselves over to try it.  When they brought me some water, they gave me these adorable lego ice cubes!!  I had to take a pic!


And speaking of ice, at my job, we did a company wide ice bucket challenge to raise money for ALS.  This is my view of the Headquarters across the street, and if you look along the right side of the building you will see hundreds of orange buckets being filled with ice and water.  Within the first half hour of the challenge being opened, they reached the 6,000 person capacity, so I did not actually participate, but it was so cool to watch!


We closed down Park Avenue for about 15 minutes as the challenge took place, because there were so many people watching!


We ventured out to Citi Field to watch a Mets game, they beat the Cubs... sorry Mark!

Tio Gerald and Titi Michi in town again!  Love them so much!  We went to Lombardi's for lunch.  Yum, yum, yum.

Robs with Sergio


That about rounds up our Summer!  I'll be posting about our New England Road Trip, and our Labor Day trip to Deckerville, Michigan soon!

Hot Town, Summer in the City

Hot Town, Summer in the City
The First Half of Summer

We started out June with an unexpected visit from a family that is near and dear to our hearts. The Doxzon's live in Nebraska, where Todd is a lead pastor. I met them when I was in high school, and Denise became my mentor in youth group. When Robby and I were engaged, they counsled us through our pre-marital course and Todd was the pastor who married us. Our wedding anniversaries just so happen to be the same day too, seven years apart. Todd was in town with the buddies, Tzion and Blaze for a father-son trip. Oni and Boz, as we call them, were also two of the ring bearers in our wedding. It is always really refreshing to see them, and we spent a fun night in mid-town enjoying pizza and Mr. Softee's!



Later that week, I participated in the JPMorgan Corporate Challenge. My first 5K! The money donated for the race went to the Central Park Conservancy.
You'd see me from a mile away in those shorts.

We rounded out that first lovely week in June at our friend's new brownstone in Hoboken for a house-warming cook out. It's been so fun making time each month to swap hosting dinners with these friends.


With the possibility of a Triple Crown win, we made our way to the Belmont Stakes. It was fun to dress up and the weather could not have been more amazing. We tried to learn how to read the standings for each horse in order to have a more "educated" guess as to which one would win in each race. We fared pretty decently, ending up with about $5 more dollars than we started with... Like they say on Wheel of Fortune, "Big Money, Big Money!"

Looking fresh in that bow tie.

 
Mac and Cheese from the "Mac Truck".

We had a Pho and Chelsea Market adventure with Rich and Jessa.  After five years of living here, we finally tried Vietnamese food and we finally went to Chelsea Market!  We loved both, especially the sweets at Chelsea Market.


I was excited to get the chance to go to DC for a couple of client meetings. I stayed at The Hay Adams Hotel, just around the corner from the White House. I love their tag line, "where nothing is overlooked but the White House", and it was so true. I met colleagues for dinner, and after a short walk to see the White House, I came back to the hotel room, which had been turned down for bedtime.

Check out the lovely touches. Hands down, one of the nicest places I have ever stayed.



Meanwhile, in NYC... Bessy and Robby were melting in the summer heat. Even though I was only there for one night, I missed them so much!


When I got back I was walking along a block in our neighborhood that I have never come across, and I noticed a church with these gorgeous detailed doors. Don't you just love finding new things right around the corner?


We spent a fun evening in Forest Hills enjoying some Cuban cuisine and missing places like, La Carreta and Versailles in Miami. It was great hanging out with Joe and Myra, and getting to know them more. They are both from PR, but have lived in NY for most of their lives, so it was really interesting to learn more about the City and Queens from their perspective.


We had a nice clear schedule the next afternoon, which can be hard to come by, so Rob, Bess and I made our way to Central Park to try and get a tan. Tan lines? Yeah, I haven't had those since about year 1 of living in NYC, it's pretty sad. By coincidence, we ran into some of Bess's friends, Ruby and Maya, who went through Puppy Kindergarten with her!

The last week of June, the birthday celebrations were underway for Robby. We enjoyed this lemon blueberry pie with our CG. At the end of the week, Bob and Donna came to visit, to celebrate both our birthdays, since they are only two weeks apart.


The young boy he coaches every week, made him this sweet card.


The first night we went to The Frying Pan for dinner to celebrate Robby and then Shake Shack in Madison Square Park for dessert. The next morning B&D joined us along with our friends to wait in line for tickets to Shakespeare in the Park to see the comedy, Much Ado about Nothing.  Once we got our tickets, we went to Jacob's Pickles for brunch to celebrate my birthday. We had a picnic dinner in the Park and then enjoyed the play.


On Sunday, we went to church and walked around Central Park some more. We just can't get enough of the Park! After dinner at an Italian restaurant in our neighborbood, B&D headed to New Jersey for a few days before making their way back to Miami.


Since Robby started working at lululemon, he typically works one day per weekend. So for the most part, we don't get a whole weekend off to hang out together, so we decided that it would be fun if I took a day off from work, on his day off from lululemon, which is usually a Tuesday. So one fine Tuesday in July, we had our day off together. We slept in and then went to Alice's Tea Cup for breakfast, which has been on my list foreverrrr, and I know I will go many more times!


We made our way to the summer installation on the rooftop of the Met and also checked out several exhibits.  Sometimes I still have those moments where I want to pinch myself because I can't believe that we live here.  Realizing that I got to spend an afternon at the Met with my best friend in the world was one of those moments.  After our mini-adventure we went back home and ordered Thai from our favorite place and watched a movie.  Day Off well spent!  With the tickets we got for the Met entrance, we also got free passes to go to the Cloisters as long as we went within the week.  Since the Cloisters  is yet another place on our never-ending list, by the next weekend, we knew where we were headed... more to come on that in the next post.

Momma Boo in the Big City

My momma came to visit in May.  This was her first time up in NYC in almost two years.  It was so nice to enjoy the one on one time I got to have with her and it was fun to show her around our new neighborhood now that we've settled into our apartment.

She crocheted a great blanket for us, and Bess was definitely a fan.  We watched movies, shopped and had lot's of good food.  Mole Mexican deliciousness the first night.  Mister Softee's and pretzel's another day.  Dinner at Bareburger and then Mimosas at brunch were a must of course!

Bike Riding in Central Park

The Conservatory Garden in Central Park

Someone lost their birthday balloons, which is sad, but it made for a pretty picture.

Mister Softee's :)

Silliness on Park Ave!

Peonies - be still my heart!

Fun night for a couple of drinks at DTUT

We had a shopping trip on Memorial day, we stayed on the 6 train all the way until the end when it turns around and passes by the old City Hall stop that is no longer in use.  It's a cool glimpse back in time for a few minutes.  We shopped around Union Square, walked up to the Flatiron district and snacked at Eataly.   We also got to visit with a great family friend for coffee, and then have dinner at The Meatball Shop in Greenwich Village where our friend Carlos is the Manager.  The owner of the restaurant took our picture which was so cool, and Carlos gave my mom a belated Mother's Day gift, with an autographed cookbook from The Meatball Shop!

..and you know I must love this lady if I took her to Times Square!  She was excited about the Minions from Despicable Me, lol!

Hooray for time with Momma Boo, can't wait for the next time we get to see her!

Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'

"Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'"

~ Robin Williams

...and we have!! We started out the first week of Spring with cookie night... granted it didn't feel like Spring yet, since it was freezing outside!  We followed that up with back to back meals at our place with friends! 

Dinner with Maggie & Jonathan

Dinner with Chad... Chad and Rob made the entire meal that night!

Rob's homemade Peach Cobbler

We had a shopping day to prep for our trip to FL, and took in the views from the stores... This is a view of Union Square. 

On the way to a vet appointment, Bess bumped in to two of her favorites! 

Scott and Brett

We also saw this interesting side view mirror... hilarious.

 I got my hair did! My hairdresser has told me for the past year that she wanted to open her own salon, and she finally did! I was so excited to be one of her first customers at her own place! 

We had a farewell dinner with our "Dinner Club" at the Thomases apartment before they moved slightly more up town (closer to us, yayyy). We dared Richard to try Siracha on his Reese's ice cream bar and of course he did. The verdict? "Not that bad!" So glad that he was so willing to oblige us. Then we went to Florida, which I posted about here. 

Okay, so have you ever seen Perks of Being a Wallflower?  Well, in that movie, the main characters work at a live action Rocky Horror Picture Show Movie Theatre.  They dress up as the characters from that movie and act it out while the movie plays in the background.  Well, it looked like so much fun in Perks, so when we got back from FL, I found a theatre in NYC that does it.  Robby and I went and it was... interesting...  The live acting part was actually hilarious, but the movie itself was just so different, and not at all what I had been expecting.  Hey, at least we tried something fun and new!

The next morning after church, the McVittie's invited us over for brunch where all of the food was miniature sized!  Look at this cute coffee pot!  

Look at the scale of the normal sizes quiche and miniature quiche! So tiny and delicious. Katie hosted a brunch for her sister's birthday and they had so much leftover that we got to enjoy some as well. Hopefully this summer we can have another fun mini-soiree!

Enjoying the spring flowers at the park with Robs and Bessy Bear! 

Game Night with the Paynes! 

Easter lunch with friends from church including these two soon to be married kiddos!

Dinner in Jersey City with my old coworkers. 

And then, the most exciting day...

We got to celebrate the arrival of our nephew, Michael Andrew Norman! Hooray! 

Love the Norman family!

On the way to the dreaded dentist, I stopped and enjoyed these Tulips and Daffodils.  I just loved the colors and the rain drops that you can see on them.

That night we hosted the next "Dinner Club" at our place, I made paella and forgot to serve it with lemons... again! It still tasted delicious   My goal is to become the little Abuela that makes the best paella in the world for my family.

Another random picture, on the way to church, we always see these great bright red doors, and I have always wanted to take a picture of them, so voila.

We served in the nursery that morning and this was a miraculous photo captured by Robby because about 2.2 seconds after it was taken the kiddos were everywhere, and one sweet baby girl was twirling while taking her sundress off. Oh babies!

The draft was later that week, after our anniversary which we celebrated at Tavern on the Green.  I loved getting to have a girl's night while Rob hosted a draft party at our place.  We went to this great Crepe bakery in our neighborhood that I had been wanting to try. 

City style S'mores at DTUT with Ryan and Caitlin.

Bess enjoying the sun.

A great new addition to our home, this full length mirror on a door that was up-cycled by Meghan.  Rob scored this beauty during Meghan and Scott's move to Hoboken when they decided it would make a good giveaway. 

We enjoyed a cookout at the Brauns... and what says "Let's party!" more than strawberry sangria in pink mason jars?  Love the special attention to detail Erin gives everything, and I love how much she loves hot pink! She is such an inspiration to me! 

My mom also came to visit, which I am planning to post about soon.  I am so grateful for the time we were able to spend together while she was here and can't wait to share more.  

We had a great potluck with our CG, it was a bit chilly, but we pressed on and grilled out.  

We had dessert with the Mason's and played games.  We are so going to miss this family!

We met up with the newlyweds, Vane and Brandon for dinner.  It was our first time seeing them since their wedding in March.  We had so much fun, we ended up being the last people to leave the restaurant. 

The next morning we had a traditional, homemade Dominican style Brunch with the Beltrez crew

 

 

We went on a long overdue double date with Jessa and Richard.  We started off at a Biergarten (German for Beer Garden - so fun right?) at Heidelberg and then chowed down on homemade guac and tacos for dinner.  Robby and I invented a new dessert: Nutella and strawberry cupcakes.  Afterward we all met up and celebrated with Dave for his birthday.

So thankful for these many great memories.
These Tulips are definitely giving off a "Let's Party!" vibe.

Celebrating 7 Years of Marriage

A month ago was our 7 Year Anniversary!  I know that we have made so many amazing memories and experienced so much over the last seven years, but it flew by.  The day after our anniversary, I called Rob on the phone, something I almost never do, since we text all the time and see each other every day... but this conversation warranted a phone call.  I called him on the phone and just exclaimed: "Dude! We've been married for SEVEN YEARS!  Today, is the first day of our EIGHTH year of marriage! What!?"  Rob couldn't help but laugh and couldn't believe it had just hit me.  I know that what is coming next borders on supremely gushy, but I'll share anyway.  I love that I get to be married to Rob.  I love that he is always up for anything and that he is so joyful.  I smile thinking of his heartfelt laughter that usually ends with rubbing tears away from laughing so hard.  I am thankful that he is such a relaxed person who worries very little, he has taught me SO very much about faith and dependence on God and has showed so much grace towards me as I attempt to grow in those areas as well.  The growth has not always been easy, but I am undoubtedly a more complete person because he is in my life! 

So grateful! 

To celebrate our anniversary, which landed on a Tuesday night, we made plans for the Friday evening prior, and went to the recently renovated and reopened Tavern on the Green.  Tavern on the Green is a New York City landmark located along the West Side of Central Park.  Sadly, it closed just after we moved here in 2009, so we thought we'd probably never get to go.  We were there for the week of their "soft" opening, so there were still some kinks to be worked out... They accidentally seated us at the wrong table (we got drinks 'on the house' for obligingly moving one table over about 15 minutes in to our evening) and the smoke alarm sounded for about a minute.

Other than that, it was such a treat!  I had Riesling to drink, which is one of my favorite wines, and it was from the Finger Lakes region of NY, where Rob and I celebrated our anniversary last year!  The food was delicious and fresh (they aim to use mainly local ingredients), the restaurant was bright, rustic, charming and in many ways very modern.  I noticed they have an outdoor cafe area, and there is a bar lounge as well, so I am thinking that this summer it would be a nice excuse to sit alfresco and enjoy some appetizers there when we are hanging out in Central Park.

After dinner, we made our way down to The Village Vanguard to listen to some live jazz, which is something we never get to do.   We sat right up front as the trio performed!

Cheers to seven years!

Sweet Florida Sunshine

At the end of March, we made our way to South Florida to spend time with family and friends, and attend our friend Vanessa's wedding.  We go back to Florida every year at least once, and it can sometimes turn into a routine whirlwind tour of grabbing a quick meal with a family member followed by a quick coffee with a friend across town, because we want to make sure that we spend as much time as we can visiting people we care about and miss so much.  By the end of the trip, we can leave feeling like there was still so much we wanted to see and do.  This time around, we decided to treat our visit as we would any vacation.  We thought of places that we would want to see and things that we would want to do if we were going to South Florida for the first time.  This really helped make us feel like we were taking advantage of those precious vacation days we were using up.  Ten in total and it was barely April by the time we got back to NYC!  

We landed bright and early on a Tuesday morning, my mom and sister picked Robby, me and Bess up from the airport.  After getting settled and heading to the sacred Chick-Fil-A (which does not exist on the amazing island of Manhattan, except at the NYU campus for students only) we set out on a mini-day trip to the west coast of Florida, to a great little city, Naples.  

We walked along Main Street, had coffee outside at a cafe and then headed to the beach.  The sand was white, the breeze was gentle and the sun was warm.  It was exactly what we had hoped for.  We had no agenda, other than to spend time with each other and enjoy this little piece of South Florida.  The restaurants along Main Street were good, but definitely overpriced.  After dinner, we headed to the beach one more time, to watch the sun sent, and it did not disappoint.  It was the best way to start off the trip!  

Over the next few days, we were on the "Pembroke Pines" leg of our trip, or should I say "tour"?  We did fill up the calendar with visits to see sweet friends and their growing families, and I am so grateful for it!  On our first visit to see Megan, Chris, Sophia and 3 week old baby Connor, I wasn't feeling all that well so I stayed away from the little ones.  Rob, who is such a big kid at heart, couldn't help but play with Sophia and her toys... and unfortunately caught pink eye... which quickly spread to me as well.  We immediately bought hand santizer and got the medicated drops and started our strict regiment of sanitizing our hands before touching any and every thing.  Thankfully we didn't contaminate any one else during our trip and were able to clear up rather quickly.  We also got to visit with Matt, Jess, Madison and baby Noah.  My newly engaged cousin Amanda had us over for dinner one night also.  (I am really looking forward to celebrating her marriage to her fiancé Chris next May!)  Saturday was Vanessa and Brandon's big day. It was the whole reason we planned our trip to Florida at this time of year, and it was perfect! The ceremony took place at a gorgeous Catholic Church on Miami Beach and the reception was at a venue in Coral Gables (not far from where we lived when we first got married).  Between the ceremony and reception it started to rain, which reminded me of our wedding day. We had flash flood warnings on our wedding day during the reception, and I remember everyone saying, "It's good luck!" I don't know if that's true or not, but all I know is it didn't ruin our wedding, and it didn't stop Vane and Brandon from having an amazing time celebrating at theirs.  Look at how excited they are before coming in to the reception an being introduced for the first time as Mr. and Mrs!

L . O . V . E .

The day after the wedding, we started our "Miami" half of the trip.  We kicked it off with a spicy barbecue at Crystal and Mark's.  It is one of my absolute favorite things to get to spend time together with both sides of our families.  We really got to enjoy that on our trip last summer to Puerto Rico, and I love that we can continue to all spend time together like this.  After dinner, came the most awesome spread of ice cream desserts imaginable, and as my grandpa enjoyed his sherbet, he tried to secretly pass some off to Bess as well.  Even though he pretends to be a tough guy, he is a softy for our Bessy Bear!

That face. Bless.

On our list of things to see and do while in the 305, along with spend as much time with family as possible, we had: visit with friends, try the food at the Pincho Factory, have our own photo safari in Wynwood and the abandoned Miami Marine Stadium, get cinnamon rolls at Knauss Berry Farm and have a boat day.  Check, check, check!! We were able to do all of the above, and it is hard to pick a favorite! 

I loved walking around Wynwood, it is really cool to see how a lot of that area has transformed into such a modern center of art, fashion and food.  Our friends, Leilani and Lisa are actually getting ready to open a boutique there in the next few months called MiMo Market (MiMo = Miami Modern).  The Wynwood Walls were so cool and artistic, and I have to say this little slice of Miami, reminded me so much of New York.  Rob and I had a lot of fun taking pictures, and then just sat around and people watched while we had a coffee break at Panther Coffee.  That same day, we made our way to the abandoned Miami Marine Stadium and snuck in to try to take pictures.  We bumped into a few other people on the same mission but I was too chicken to explore for long.  Any time I heard a louder than normal sound, I pretty much jumped out of my skin.  So we snapped a few pictures and high tailed it out of there! 

Miami Marine Stadium

Boat day was incredible. We were off to a rough start when the engine battery died, but after some quick thinking, we switched the boat battery with the car battery and were on our way.  We headed toward Stiltsville, which I had never been to, and jumped out for a quick swim.  Us "Northerners" thought the water was refreshing and cool, but our Florida family felt that April was still too early for any sane person to get in the water.  Mark was brave enough though, and Addi was fearless, jumping in and laughing as she swam to each of us!  We rode around for a little bit, had lunch, and then did some fishing!  As you know, my first time fishing was last fall at the Harlem Meer in Central Park.  This time, I got to experience fishing from a boat, just outside Biscayne Bay.

The two weeks in the Sunshine State were so refreshing, I have to admit, it wasn't easy to pack up and come back to the Big Apple. There is something about seeing that City Skyline every time we return though, that just stirs your heart with excitement and motivation.  When we landed, all tanned and relaxed, we couldn't wait to see our NYC family while also looking forward to the next time we'd be able to visit our loved ones in M-I-A...
Oh, and bonus: it almost felt like Spring was upon us. Yay!

"Febgiving"

So, right about now you are asking yourself, "What on earth is 'Febgiving' and why is Drea posting about it in April?" Well, "Febgiving" is something I heard about, after the month of February had come and gone but I feel like I was able to take part in it anyway... and I am posting this now because I have been a slacker and started this post over a month ago!  To best describe what "Febgiving" is, I have to share directly from the website of those who created it:

It’s a time to gather together friends, friendly acquaintances and family members who are friends, to enjoy the warm camaraderie of a big potluck meal and acknowledge a few simple truths:

1) February is a terrible month. We need all the love and support we can get just to make it through this godforsaken ice-strewn desert of pain.

2) Valentine’s Day is a terrible holiday. Couples face artificial pressure to buy things and act “romantic.” Single people are scorned and mocked. Its only real competition for worst holiday of the year is Tax Day.

3) Thanksgiving Food is delicious. Why should we only eat turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie (etc.) only once a year?

4) Friends are fantastic.

Yes.  I love this.  I am so on board next February.
As you will see in the slew of pictures I have in this post... we had plenty of wonderful meals with friends, friendly acquaintances and family members who are friends!

We've been leading community group through church and this is a picture of some of us the week before Valentine's Day enjoying a homemade meal.  I made meatloaf in the shape of a heart!

Donuts for dessert

We met up with LoLo, a friend from Miami, who was working here as a travel nurse for 4 months.  She and her roommate made us dinner.

Since we are 75 years old, we spent a wonderful Friday Night assembling a 3-D puzzle of New York with Jessa, Rich, Scott and Katie.

And since we are simultaneously 5 years old, the next night we had a Disney Movie night.  So fun!

I enjoyed a crafty night at Le Pain Quotidien with some girlfriends.

I finally went to Cafe Lola on the Upper West Side.  It was featured in You've Got Mail.

I got to go on a trip to Orlando, FL to celebrate the Bride to Be, Vanessa!

Vane, Lani and me.

DISNEYYYY

This was taken about 5 minutes before Rockin' Roller Coaster shut down.  We were entertaining ourselves in line by playing Heads Up!

Toy Story Ride

In the airport, I completely geeked out over the Harry Potter Store.  Next time I go to Orlando, FL, it had better be to go to Harry Potter World.  (I think I will cry of happiness.)

Back in the Big Apple

Pot luck dinner with our Community Group and friends!

Erin and Kelly

Erin, Steph, Dave, Scott and Katie

All of us!

Later that week, we went to Megan and Scott's with Rich and Jessa for our monthly dinner party that has been going strong since August!

Tiosito, Titi Michi and Geraliz came to visit from PR!!  We had Piti and Diana over for the fun as well.  I made this paella recipe, and it was so good.


Geraliz and me


Robby, me and Geraliz


Us in Times Square


We saw Cinderella on Broadway, thanks to my mom I knew every word to every song.  We would watch the version with Leslie Ann Warren over and over again when I was little.  Carly Rae Jepsen and Fran Drescher starred in it, which we didn't know, so that was a fun surprise!


Titi Michi and Tiosito


Titi Michi, Geraliz and Tio Gerald


Me with Tio


Snow. Ball. Fight.


Ouch! She got me good!


Tio on the move to get Geraliz!  It was cold, but their visit made it more bearable.

Another thing to be happy about in February is that Clinton Street Bakery hosts Pancake Month, and creates a new pancake dish every day!  On the very last day of February, we enjoyed a marvelously freezing cold date night there and had these delicious blackberry and lemon curd pancakes.

They were amazing.

On the way back to the subway.  Thought this was a fun shot, even with it being blurry from the iPhone.


The fabulous, fanny-packed-clad, Jennie Breedon stayed with us while interviewing for an exciting internship opportunity in the City.

We attended The Oscars party at the Thomases and brought the fearless Jennie along for the ride.

Robby and I both won during Oscars Bingo, we did not come close on guessing winners though.  I am sure that it didn't help that the only file nominated for an award that we had seen up until that point, was Despicable Me 2.  Ha!

This amazing spread of Pork Chops, Homemade Apple Sauce, Brussels Sprouts and Mashed Potatoes is brought to you be Sharon and Dan Baldessari.  Wish we had gotten a picture with them.  They were fantastic hosts to us on one fine Friday in March.

The next morning we had a PJ Brunch with the Beltrez family and then had fun with them on a trip to Ikea.  They have a car, so getting to Ikea was way easier than the usually train to shuttle bus or train to ferry boat option.

Rob and Ethan

And on one of our final frigid weekends, we had Stela stay over during her 24 hour layover before her marvelous adventure to Istanbul.

Love this picture she got of me and Rob in the park.

Rob, me and Stela!

Hoping I can get the next post up much sooner, but it may be hard now that Spring is in full force and it is magnificent outside!  Take Care!

Winter is the Time for...

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.”
― Edith Sitwell

I couldn't agree more with that quote!  It can be tough living up here in the "Polar Vortex", but I feel like we make up for it with lots of time being spent with friends just having a good time.

This winter, Robby and I spent so many evenings having friends over for dinner, making desserts, drinking hot chocolate, having game nights, hosting out of town visitors, watching movies and making more desserts.

One family in NJ was so inspired by the Polar Vortex, that they built a multi-colored igloo!! How fun is that?

With the cold weather, you see dogs of all shapes and sizes sporting little boots to protect their paws.  Bess is HILARIOUS in these boots, she's a good sport though, and definitely appreciates not having her paws sting from the sidewalk salt and icy snow.

As cold as it is, the snow really is beautiful.  Robby really helps me to appreciate how breathtaking NYC is after a fresh snow.  He braved the cold and went on a photo safari in Central Park.  I wanted to share some of my favorites!

It's so lovely.  It makes me think of the song we sing at church:

Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow...

Our sweet neighbor made us shortbread cookies with jam!  Mmm Mmm Mmm!

One game night, we had Landon, Nikki, Melissa and Sean over.  We moved the dining room table into the living room and played Ticket to Ride.  It reminded me of Settlers, it was really fun... I kept getting the Beatles song Ticket to Ride stuck in my head while we played though, ha!  Speaking of the Beatles, last week Robby actually saw Paul McCartney working out at the gym!

Only in NYC, right?

 Got to FaceTime, with the Awesome's and our sweet niece, Addi.  You can tell she had just woken up from a nap.  So sweet!  It's fun to see how much she has grown since the last time we saw her in person in December.

Robby made a delicious Balsamic Baked Chicken for me and Barry.  Barry was a big fan as you can see!  And the Oreos for dessert also probably had something to do with their excitement!

Then the wonderful, amazing, lovely, Allbee's came to stay with us for a weekend!

PJ party!

The Met

Lisel and Josh.  I wanted to steal her hat!

Playing in Central Park in the SNOW!

Sooooo Adorable!

Aww, the boys and the three bears.

Right after this, a tour group went up and copied Josh and Robby.

And look who we ran into in Little Italy!  Donna, Nancy and Ruth!  The three besties for life!

Nancy and Lisel

Dessert at the Ferrara Bakery & Cafe in Little Italy.

Robby and Donna

Me, Robby and Donna

Lunch at the Meatball Shop before the Allbee's had to head back to Virginia.

Judy, The Ethan (and Anthony) came over later that week for dessert (see, I told you the theme this past month has been dessert) and Harry Potter 5.  We have been making our way through the series with them because they have never seen any of the films!  

Oh yeah, and then it was Christmas Day... I mean, The SUPER BOWL in NY!!!  The weather could not have been better for this time of year, it got into the fifties, and there was sunshine!
Glorious sunshine!!

But the highlight was the culmination of the professional football season, and Robby was oh so excited.  We dared to face the madness of "Super Bowl Boulevard" and walked along Broadway with hundreds of thousands of people to check out the celebration.

Robby pointing to the countdown clock.  Even though we would have been glad with any outcome for the game, it was tough to watch the Seahawks dominate the Broncos like that!  Team Peyton!

I love that the Empire State Building is in the background of that picture.  It still amazes me that we get to live here.  Even on days when it is crazy and the trains are delayed or not running at all, when it is freezing out (seriously, this winter it has been freeeeezing...) I am still so grateful.  I am grateful for wonderful, meaningful friendships we have made here.  Grateful for amazing friends and family who come to visit, often.  Grateful for sugar, chocolate, dessert, hearty soups, heaters, sparkly untouched snow, and I am just reminded that this has been a really great, fun filled start to 2014.

Just thought this window display was funny!  At one point last week, Crystal pointed out it was opposite day... 82 degrees in Miami, and 28 in NYC!  Brr! (Not funny, Crystal!)

About Me

I'm Andrea, but mostly I go by Drea.  I was born in Kansas City, MO, raised in Puerto Rico and Florida and then in 2009, my husband Robby and I moved to the Big Apple, NYC!  The purpose of this blog, is to be a virtual journal.  A way of just keeping a record of me and my family as we live out our lives.  I have always loved journaling... and blogging is another great, creative way for me to journal.  Living in NYC, away from our families, inspired me to start this blog.  It's been such a great way for our loved ones to get a better glimpse of what we are up to.

I have also always loved taking pictures, and happily, I married a very creative guy who loves taking pictures even more than I do.  This blog is filled with pictures and memories of our many experiences, get-togethers and projects.  Thanks for sharing in our story.

Blessings,
Drea

Happy New Year 2014!

Happy New Year Friends!  We were able to ring in the new year with friends in NYC.  It was a dapper evening with bow ties and glitter.  We took lots of pics, played games, listened to music from Disney movies and had drinks with edible glitter rimmed glasses.  Glitter. Rimmed.
 

 

The guys tying their bow-ties.  Love this pic!

 

 

We played Cards Against Humanity.  Hilarious game.  Think Apples to Apples, but definitely not as PG rated.

 
Lovely arrangements by Erin!

 

Dashing Rob!

Amazing S'Mores, dipped in glitter!

 

Jessa and me

 

Checking each other's bow ties.

Lovely cheese platter

 

This pic makes me smile.

 

 

 

The toast at midnight!

Bundled up head to toe, headed home.


Happy New Year!  Love, Robby and Drea

PS... I usually don't make any resolutions, but this year I decided to make two!
1.  Work out 3 times a week
2. Floss every night
(These seem pretty low-key and feasible to me... so far, I have only worked out once though!) Did you make any resolutions?