giving a little means more than you'll ever know

I read an article this morning about a boy that is terminally ill who loves receiving mail. His ninth birthday is right around the corner and his parents are asking people to send their son, Bubby, an uplifting card. They set-up a post office box in their hometown of Graham, Washington, which I imagine will be overflowing because I have seen this story on multiple outlets. If you can find an extra two minutes this weekend, send Bubby a card and if you have stickers lying around, throw a few sheets in - he apparently loves mail AND stickers. I love that even when they give him junk mail they receive it still makes him happy. Click here for his address and to read one of the many articles about this tender story.

a forest bird never wants a cage...fly sister

She is free...as a bird.

I watched my sister finally become free on Monday afternoon. She took a dire situation and turned her life around for the better, all with her chin held high. Keeping one's calm in a hellish situation is not an easy task for anyone, but she did it with grace, dignity, and respect. I want to jump and yell and scream 'hooray' for her. I want to shout it from the rooftops. I know she has happier times in the days ahead, when the memory of this tough time will finally fizzle and fade. Although it was a part of all of our lives, we will take it for what it's worth, remember the good times, and all move on together. We can't erase the past, or pretend it didn't happen - because it did - but we can support one another, look out for each other, and make sure we only surround ourselves with positive thoughts and positive people. I know the new year has great things in store for everyone, especially my sister. She is stronger than she thinks and deserves greatness. Cheers to her and everything wonderful she encompasses.

cheers to the vacation of my adventure away

As most people know by this point, my husband travels for work and I don't get to see him very often. My commute to work is also an hour and a half each way, so even when he is home we only get a few hours together during the week. We live for weekends together, but because so many of our friends live places other than New Jersey (read: all of them) we spend a lot of weekends in the car, or on trains traveling to see them. This four day mini vacation with him was delightful - to say the least. We spent three nights at a beach house in Maine directly across from one of the greatest beaches on the planet (in our humble opinion) and one night in the heart of Portland. It was full of evening walks and wine on the beach, lobster, hiking, sunshine, a farm, a fresh fish sandwich, watching herons in our backyard (a marsh), morning runs, a little shopping, dinner at our favorite restaurant in the universe, ice cream, and love. We jokingly call each other best friends because it makes us laugh, but we truly are. I think we could make each other happy no matter where we were. I am eternally grateful for the time I get to spend with him, even though sometimes it is merely hours and minutes. This little trip was a gift and I am writing internal thank you notes to the heavens for matching up our schedules and having the opportunity to share a few days with him in Maine. I love him so very much.      

cheers to the weddings of my adventure away

Stock photo. This sign was not
at either wedding.

As reality slowly starts to spill back into my heart and head, I want to reflect back on my experiences during the past week. Although it will be difficult to find words that will accurately portray all of the emotions and love I felt, I am going to try. I am choosing to dedicate one post to the two weddings and another post to the vacation portion of my little adventure. This one will be for the weddings...

While some women have trouble connecting with other women, I have been lucky enough to find ladies in my life that I cherish. They have been my rock during hard times and have showered me with unconditional love through many ups and downs. They have listened when I needed to talk and held my hand when I needed support. Two of these important ladies were the ones that got married these past two weekends. I have seen them both involved in toxic relationships and it made me happy (beyond happy actually - I was an emotional mess) to see them marrying two wonderful men. 

Although weddings can be hectic and full of many things to do, I took the advice I was given on my wedding day and remembered to look around, take it in, and breathe. These two ladies managed to bring together friends and family from all over the globe, some of whom I was very close to and haven't seen in ages (read: ten plus years...not getting any younger). I wish both events could have lasted for months instead of days. It is amazing to watch two people that love one another express it and share it with others. It is an honor to be a part of something so sweet and innocent and it is a blessing to be able to watch a lifetime of love begin. I sincerely hope their love lasts forever and they continue to respect one another as much as they did on their special days. I thank them for the memories and applaud them for a job beautifully done.  

 

a celebratory dinner for love on our pati-o

Instead of going out on Saturday evening, we decided to make dinner at home. We* did surf and turf (lobster and steak), cast iron potatoes, caesar salad, grilled veggies, and corn on the c. We opened a bottle of Frontenac we were given after our rehearsal dinner, which took place at the Stoutridge Vineyard in Marlboro, New York. It was quite good and fit well with our menu. We ended up eating around 6:30 and even though it was still pretty light out lit candles - it just felt like the right thing to do for an anniversary dinner. We went into town for a drink after dinner was cleaned up and had a dance party once we got back home (with ourselves). It was such a fun day...I wish every day could be carefree, full of hiking, dancing, and lobster. 

*Disclaimer: My husband made the entire dinner. I shucked the corn and set the table. I am really loving how all of our patio linens and colors are coming together though. 

a shining example to all the husbands of the world

Illegal photo I took on the
the unfinished section
of the High Line. Shh!

On this day five years ago, I woke up a little stressed and very nervous about all of the plans and details coming together in front of our most cherished family and friends. What I wasn't worried about was getting to marry the man of my dreams - a man who encompasses sweetness, hilarity, compassion, and most importantly unconditional love. He is the best human ever and I know how lucky I am to have found him. I really do thank my lucky stars each and every day (for real) that our paths crossed. Even when he is traveling, he sends me the sweetest text messages throughout the day just to remind me he loves me (literally just got one, not even kidding). On this year's anniversary (which we will actually celebrate tomorrow because he is traveling and I am working today) whose theme is wood (mind out of the gutter), we plan to visit the area we got married in (Dutchess County, New York) and take a walk in the 'woods'. Cherished memories are better than gifts.

It is my wish in life that everyone finds someone who treats them with the respect they deserve and accepts them for exactly who they are. There will always be things you may want to change, but it shouldn't be big things. Open your heart and your mind to everyone out there. You never know how or when you will meet your match, or whether or not he/she will have dreadlocks - he just might and hopefully he will cut them off one day, haha! Don't place limitations on someone that could be your match and make sure they can boogie down. Dancing is fun and you should do it often. So, this post is to honor my golden husband - he is my dream, he is my shining star, he is my little slice of heaven and I love him so very dearly.

a wednesday date night in the city

I really slipped this week on posting. I will attempt to write about three things today to make up for my slacking behavior. The first will be about eating out. I have eaten out five times out of my last nine meals. Yikes. My husband even got a grocery list from me on Tuesday, so I could make lunches for myself all week, but I didn't have time to put them together. Ugh. The good news is I really only over-splurged on Wednesday night. I tried to keep the other meals semi-healthy, even though I hate doing that. Wednesday was date night and my husband and I got to eat at our second David Burke (DB) restaurant, which is called Fishtail. DB is a notable chef that is famous (in my mind) because of the restaurant he owns in the great state of New Jersey (which happens to be about ten minutes from our home) called Fromagerie. He was also on Top Chef, a cooking program on Bravo - the greatest channel in America and beyond. Fishtail is one of his restaurants in Manhattan and it just so happened to be restaurant week. The deal is three courses for thirty eight dollars and for a lot of restaurants I would prefer to just order off the regular menu, but DB really knocks it out of the park. We had eight appetizers to choose from, nine dinner options, and five desserts - most restaurants have three options for each course or less. Our menu went a little like this; Tuna Crudo, Lobster Dumplings, Grilled Mahi Panzanella, Steak Frites, Peanut Butter & Jelly Mousse Bar, and Salted Caramel and Roasted Peach Parfait. Yes. Please. It was a lovely evening, that I wish lasted forever. I love my husband and it is such a treat getting to spend time doing special things like this with him, especially during the week.  

how could I know I was lost without you

Such a great part of the movie.
I really want to watch it now.

I had a moment on the ferry last night that made me think of the movie Pretty Woman. No, I was not dressed up like a hooker, coming home from a long night at the Blue Banana; I had an event at work and had to stay in the city until ten o'clock. I ride the ferry now on a daily basis, so hearing the men make the daily announcements is not really any kind of surprise. However, last night the guy talking sounded exactly like the pilot on the plane Edward and Vivian take to the opera. He says, "well, it should be a pretty smooth flight, Mr. Lewis. The weather is clear all the way up to San Francisco. We should be there in about 50-minutes". The scenes surrounding the trip to the opera are accompanied by the song "Fallen" by Lauren Wood and when I heard the pilot/captain voice it instantly started playing in my head. It is one of the sweetest songs I have ever heard. Talk about one-liners:

• You're a dream coming true
• I can't believe how I have fallen for you
• You should know you are life in my veins
• ...and the sweetest line in the universe (in my opinion):  How could I know I was lost without you

Why don't more people use this song as their wedding song? I want to get married again and play this on repeat for hours. It is SO romantic. Although you don't hear the entire song, you can hear the pilot talking at 1:03 on this YouTube video. Click here to listen.

a tranquil photo to end the week

I learned about sand mandalas after a group of Tibetan Buddhist monks visited my husband's college. He took (and developed!) an amazing photo of the event that used to be on display at our home. (Actually, where is that thing?) Their mandala was a geometric pattern made of sand, but recently I have been seeing and reading a lot about fresh flower mandalas. After my rant about the local farm, I figured I would end the week with something peaceful and tranquil. Enjoy it out there!

hooray for love, hooray for happiness

Shout it out.

We had our third wedding this past weekend in Cape Cod and it was amazing. Being able to walk from a hotel room to a wedding ceremony/reception is the best ever. It also helps when you are granted the most perfect weather – sunny and eighty – and not just any sun, it was “not a cloud in the sky” sun. The most important part (of course) was being surrounded by (some of) the greatest friends in the universe. I have known these friends for fifteen years and although we are scattered about (San Francisco, Portland, Charleston, Jersey, and Mass) and don’t always get to see one another very often, when we do meet up it is like we never were apart. They are all motivated individuals who aren't afraid of showing their love and support for one another. They are some of the most attractive people I know and although they were blessed with good genes, I think their good looks also come from how they treat others. Being nice makes you a hot fox! Life is short and treating others badly is not worth the time or the effort. If you don’t want to be bothered by someone, then cut all connections and rid your life of the negativity. After seeing how much our friends love one another and how in love the bride and groom were with one another, I want to shout about love and admiration and happiness from the rooftops. Friends are so important and when you have people in your life as wonderful as the people I saw this past weekend you just can’t stop smiling. Hooray for love and hooray for friendship!    

she has grown by leaps and bounds

Love the photo, but not too sure
she would ever wear those shorts.

This is a big week for my sister. She has had to deal with a less than pleasant situation, but not only is she turning her life around, she is making her dreams come true. It has been very difficult for me to watch her go through these tough times - we have one of the best sister relationships in the galaxy and I don't know what I would do without her. Growing up with her by my side has been the best ever. We have always gotten along swimmingly, aside from a little patch in our twenties, but it is easy to push that aside and remember all of the happy times - there are a million, no a gazillion. Even though we haven't always lived super close, we have always made time for each other and included one another in fun plans. We (thankfully) both have great relationships with our family and share the best friend network in the universe, so making plans for vacations and weekends was never too big of a stretch. It is always nice to see someone come out on top after going through something difficult, but this girl has come leaps and bounds. I am so excited for her to now be surrounded by people that respect her, value her, and love her for who she is. She is the best sister anyone could ever ask for and I am so proud of her for staying strong during this big life change. I hope she knows she has the support of a ton of people behind her, and we will not let her be sad or fail. Stay strong, little one. There are great things on the horizon and you deserve the world.  

a happy card to brighten someone's day

I love sending cards and I used to be a lot better about it. I have managed to write a few lately (mostly to my sister and husband), but aside from that I haven't sent out one thank you card for the thoughtful things my friends and family have done. Failure. As our home becomes more and more settled, I am trying to build in systems and areas that will make our lives easier. We recently decided to remove the closet doors in our office - let the office remodeling begin at last! The closet will still act as storage, but it will be open storage and keeping it open will also keep it tidy - hopefully. (That is the plan - more to come on the full project in a later post.) 

One of the baskets on one of the shelves inside the open closet will house gifts for people. I really dislike buying things for people at the very last minute. My hope for this basket is when I see something that makes me think of someone I can purchase it and save it for a special time, unless they are really awesome and I am really antsy and I have to deliver it right away (very likely). In addition to items, I also want it to house cards. Working in the West Village, I am surrounded by beautifully handcrafted cards that say the most wonderful things. I also like peeking at Etsy for cards, as well as the online shop for Colette Paperie. I ran into this card yesterday on Pinterest and ordered two, along with two other items from the shop (one card, one magnet). Will you be the lucky recipient when I finally decide to send it? Click here to visit the Colette Paperie website.   

the business of love and faith in human kind

Rarely does my faith get restored in human kind. It does happen every once in a while, but unfortunately it is not daily and it is not even close to weekly. I am not a total grump, but it does seem like there are more bad things happening in the world sometimes, then good. Today was a restored day. I was reading the news, like I always do at lunch, and came across an amazing article. (I say amazing too much - need a new adjective.) The article was in reference to two artist's reacting to negative comments made in regards to a Honey Maid commercial. The original commercial called same sex families and interracial families "wholesome", and that upset some people in the world (enter faith in human kind being lost). The company reached out to the two artists and asked them to take something negative and turn it positive. They came up with a beautiful idea and made a video (enter faith in human kind being restored). It lives on YouTube and you should watch it. I also love "love" and their finished product is all about love. Click here to read one article written about it (you can watch the video directly from this article, too).

birthdays and gifts and presents

party time

Today is my husband's birthday. It must be so cool to have a birthday that isn't four days before Christmas. Lucky. I love buying him presents and I have gotten much better at it. The first few years we were together I failed miserably at gifts. Sometimes you just have to go big, or go fun, and not try and be overly creative. I don't know what I was thinking. My best gift was an iPhone for Christmas. I activated it and before he opened it, said I had to use the bathroom. I called the phone and the package started ringing. It was amazing - one of the best gift deliveries ever. He was not expecting it either, so it was a very well received surprise. I am also good at getting tickets and surprising my sister with shows like Madonna and Fleetwood Mac. She surprised me with Prince. Gift giving is really fun. You should buy someone a little something this weekend and brighten their day.

these are a few of my favorite things

I never post pictures of us, but
this is too cute not to share.

We used to go to the beach in the evening on weeknights after I got out of work on a somewhat regular basis, but this summer was just too crazy. Between my husband traveling so freaking much and the wet weather, we didn't get as many chances as past summers. Well, we made time last Friday for a wine and cheese picnic and watched the sunset.  It was heavenly, and we enjoyed it so much that we decided to fit in anther picnic – a Thai food take-out picnic last night. It was something so simple (and especially simple for me because I didn't pack any of our snacks and supplies, my husband did), but was so overwhelmingly enjoyable that I was brought to tears. It was perfection. It was relaxing. It was love. Go on a picnic. Spend time with a loved one watching the sunset. Go for a walk in nature during a time when most people have already gone home. Do something simple and enjoy being in love and enjoy being loved.

our little city of love (and marriage)

Our four year anniversary (of our wedding) is quickly approaching and I drove by the exit of where we got married last weekend. We call Poughkeepsie the “city of love”. I think we may be the only people on earth that call it that, but oh well. We love it. We had the greatest time at our wedding and will cherish Poughkeepsie forever. 

Because we were in the middle of a big move and life change (Burlington, Vermont to New Jersey – wtf?), we decided to put off our honeymoon. We were able to take a mini-moon, as we called it, and stayed in the Catskills for a few nights. It was the best ever, but since then, all of the vacations we have taken were to go see someone else (i.e., a Colorado friend’s wedding), or a vacation with other family members. I am not saying we don’t love our family and friends, but to this day, we still have yet to take an actual vacation with just ourselves. Enter next week. We are headed to Vancouver! This is an announcement, as well as a warning, that I will not be blogging much next week. Our trip will include a hike to a lake in the mountains just south of Whistler, a one-night’s stay at a hot springs resort, and a few nights in the city of Vancouver. We never go on vacation with just one another. This is a huge treat and I hope we chose wisely.