plenty of sunshine heading my way...

Disney World was a very big part of my childhood and I clearly remember the sheer excitement that rushed over me the night before we left Massachusetts to travel south to Florida. There used to be a commercial on television that captured parents breaking the news to their children that they were in fact "going to Disney World", and the kid's reactions were spot on with what I felt. (A lot of shrieking and yelling and smiling and laughing and happy tears.) I would actually sleep better the night before Christmas vs. the night before leaving for Disney - that's how excited I got. Those were the good old days - when I would lose sleep over happiness and cheer, instead of stress and anxiety. Maybe I should plan a trip to Disney World...

I mention this, because I have something similar happen to me before a trip/vacation in my adult years, though it normally comes with a few moans and groans as a result of needing to research, figure out a schedule, make plans, and pack - I HATE packing. Although not quite as innocent, I am still thrilled it happens at all and continue to be grateful to get the opportunity to visit beautiful places in this country and beyond. Well it happened last night, because I am lucky enough to be going to Maine this weekend (as I mentioned yesterday). Gone are the days when Mickey and Minnie Mouse got me all riled up and instead, enter the time when eating a Maine lobster roll and visiting the official L.L. Bean store keeps me up at night. People say some things never change and while I agree, I think it is okay if sometimes they bend and flex. Here's to taking a photo (or two) with the gigantic L.L. Bean boot! 

everything I did, I did for you...and we love it all

My sister's photo! There he is!!!!

My sister and I attended a concert last night at Carnegie Hall and it was not just any concert - it was a tribute to the music of David Byrne and the Talking Heads. It. Was. Amazing. I initially bought two tickets (for my husband and I), but he was in Austin, Texas yesterday and not New York City because of work. My sister ended up being able to work from home yesterday & today and was more than happy to be my date, and since she was already down visiting over the weekend, it couldn't have have worked out more perfectly. 

Background: For the last ten years a man called Michael Dorf has been organizing fundraisers that salute the music of a famous musician (Joni, Bob, Bruce, Neil, Prince, Paul, R.E.M, and Stones to name a few). This year's fundraiser beneficiaries were four groups who work to provide music education in disadvantaged public schools (Midori & Friends, the Center for Arts Education, Little Kids Rock, and Church Street School for Music & Art). 

I want to write about the entire show, but I don't love writing overly long posts and I plan on inserting a link at the end with a Rolling Stone article that explains everything. I will however, mention my favorites and also express how grateful I was to be there, especially because David Byrne himself came out and surprised us!! He just looks like a good time. If I was presented with an opportunity to hang out with anyone famous, it would be him. His music is explosive and fun and I want to listen to it all the time forever - and dance. 

Sharon Jones crushed "Psycho Killer" in the most amazing way possible. Alexis Krauss was someone I had never heard of until last night, but her rendition of "Life During Wartime" was killer. Glen Hansard who I recognized from the Broadway musical Once, belted out "Girlfriend is Better" and thoroughly impressed everyone. Cibo Matto, whom I was most excited to see live, next to David of course (most of the artists end up "crashing" their concert - the only two who haven't in ten years are Prince and Paul Simon), played "I Zimbra" and even had dance moves to match the awesomeness of it all. I was also really looking forward to seeing Thievery Corporation and assumed they would play "Heart's a Lonely Hunter", a collaboration they worked on with David on an album I have probably listened to one gazillion times in life - seeing it live was incredible. The last two artists I want to feature could not be more different - Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top and Santigold. He played "Houses in Motion" and she played "Burning Down the House" and I absolutely loved both interpretations. It is always nice to see artists play songs you aren't familiar with, but this was opposite...and I wish they could do it all over again. Click here to read the Stones article and here to visit the show's official website.

creamy, spicy, healthy, fulfilling, dairy free, and delish

Photo from the website.
Don't forget the lime!

I really enjoy making soup, especially when it comes out well (duh!). Most of the time I don't choose anything super involved and it ends up being a very affordable way to eat a healthy and delicious dinner multiple nights a week. Another reason for choosing semi-easy to moderately-easy recipes is because at this point of my life I can get a sense about how something is going to come out when cooked by yours truly by looking at the recipe and the list of ingredients, and when I am making something that takes multiple days to eat, I don't want to be left with something I have no interest in. Yesterday I put together a Thai-influenced soup I found on the Whole Foods website. I was searching for something I could use seafood broth in because I had some homemade broth lying around after devouring a seafood feast with my sister this past weekend. (I boiled a few shrimp tails, a lobster tail shell, a few lemon slices, and a bay leaf and made my own broth. I was under the impression I could use it in place of any kind of broth, but I was quickly told by my husband and sister that was not the case. Oops.) 

Enter Butternut Squash and Coconut Soup with Shrimp. I omitted the garlic, added three times the curry paste (I like spice), used seafood broth instead of chicken broth, and added chicken instead of shrimp. I figured that created a good enough balance where I could get away with using my homemade broth creation. I was anticipating wanting to run the squash and liquids through a blender, but I used a fork to break up the squash and it made it perfectly thick (and created less dishes). I am excited for my dinners and will definitely be making this again. Click here for the recipe.

a little bit of music and a lot of sisterly love

The Annie Moses Band.

I spent Valentine's Day with my sister on Cape Cod and we decided to see a performance by the Cape Cod Symphony called Rhapsody in Bluegrass. They performed with the Annie Moses Band under the direction of Jung-Ho Pak, the symphony's Artistic Director and Conductor. He was pretty darn funny and could definitely make it in the world of comedy if anything ever goes awry with music. Although my sister and I grew up seeing orchestras and symphonies with our parents and grandparents, we didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into. We were definitely the youngest ones there and our seats ended up getting upgraded as a result of the concert being rescheduled due to an impending blizzard. We were supposed to attend the Sunday after Valentine's Day, but since it was changed to Monday afternoon and I had a five-hour drive back to New Jersey, my sister called and requested a ticket transfer to the show on actual Valentine's Day. 

The Annie Moses Group is comprised of an overly wholesome and cheerful family. (It got a little sickening at times, but their abundance of musical talent kept us from actually vomiting.) The father played piano, the six children (complete with one sister-in-law) played harp, keyboard, mandolin, string guitar, violin, viola, and electric guitar, in addition to singing. Their musical backgrounds are more than impressive and we were truly blown away. Bluegrass holds a special place in my heart; I was able to get my fill while attending school in Colorado and was quickly reminded at how talented the musicians have to be. Bluegrass is technical and very fast-paced at times, which requires a deep knowledge of music and highly, highly skilled musicians. We really enjoyed ourselves and I was happy we made the decision to go. To learn more, click on the Cape Cod Symphony or the Annie Moses Band.   

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.

a field trip to a beautiful grape-filled place

The grounds at the vineyard.

My weekend with my sister was glorious - much too short, but very fun. We visited one of our favorite wineries, Sakonnet Vineyards, in Little Compton, Rhode Island. We love, love, love it there. The grounds are absolutely beautiful and every time I visit I talk about how I would love to throw a party (of some sort) in their tasting room. I am not even sure they rent it out, but it is a dream of mine. It is made of stone and there is a huge fireplace. It is really nice. The event would take place during the fall and we would drink wine and eat harvest delights full of apples, root vegetables, cheeses, and cured meats. Want to come?! Their wines are pretty good too, although the last two times I've gone for a tasting I have opted for more red than white and regretted it. That was my motivation for this post - to remind myself to choose more white, rose, and dessert wine. Noted! My favorite wine they make is called Rhode Island Red, but I need to skip the others. I picked up two bottles of Vidal Blanc for our Thanksgiving dinner and a bottle of Rose to bring to a dinner party tonight. If you're in the area I would recommend stopping by. Click here to visit the website.

i am really looking forward to my weekend

I get to have a sister weekend this weekend and I am so excited!! I hope you have fun plans too. In honor of us, I think you should hug or call your sister or brother, and if you don't have one hug or call your best friend. Be safe and happy...and warm. xo

if you like pina coladas, in the dunes of the cape...

I had the most wonderful long weekend on the Cape with my sister. We had productive days, but still had fun - I love those types of weekends - they're the best. I took Friday off from work to maximize my time because it is a solid five hour drive. I am all for leaving late on Sundays when it is any season except for summer, which also influenced my decision. Because it is summer, I knew I would be leaving promptly at eight o'clock on Sunday morning, so a day off on Friday was in order. 

We quickly caught up after I arrived Thursday night (which never takes long because we are talking, texting, emailing, etc. all day every day because we love each other so much). We were up and at 'em on Friday before seven thirty and stopped to grab breakfast and lunch. There is a nearby farm market that has the most delicious delights. We got to the beach and went for a run. Then, we changed into our bikinis and spent the next four hours on the beach. The water was clear and warm. The sun was shining. It was perfect! We left and headed home to shower and change. Our plans for the night included stopping at Cape Cod Beer for a tasting and a clambake. I was thoroughly impressed with the beer at the brewery; the porter tasted just like maple syrup - score! The clambake was interesting to say the least; a lot of Vineyard Vines-clad children and adults, a beautiful view of the ocean and boats, delicious food, and a commodore who liked setting off a mini cannon. We left and met up with a few friends once we had our fill of our own personal dance party and dj. I am not sure what the other clambake attendees thought of us and our moves, but we sure had fun dancing to Stevie Nicks and Paul Simon. Our night did not end extravagantly late and we woke up on Saturday around the same time. 

We followed our morning procedure from Friday, but instead of a run I got to see my sister's new place - which is adorbs - very excited for her to be living in such a cool area! After the beach we decided to have an early dinner. We were finished with appetizers and ice cream cones pre-seven o'clock. We set-up a little viewing area and watched the movie Bridesmaids for the hundredth time together. It really was fun and I can't wait to visit again soon. I hadn't been to the cape in ages (like fifteen years or more) and I am happy to say a lot is still the same. It made me happy and comfortable and eager to do more exploring! I just wish time wouldn't pass by so quickly when we are together. Time flies, I guess...

having a horrible time in newport, like really bad

Second Beach, one of the
 worst beaches on earth.

I had a truly glorious weekend. Although I did not arrive at my destination until after ten o'clock on Friday evening, it still felt full. I had one of the greatest beach days ever on Saturday with my mom, dad, and sister. The beach in Newport (as in Rhode Island) was packed, but we managed to have a great time - aside from the moment my sister and I got pooped on by a seagull. It felt like someone splashed me with water. Nope, not the case. It was poo poo and it was all over me, my towel, and my beach bag.  Everyone says it is good luck, but it sure didn't smell like good luck. Anyways, even though I was there for an entire week last year compared to the thirty six hours of this year, I was able to do the majority of my favorite things, which includes; fancy cocktails at Fluke, Second Beach, Sweet Berry Farm, eat lobster and ice cream, shop on Thames Street and at the Newport TJ Maxx (one of the best TJs on earth), hang out with my parents and sister, and look at cool boats. I even went on a four mile run while I was there. I didn't feel overly rushed either - everything just fell into place. The things I did miss were my husband being with us, visiting Providence, eating at the Boathouse in Tiverton, and visiting Sakonnet Vineyards - he was working and there just wasn't enough time to visit the other places. I love Newport so much and appreciate being able to make time to visit each year. Some years I am there for longer than others, but as long as I get to go for a little while, I am content. I think people need to stop talking about how great it is though. It was very crowded, so tell your friends that Newport sucks and that they should find somewhere else to go on a summer vacation. (haha)

keep your eye on the prize, hold on

What a week. It appears the weekend weather for the east coast (aka the right coast) is going to be quite perfect. I hope you find time to get outside; whether it be a hike, a swim, a bike ride, or my sister's favorite - a frickin cannon ball. I also hope your weekend is full of these (see above). Mine is going to be and I am thrilled. I can taste the lemon and butter now... too bad I will be eating a warm sandwich for tonight's dinner, while driving. Eye on the prize, I guess. Lobster tomorrow! Travel safe and sweet dreams. 

a plug for handmade and creative cards

isn't it so pretty and fun?

I am not trying to trash on Hallmark because I have received very thoughtful cards in the past that have brought me to tears, but I work very close to a store that sells handmade cards and I have been loving them. The store is called Paper Source and in addition to being clever and beautiful, the cards they sell are also a few dollars cheaper than cards sold at a CVS or Duane Reade. Truth be told, I have been doing a horrible job at sending my friends and family cards (which I think I mentioned a few posts ago), but I have been crushing (in a good way) sending cards to my sister. I have sent her all types of cards - thinking of you, I love you, way to go, you rule, you are freaking awesome, etc. - which I guess could be considered love and inspirational. I also picked up my mother and father's day cards there, too. The card to my mom said "you're a mother like no other" with a floral arrangement in a Ball jar and the card to my dad said "dad, you're so fly" with three flies used for fishing. I love their cards and hopefully my excitement will start spreading to other people I hold near and dear to my heart, in addition to my wonderful sister.    

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.  

everybody is not working for the weekend

Replace grass with sand and a
towel. Borrowed from NY Mag.

The first long weekend of the summer is here and I am very excited! Woohoo! Even though it is only Tuesday and my weekend begins Friday evening around 7:30 p.m., I am still really happy about it. My week is insanely busy with a big event at work, an early morning the day after to deliver hard hats for a tour, and a late night the following day to help out with another tour. Yikes. I also need to get our home in order because my sister is coming down to visit for the weekend and I do not want to be working on any projects or cleaning while she is here. I may have to do a touch of weeding, damn things are growing strong, but everything else needs to fit in my evening plans. I am excited to try out some new summer recipes and eat delicious summer-y food. (I promise to share the things that come out good.) Bring it on! I also want to lay on the beach and do a whole lottah this (pictured - that is seriously my favorite past time). At least with a busy schedule, my week should fly by. I just have to keep reminding myself: one step at a time. My list is made and I have been busy crossing things off. Now if we could just get to Friday...  

fish lay eggs, just like bunnies

Halloween is supposed to be candy time central, but I like the candy for Valentine's Day, Easter, and Christmas way better. Valentine's Day has cherry and cinnamon heart gummies, Easter has Cadbury Mini Eggs, and Christmas has red and green gummies (the two best and most delicious colors). This spring when I was scouring the candy aisle for some sweet, non-chocolate delights (my sister was visiting and does not like chocolate) a certain familiar fish logo caught my eye. Even though it was Easter candy, I was seeing Swedish Fish. Even though I was a bit confused, I looked closer and the bag said "fish lay eggs too, ya know".  I do know and boy, am I jazzed they do. Normal Swedish Fish are delicious and so are the multi-colored fish, but these little round fish eggs are the best ever. I bought a bag to see what it was all about and quickly returned to pick up two more. I also threatened to unwrap all the individual packages and place the contents into a large bowl, but knew it would only result in a horrible stomach ache because I could eat them at a quicker pace compared to opening the little packs individually. Do yourself a favor and buy some. Buy them all!   

pickles and eggs equal satisfied tums

This is not my photo. I did not use red onion.

There is so much pressure inside of me in regards to what to write about first. My initial reaction is to go with food (not surprising) and I have had some luck with a few new recipes. One of them is an Eggy Potato Salad with Pickles. It was one of the easiest things I have ever made and it was delicious. The recipe came from Bon Appetit and I think I made it because I was trying to channel summer. Even though potato salad is more of a warm weather dish, I love potatoes and incorporate them into a number of meals - no matter what time of year. I actually made it so my sister and I could bring it to work for our lunches and even though there are hard boiled eggs in it, it didn't smell all that horrible. I followed the recipe pretty closely, but recommend using the whole eggs (not just yolks) and adding more pickles. I also omitted the sugar, parsley, red onion, and used yellow yellow mustard instead of Dijon. Okay, maybe I didn't follow the recipe all that closely, but it still came out great. We bought the bread and butter pickles from Trader Joe's and were EXTREMELY impressed. Those are some quality pickles, if you're looking for sweet instead of sour. Click here for the recipe.  

a super fun and eventful vacation

I am back from my vacation. I am sad it is over, but shouldn't complain because I got to do a lot of fun stuff. We got to visit Cape Cod for a day, tour around Rhode Island another day, and visit a dear friend in Providence one night. We got in two beach days and a walk around Newport one day day. I ate seafood five out of six nights for dinner. I ate ice cream three nights and one morning (milkshake at 11:00 a.m.) – and Ben and Jerry’s brought back White Russian to their scoop shops! BEST NEWS EVER. 

I have a few new articles of clothing (sailboat shirt, two t-shirts, three tanks, jeans, and a pair of wedges), a bottle of Rhode Island Red and Blanc de Blanc champagne from Sakonnet Winery, a new cooler, a pie server and two mini spreaders that match our iron-y flatware, and even picked up some presents for my husband. My sister and I also found the bracelets we hoped to buy. We are so happy with them! It was a fun time all around with my parents and sister. I wish I could be on vacation every day, but I wish my husband could come too!  

I may be delayed in my blogging

I get to go on vacation and it begins tonight! I am thrilled. I cannot wait to focus solely on going to the beach, running, and eating fresh seafood. I am heading north this evening to stay with my sister in Connecticut. Tomorrow we head further east and a little north to Newport, Rhode Island. Newport is one of my favorite places ever! Needless to say, I probably won’t be blogging much, unless I bring our laptop, which I may do. I will however, be posting photos on Instagram. My sister and I have plans to buy a Keil James Patrick anchor bracelet, like the ones pictured. I have had my eye on them for a while now and the time has come. I searched where they sell them in Newport and to my delight they have them at a store called the Pink Pineapple. I love having an excuse to go there! Yay vacation!

sometimes messes can be beautiful

A good friend recently told me about a pretty cool app called Beautiful Mess.  It costs ninety nine pennies (her words) and is well worth it. It allows you to doodle on your already existing photos (similar to the Adobe program Photoshop). You can add borders, your own words in an array of fonts, pictures, and/or phrases. So far I have made four photos. 

My first mess was the turtle. We found this turtle outside our front steps one morning and our friend named him Yertle. The second mess is an older photo from when my sister and I went to see Madonna at Yankee Stadium. The next mess was the Cubs photo. My husband travels for work and saw the restaurant (Cubs Bar & Grill) in a Chicago airport. Go Cubs Go! And the last mess was from mini golf the other night. The mini golf one was my first attempt at using borders. I think they all came out great. I think it takes a certain kind of photo to use the app, so here’s to making a few more beautiful messes when the time is right.

summery pasta salad recipe

I made this salad for the party as a back-up, but we had so much food we didn’t need it. I made sure it was something my sister and I liked, because if it didn’t get eaten, we were going to split it up and eat it for our lunch all week. It is delicious and relatively healthy. When I went to copy the link for the recipe I also noticed Martha redid her website. (That’s where the recipe is from.) It is still a bit slow, but it looks great and appears to be faster than the old one.

We followed the recipe for the most part. We left out the garlic and green beans, but if I had them on hand I would have added them. You could put any kind of vegetables in this really. It is light and tasty. Click here for the recipe.

leftovers for days and a job well done

I made it. The party was a success. The house is almost back to its normal state. My husband’s aunt was touched beyond belief – and super surprised. We had plenty of food and plenty of drinks. We actually overshot the food by a landslide, but thankfully we really enjoy leftovers. I think there was enough for everyone to have eaten three dinners (not one), but I would rather have that than running out. I tried a few new recipes and I would recommend the blueberry-cucumber slaw (just add more mayonnaise) and I would not recommend the bourbon maple baked beans. Click here for the slaw recipe. (I made the slaw without the brats.) The bean recipe will not be posted on this blog. This evening will be full of relaxing and sitting. My feet are killing me. Someone should have told me the hostess needs to wear sneakers and not flip flops.