On our cruise ship! Waiting to get
out on the water
2012 is going to be quite a year of firsts for me. Mike and I will be going to a lot of places I've never been and doing a lot of things that I have never done before. So there will be no shortage of adventures for me to share over 2012 with all of you. But this year's first first, was a cruise. I have gone almost 28 (this is they first time I've referred to myself as that age) years without going on a cruise. Some of that was by chance, some of that was by choice. I'm terrified of boats sinking (unless I can hold hands with Leonardo DiCaprio on floating piece of wood), I've heard mixed reviews about typical cruise clientele, and I'm not a fan of the fact that you don't get to enjoy the nightlife at any of the destinations because the ships travel at night. But, I decided to face my fears and hop aboard for the "Monsters of Rock" cruise to Key West & the Bahamas.
Night Ranger getting excited for their first
Monsters of Rock Cruise!
I love these kids
There are a few reasons why I chose this particular cruise to give away my boat virginity. First, it's the Monsters of Rock Cruise....3 nights of awesome 80s hair metal bands to enjoy with my husband, whilst being tropical. Second, we have some family going too! Our cousins James & Julie are our favorite couple to hang out with in LA, and we miss them every day now that we live in New York.
When I found out that the Blades family was going to be there, it was a bit of a no-brainer because they are so much fun. Third, this wont be your average cruise clientele....I was intrigued to see what type of eclectic people were going to be on the ship. Fourth, my husband promised to fly us first class to and from Ft. Lauderdale and that we would have upgraded accommodations on the boat if I agreed to join them on this excursion. And finally, I've never been to either Key West OR the Bahamas (another TWO firsts for ya right there). Key West is hands down Mike's favorite little weekend retreat, and I couldn't wait to visit this tropical destination with the most festive person I know in the world.
A happy Blades Family
It was extremely hard to pack for this trip. I had to bring a mix of 80's, some metal attire, and let us not forget to be tropical! Prior to leaving, we also got upwards of 20 documents with boarding information, cruise survival kits, itineraries, maps of the boat, schedules for dining, and of course the concert lineups for all three nights. So needless to say, I was nervous about the embarkation and safety drills required for each passenger. But Mike prepared a survival kit that was indicative of something Tom Hank's could have benefited from while stranded on Castaway, so I felt safe in the event that our ship sank and we needed water purification drops and emergency rope.
It's hard to give kisses when you have life vests on!
THE single most popular shirt on the entire ship!
Our first order of business was to meet up with the Blades family in Fort Lauderdale before embarkation. We haven't seen the Blades family together since our wedding almost 10 months ago and we were SO happy to see everyone! We loaded up all the gear and packed up into the vans to head over to the dock where we THANKFULLY didn't have to wait in the general boarding lines. The embarkation process was not seamless and we even had special treatment! Mike and I got to tag along with Night Ranger and the crew and it STILL took over an hour to get everyone boarded and through customs and security. Not to mention, we were waiting in line with some extreme metal heads. Not white trash, there is a difference. We're talking grown men with waist length hair, a sea of black clothing, and metal fans from all over the world. That was definitely not my favorite part of the whole process, but once we got on board it was all awesomeness for the next 72 hours.
The Mobley's cabin was directly above James & Julie. We could go out onto our balcony and yell down to them anytime we wanted to chat. But fear not, we had walkie talkies in case we needed to communicate (you'll notice my handset in my hand in most of the cruise pictures). If you ever go on a cruise with a group of people, the walkie talkies are clutch because phones don't work out in the middle of the ocean. We were always able to get in touch with each other with those little radios. Everyone had code names that we made up for each member of the party for the trip.
Mike = Ghost rider
James = Colonel
Uncle Jack = Commodore
Julie = JuJu
Aunt Mollie = Mamma Gia
and for myself....Shemobs (or Stef Leppard...depending on the mood)
Mike and I fit in a LOT of music on the first night while a few of the members of the party were battling a bit of sea sickness. We saw Tesla, Cinderella,
Firehouse & Y&T all in one night. Mike was like a kid in a candy shop. There was amazing music all day, all over the boat, any time you wanted. Right out of the gate, we rallied pretty hard and tried to fit in as much music as possible. Firehouse was definitely a favorite of mine one night one, but all the shows were extremely intimate and completely unlike any traditional concert experience you could ever have. But day 2 of the trip was hands down one of my favorite days so far of 2012. We woke up docked at beautiful Key West and were anxious to get off the boat to enjoy everything that wonderful Key West had to offer. So obviously, with less than a day to run around the island, it was evident that we needed to rent scooters. Mike was so excited to show me around and share some of his favorite places with me during my first trip to one of Mike's favorite places in the world. Key West is such a quaint little island town with endless places to stop in and have cocktails & delicious shellfish.
We went to the Southernmost point (90 miles to Cuba!), we saw the Hemmingway House where Ernest Hemmingway lived with all his ladies and a 6 toed cat. We went to an art fair and bought some pieces for our apartment, and we had a wonderful group lunch at the Conch Republic. Every place on the island had happy, tropical tunes playing from local beach bums and the conch fritters and cocktails were flowing.
If it wasn't for an impending Night Ranger show, we would have been bummed to leave. But we hurried back to the boat to get ready to see NR rock the faces off the entire boat.
Night Ranger Captain's Hats!
As some of you may know, Mike's Uncle Jack is the front man for Night Ranger, so as you can imagine, we've seen them quite a few times, Mike more than myself of course, but we've seen them play a lot. But the show we saw on the boat was the best thing ever! People all over the cruise were talking about how amazing the NR show was and how it wasn't just the highlight for us,but a highlight for a lot of the metal fans on the boat as well. Obviously, there was nothing to do after that show but just party with everyone, right? We had cocktails in the room, we had dinner with the band, and we caught some more music with the rest of the crew (including a Lynch Mob jam session, Eric Martin (aka Mr. Big), and Kix). It.Was.A.Blast!!!!
Our rock star night made for a painful day 3 on the cruise ship when we docked in Nassau. I'm not sure how I feel about Nassau and we weren't in the Bahamas long enough to explore the more remote areas, but we did a day trip to the beach/pool for some much needed re-hydration and relaxation. And nothing beats sparkling turquoise Caribbean ocean at the end of February when you still have a few more weeks of winter to go home to in New York. Nothing could beat the energy from day 2 on the boat, but Night Ranger played an amazing acoustic set the final night, which was more fitting for an evening where everyone was on their reserve tanks and feeling the effects of 3 days on a boat coupled aggressive amounts of tequila.
All of the things that concerned me about taking a cruise were obsolete and silly after the epic adventure I had with amazing people. The music was unbelievable and it was unreal to have all of my favorite music at my disposal whenever I wanted to enjoy it live. And while I there were some "interesting people" on the cruise it wasn't the white trash boat ride I feared but rather 2700 extremely enthusiastic metal maniacs from all over the world. I admit, I had my hesitations about this little trip before going, but I'm so glad I went and I hope we can make it an annual tradition. Thank you to the Blades family for including us and we can't wait until Monsters of Rock 2013!!!
As you can probably tell the past month and a half have gone by super fast and have not been optimal for spending quality time as man & wife. We have no weekend getaways coming up for a few more weeks, we have nightly work responsibilities, and oh, have I mentioned Mike has been traveling? :)
Winston even got a little Valentine's Day treat! Puppy cupcakes!
I'm not the biggest Valentine's Day person (per my previous post), but this was our first Valentine's day since becoming Mr. & Mrs. Mobley. And I'd like to give you the heads up that this entry is going to be a little bit of a rant on how amazing my husband is, so if you're not in the mood or want to make fun of us...than this would be the time to stop reading.
We only get each other bulldog cards!
Best Coffee mug ever made
My husband went out of his way to make sure that I felt special on this Valentine's Day. We've had some great February 14ths, that included a romantic ski vacation in Sun Valley & oh yes...an engagement, so those will be hard to top. Mike knows how much I fear becoming one of those couples who kind of falls into a routine after marriage, and getting so caught up in life that you stop taking time to make each other feel special. But he sure knows how to make a girl feel special.
When I woke up in the AM for my 44th (woot woot) day of P90X, I had a beautiful spread of Valentine's Day surprises, personalized cards and treats! Winston even got me a card (because he's my Valentine too, ya know). But Valentine's day isn't just about the ladies, I had a little treat for my husband as well of course. He loved his gun-shaped mug. But the love didn't stop with the morning surprises, my husband kept the Valentine's day surprises coming all day. I got another flower delivery at work as well as the itinerary below for our vintage New York-style evening.
I was counting down the minutes until 6p to meet my handsome man at the Four Seasons for an aperitif. Surprisingly enough, I hadn't been to the Four Seasons in NY before, but I greatly enjoyed my V-day themed strawberry cocktail. But the dinner....oh the dinner....was the highlight of the day. Mike made a reservation at Wolfgang's on Park Ave, and it was the best steak I've had to date in my life....I know, a bold statement, but it's true. Wolfgang's is located in the historic former Vanderbilt hotel dining room and was opened by the former head waiter at Peter Luger's. Valentine's Day was probably not the best day to try them for the first time because the restaurant was packed with lovers. We weren't seated until about 30 - 45 minutes later than our reservation, but it was worth the wait. And I must say...no one there was married!!! There were old couples, young couples, engaged couples, casual couples, but I didn't see any rings on the men in this restaurant. It had me thinking that there was some marriage code that we didn't know about or that we were violating.
Since they are known for their excellent porterhouse for two, we had to try it...and it was cooked perfectly. We both ate more than our normal portions and topped it off with key lime pie for dessert. Yes...it's Valentine's day...we had dessert! You had to roll me out of that place when we were done. I have a long list of other historic New York establishments that I'd love to try with my husband, but Wolfgang's lived up to everything I've heard about it. If only we could become "that couple" who becomes regulars...and all it takes is eye contact and a little head nod to be seated right away.
I was so overwhelmed with love for my husband after all that he had done to make me feel loved & special on Valentine's day. It was timely because it's the first week since the start of 2012 where he wasn't traveling, and he put all his effort into creating a wonderful evening for us on our 1st married February 14th. I'm looking forward to many more!!!!
My dad was born on Valentine's day and honestly, it's a miracle that he wasn't named Valentino. Every year, when February 14th rolls around, it's not the "day of love" for me! It's my dad's birthday, and everyone should feel special on their birthday. So for 25 years of my life, Valentines day = Dad's day...until February 13th, 2010!
Two years ago, on this very day, surrounded by the entire DuPont family (dogs and all!) in sunny California, my life changed when Mike got on one knee and asked me to marry him!
Mike had to have a brewskie (or 5) to ease his nerves a little bit!
My favorite part of this picture is definitely the fact that Burton weaseled his way into this one
It was the 2nd best day of my life, second only to the day we got married, and a wonderful celebration surrounded by my family! I'll never forget how special that day was & look forward to remembering it on this day every year!
There are very few things that are good about the fact that my husband travels a lot. He's obviously gone, which makes me a sad wife. But also while he's out of town, I don't have his usual morning singing/whistling to start off my day in a good way. I also have to juggle the special needs of taking care of Winston...which means we're all alone on our walk to doggee daycare, instead of the normal morning family outing. I'm usually later to work because of the extended morning routine I do alone instead of tag teaming the coffee making/Winston duties. I don't sleep well because my mind starts to wander about things that happen on Paranormal Activity and that I'm less safe from unexpected intruders when he's gone. I don't get to talk to him much, because most of his travels take him to a much different time zones with busy schedules. And then there is the worst part...my sweet husband comes home from his business trips absolutely exhausted and then our weekend is uneventful so that he can fully recover before doing it all again the following week (sometimes!).
Thanks for keeping me company mom!
So after almost 4 years of enduring these frequent travels, I've started to focus on the good things that come out of Mike flying all over the country. First and foremost, he has racked up quite the collection of frequent flyer miles. In 2010 we were able to book at trip to Dublin on miles, our honeymoon flights were 100% miles, and we just booked at trip to Mexico in April...you guessed it....on miles! He's been a loyal American Airlines customer way before he became the prince to the American Airline's VP, aka my pops, Mark DuPont. When Mike is out of town, I do get to enjoy some of the embarrassing television content that he refuses to watch. This time allows me to cuddle under my faux fur throw (we all know how much I love those throws) with my tea and watch Teen Mom or the latest Kardashian drama. I know, I know...judge me, go ahead. My solo nights also give me the perfect time to catch up with all the ladies and/or work events. I've been known to pack in my schedule so that I have something to do every night that Mike is gone to minimize the amount of time I spend alone. I've had my mom come visit, I've done girls dinners, I've scheduled monthly dates with my sorority little sis, and I've spent evenings with some of my favorite team members and work vendors designing Nike IDs, having cocktails, trying out New York hot spots, etc. My dinners when I'm by myself are a tiny bit lower stress and ofter a bit healthier, so you have to love that. If i feel like eating eggs, or an apple, or a sweet potato, then I'll do it!!! And finally....my favorite thing about Mike traveling is how elated both Winston and I are when he comes home. When he walk through that door with his roller suitcase and laptop bag a huge wave or relief and happiness overcomes me every time.
But this week was different. Mike's work did not only require him to leave during the week, but he had to be gone part of the weekend also...and on SUPER BOWL! Football and weekends are both sacred to us, so it goes without saying that this particular trip was a doozie. So to soften the blow a bit, I took a day to myself, I took a "breather". I think a day of pampering is a necessity for every lady every once in a while (budget permitting). It was a perfect opportunity to do all the things that I feel guilty about doing on the weekend when my husband has been away during the week. This past Saturday, I completed 5 straight weeks of P90X. Out of 35 days, I'm proud to say I worked out on 30 of those days. Five weeks of daily workouts for 6 days a week was definitely starting to take a toll on my body a bit. So I started my solo Sunday with a nice visit to the Bliss spa for a massage. I rarely get massages, and I think the last time I got one was on my honeymoon more than 9 months ago, yikes! It was nice to massage away all the tension and stress from the first month of the year and I felt like a million bucks when I left.
My next little splurge was a mani/pedi at my favorite neighborhood nail salon. It's a bit more expensive than the little places you can just stumble upon in the city, it's 100% worth the extra $10. There are few things better than spending an hour getting your calves and wrists massaged and leaving the salon with clean, shiny, impeccable nails. So a day to do all the girly things I love is just what the doctor ordered this weekend.
Mani/pedi....ahhh!!!!
My breather day continued with some retail therapy on my favorite sites. It's naughty, I know, but while the cat's away, the mice will play....with the cat's credit card! Regardless of the fact that I'm minutes away from the wonderful Madison Avenue and a quick subway ride from the best and most impressive departments stores on 5th Ave, I prefer online shopping. I can be more impulsive and I find I can get better deals!!! I could go on Gilt, Ruelala and HauteLook almost daily and buy something, but I have some (very little) self control.
Yes, it was Superbowl weekend, and its always great to be in the city
that takes home the big trophy, but these kinds of things just aren't as fun when it's just me...without my other/more festive half. I'm so thankful to have a husband who works his hiney off so that we can have the wonderful life that we have and I've become more optimistic about the days he spends traveling, but it would be SO much better if he were home every day!
The Mobley's cabin was directly above James & Julie. We could go out onto our balcony and yell down to them anytime we wanted to chat. But fear not, we had walkie talkies in case we needed to communicate (you'll notice my handset in my hand in most of the cruise pictures). If you ever go on a cruise with a group of people, the walkie talkies are clutch because phones don't work out in the middle of the ocean. We were always able to get in touch with each other with those little radios. Everyone had code names that we made up for each member of the party for the trip. 
