So Thankful...

I have so much that I am thankful for.  This has been one of the most amazing years of our lives and I could write for pages about how grateful I am for everything we have and everyone who is a part of it.  Last year, I itemized a few of the things that I am most grateful for, and I love going back to look through that post to remind myself of how blessed Mike and I are, even when we get caught up in our crazy Manhattan lives.  This year, I'd like to count my blessings and thanks through a few pictures from this year's festivities.  We have made quite a tradition out of the good ol' fashioned Connecticut Thanksgiving, and it's a weekend that I look forward to all year.  So this year, I am grateful for:

My "little' Family...I love being married & I feel so blessed to be Mrs. Mobley & mommy to our little Winston

The greatest parents anyone could ask for...I mean just look at them, they are the ONLY other family members
who participated in "pajama surprise night"



These crazy kids!  I only wish we could see them more often!!!!

My beautiful grandmother!  She is an amazing woman & I'm her first born granddaughter
(and probably her favorite ;P)

Cousins!!!!  Look at all those beautiful DuPonts

The beautiful weather that allowed Pops
to make his world famous "Weber Turkey"

Our fabulous feast for 16 & the excellent
cooking!

Our gracious hosts!

Living on the East Coast and getting to enjoy the beauty
of autumn in all it's glory...there is no where like it
in the world.  

Family game night and all the laughter (and emotions) that ensue.  

And how could I not mention the LOVE!  I'm so blessed to have so much
love in my life, and it'just keeps growing every day

I can't believe that my favorite holiday is already over and my body is thankful that I let it indulge excessively for the past 5 days.  We missed Mike's parents dearly over the holiday and always wish that we could have one holiday where we are with them all, but we know that the realities of our geographic locations make things quite difficult.  But it will be Christmas in no time, and we'll be seeing them in just a few short weeks.  There are so many more things that we are grateful for, and I'll admit that it's often easy to forget to count your blessings when you get wrapped up in...well...LIFE!  However, after the events of the Superstorm Sandy, I have never felt more thankful & more gracious for all that we have & our wonderful families.  There really is nothing like the love of a family around the holidays.  The Mobleys hope your families had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well.  Now bring on the Christmas season!!!!

5 Things....

I have been following a lot of bloggers to give me inspiration as I close in on my second year with Married to the Mobs.  I've been lucky enough to have trips and events to keep my blog busy all year, but I've been wanting to take on more conventional blogging topics, such as recipes, organizational tools, or maybe books I'm reading.  One thing I've seen many bloggers do is what's called "5 Things". I take hundreds of pictures of random things with my iPhone every week, so I wanted to just share a few "things" that have made me smile or made me happy!

1.  These guys!  My in-laws came to visit a few weeks ago, and we are always happy to have our family come visit.  We were so anxious to take them to the 21 Club and tell them all about our trip to Italy and discuss our plans over Christmas.  We can't wait to have them come back in a few weeks for our first Christmas in NYC!  We weren't the only ones who were happy to have them in town, Winston was even more thrilled as you can see here!

2.  I love my city.  This just wont get old.  I'm surprised and in awe of New York and find new things to appreciate about it's beauty and life almost every day.  I walk through Madison Square Park daily on my way to the office, and it was this beautiful fall scene, coupled with freshly laid grass, and of course the majestic view of the Empire State Building that stopped me in my tracks for a few moments.  Most days I feel like I'm dodging tourists and playing "frogger" through the crowds during my commute, but I'm not above stopping to take a moment, breathe in the chilly fall air, and take a picture of my city.  Before I moved here, someone once said that you should "never look up" when you're walking in NY, because that's a sure sign of an out-of-towner.  By my goodness, when you do look up every once in a while, it's pretty incredible!

3.  WWF Superstars!  For the past few months, my Thursday evenings have been committed to a kickball league with our friends.  It's comforting to know that no matter what is happening at work, or how crazy a week can get, I was guaranteed at least one night to let off some steam and have "friend night".  The Superstorm and the following nor'easter had sidelined our schedule for a bit, but we resumed play last week with the playoffs.  After 3 games and 3.5 hours of playing kickball in one night, we came away with the silver.  It's no gold metal, but it was a great run and such a fun season.  I'm already trying to figure out how to improve my skills in the off season!

4.  A nice big pot of chili.  It's not fall unless you have a giant pot of delicious chili simmering for hours on your stove.  I'd love to take this opportunity to share a personal recipe with you all, but I try a different one every time I cook chili, and unfortunately,  it's not original.  I am not a seasoned enough chef to just eyeball ingredients and experiment.  Chili is surprisingly pretty healthy as well. I stole this recipe from Giadi, and will definitely be making it again.  The best part is...it was a hit with my husband!  Who would have thought that Swiss chard, chicken and white beans could make him happier than a bowl full of red meat!  I'm also a fan of having leftovers, it makes working late on a week night so much easier when you know dinner is taken care of when you get home!  

5.  We got a few deliveries that we had almost forgotten about from our trip to Italy.  While we were there we purchased a gorgeous oil painting and of course, a few bottles of wine from the vineyard we visited in Chianti.  When those packages were delivered, it was like a little time capsule from our trip!  We can't wait to share our Italian wine with the family over Thanksgiving next week!

You're Never Too Old....

I've had more "girls trips" this year than I have had in my entire life.  And I find it a little bit ironic that I've taken more trips post-wedding than before I was married!  This was the mother of all weekends though.  A few months ago, my sweet friend Randi emailed me to invite me on a trip to go to the "Happiest Place on Earth" with her and my other sweet friend Kendal.    For some of you, that may be Disney World...yes, we went there too.  But for the three of us....the "Happiest Place on Earth" is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

The moon was still out when
dear Randi got us up!

Space Mountain!

It was with a heavy heart that I boarded the plane last Thursday after a horrific week of Sandy aftermath.  My husband and pup were home in the dark still waiting for electricity to be restored.  But this weekend was one of the most highly anticipated weekends of the year, and after 100 "are you sure it's OK if I go?" conversations with Mike, I left NYC for sunny Orlando Florida to see my girls.

Did they greet me with hugs?  Nope (well...eventually).  They hid in the bushes for an hour until I arrived so that they could pop out of the trees and scare the sh*t out of me.  It didn't take them long to make irrational purchases of Mickey merchandise, and they  made sure to have some for me when I arrived at the Old Key West Resort.  But don't worry...my Mickey flashlight/light saber can double as an illumination device in the event that I was still out of power when I returned to New York. All joking aside, I was happy and relieved to see Randi & Kendal.  It was like two little rays of sunshine that made me forget about everything terrible that happened from the hurricane...and even though I was still a bit traumatized, I couldn't help but laugh and giggle with them as we stayed up until 1am talking in our PJs.

Happy girls at the happiest
place on earth

That was probably a bad decision because Randi made sure we were all awake before the sun came up so that we could be at the Magic Kingdom before it opened.  While the moon was still in the sky, we donned our themed attire (day 1 was sequins day...yes, we're not too fancy to wear sequins to an amusement park). It was chilly, I could see my breath in the air, and we all had scarves around our shoulders to keep warm.  We were there to watch the gates open, and it was glorious.  I'm not sure if there is any better way to start your day than to have Mickey and Minnie singing "Good Morning" to you!

AND, Randi is genius, because we didn't wait in line for one ride....well...there was one...and that is a sensitive subject because it was arguably the worst ride in all of the Magic Kingdom. The three of us rode all the best rides (some multiple times...I just love Big Thunder Mountain) in the entire park before 11a.  That even included a detour to First Aide so that Kendal could clean out her contacts (I'd advise future visitors to the parks to BYO contact solution...it's impossible to find in the park).  This left time for a festive shopping excursion, which resulted in the purchase of what else, but Mickey Mouse ears!

At Epcot

We decided that it would be best to end our day at Epcot.  With our park hopper tickets and the quick transport from the monorail, we arrived at Epcot.  In my 28 years of life, this was the first time I had been to Epcot...and the same went for Kendal.  And what perfect timing to visit Epcot, because it was the food and wine festival!  At first, the real estate was a bit intimidating, and the task of visiting every country was a bit daunting.  But after one ice cold beer and a few strawberry-lime margaritas from Mexico, it was decided that we would visit each country, and we would take a picture that was indicative of the culture in each one.

Germany

Japan

GB...Where Else!?

I'd be lying if I said that cocktails didn't contribute to this decision, as the pictures get sillier as the night goes on.  It should also be said that Epcot is amazingly authentic!  Yes, the walls are plaster and plastic instead of real stone, and the buildings are not built to scale, but the people working in each country are required to ACTUALLY be from that country...complete with the accents.  Everyone was so sweet and supportive of our photographic tour of Epcot.  All of the products sold are from the countries, and the food and beer were as realistic as possible.  While we didn't try food or drinks from every country, we enjoyed the character and shops that each one had to offer.  Ironically, my favorite beer was a Key West brew that was at Epcot only for the festival...it had a nice spice to it! :)

Over a delicious dinner outside in Venice, I received a phone call from my husband telling me that power had been restored to our neighboorhood in Manhattan, and the relief I felt was indescribable.  It also enabled me to completely enjoy myself knowing that my boys were at home with heat and power.  We had intended to stay at Epcot until the end of the night to see the fireworks show.  Instead, we opted for a few more rides instead while the lines were non-existent.  But it was a long day at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, and we were anxious to get home and sleep before the main event!

The Three Caballeros in Mexico

Scandinavia

No readers, Disney World was not the "Main Event".   The three of us had established a bond 10 years ago over our joint appreciation for all things Harry Potter.  Through our time together at UT, we spent countless hours discussing the books over lunch, over coffee, and over late night snacks during slumber parties in our pajamas.  When the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened at Universal Studios, we were all overwhelmed with anticipation.

Hogwarts in all it's glory!

Clad in Plaid!

I'm not ashamed or embarrassed to say that I got a little teary-eyed when we approached the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (or as I commonly refer to it as...Harry Potter Land).  They didn't miss one detail.  We were greeted by the steaming Hogwarts Express and the snow-capped rooftops of Hogsmead.  It's safe to say that the three of us thought we had a plan when we went into Harry Potter land....we had researched all the tips and tricks for making the most of our time at the most magical place on Earth.  When we got there, we were overwhelmed in the best way possible.

First and foremost was the ride at Hogwarts.  THE main event...THE pie, cake and ice cream.  Since we were there when the park opened, we didn't have to wait very long before we got the whole tour of Hogwarts!  The greatest part of the ride wasn't the ride itself, but going through each of the rooms within Hogwarts. The detail and attention that was paid to each of the different halls was unbelievable.  We waited maybe 20 minutes for the ride, but we could have spent 20 minutes in EACH of the different rooms gawking over all of the little props and paraphernalia.  There was even fake snow that fell from the ceiling in one of the classrooms!  The nerds inside of us were experiencing a bit of a sensory overload as we giggled like  preschoolers and clenched each other's arms in joy.

 A few of us may have experienced a bit of nausea following the Harry Potter ride, and there is only one way to fix that....CANDY & BUTTERBEER!  We got to the Three Broomsticks early so that we could stake out our perfect table before the rush and enjoy our first taste of butterbeer in none other than a collectors mug.  If you're wondering what it tastes like...it's delightful.  I'm not sure if I could drink more than one serving, but it was the fizziest, sweetest, most delicious treat you could ever have.

 One of the best things about the Three Broomsticks is that there is also REAL beer.  The Hog's Head Tavern has their own brew of beer called the Hog Bite.  Amusement parks are always a little more tolerable when you can have an ice cold brew...AND spend the day pretending to be wizards and eating turkey legs while you're served by staff members who are adorned with festive cloaks.  While there was no sorting hat at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, we decided to let some chocolate frogs pick our houses.  My frog had a Ravenclaw wizard, which I wasn't thrilled about, but I was joined shortly after in my disappointment when dear Randi chose Hufflepuff.  I guess we can't all be Gryffindor!  After a few drinks, we thought it would be a great idea to get one more look at Hogwarts and ride it once more before departing our happy place.

Polka Dot Day!

We couldn't leave Orlando before making one more visit to Disney, this time to see Disney's Hollywood Studios.  I after two action packed days, there was a bit of a more relaxed tone on our third day at the park. I think all of us were a bit somber about the fact that the trip we had been counting down to for months was coming to an end.  Once again, we were at the park prior to the gates opening (luckily the park opens up a little bit later on Sundays, and we were given an extra hour of sleep from the miracle that is Daylight Savings).   The highlights here were absolutely the Little Mermaid experience (Randi and I had the same reaction to the bubble machine as the 4 year old behind us), and the Rockin Roller Coaster that plays Aerosmith tunes as you accelerate from 0-60 in 3 seconds.  I wish we had the pleasure of seeing the Disney Hollywood park at night because it was decorated to the nines for Christmas!

After knowing these girls for over 10 years, I'm so proud that we have all grown up to be such strong and successful women who are all in such a happy place in our lives.  I'm also so thankful that with us living in 3 different cities, we still make time to see each other a few times a year.   At one point on our trip, we fantasized about where we'd like to visit for our upcoming 30th birthdays (I still have a while....I'm holding on to my 20s for as long as I can!), and we threw out luxurious destinations like St. Barths, Saint Tropez, and Lake Como.   This trip in Orlando didn't involve any high heels (unless you count Randi's decision to wear wedges during the whole first day at the Magic Kingdom), it didn't involve fancy dresses or sparkly jewelry (although we did bring a little...that's just how we roll).  It was fun at it's purest form...absolutely innocent and unadulterated fun.  No matter how serious your life may be, or how high up you are in the professional world, you're never to old to ride a roller coaster and take silly pictures with your best friends.  I'll cherish this trip forever and can't wait for the adventures we still have to come!

The Storm that Stole Halloween

Hours before the storm hit

We carved pumpkins pre-power outage

Up until know, it's safe to say that all of my blog posts have been relatively upbeat, positive, happy, and festive.  But I started this blog to document our lives and our marriage, and sometimes that includes a few not so happy times.  I had planned on writing this entry about Halloween, and sharing pictures of our funny costumes and talking about how crazy we partied the night of Halloween.  Unfortunately, Halloween took a back seat this year....because of Superstorm Sandy...or what some people have been referring to as "Frankenstorm".

By now you have all seen hundreds of pictures and images from what some are calling the worst storm US history.  I'm not making these claims, I know a lot of other people across the country have endured many hardships as well from storms of our Nation's past...but if you haven't seen them, there are some pretty incredible pictures floating around the internet.  Buzzfeed has had the best collection of images I've seen, and it's definitely worth checking out.  I'm not intending to bring you anything new that you haven't already seen, but rather capture the reality of what we've lived through the past week and share with everyone who isn't in New York the status of the Mobley household.

Manhattan...with out power

A few of you may remember hurricane Irene from last year.  There was a bit of damage, but New York city did not sustain even close to the amount of damage that was predicted last year.  Luckily, we stocked up on candles and flashlights last year...something that would come in handy over the past week or so.  When the news started picking up about Hurricane Sandy (which was actually DOWNGRADED to a "superstorm" whatever the hell that means), I felt lucky to live with a survivalist husband who made sure that we were stocked for a few days.  We had no idea how terrible it would actually be.

The scene from our apartment..for almost a week.

We braced for the storm on Monday night...and held on to whatever power we had for a long as possible.  We carved pumpkins to stay in the Halloween spirit, we watched scary movies, we charged every last piece of electronic equipment that we had.  The winds outside were terrifying as they reached upwards of 90 miles an hour. We both stayed glued to our cell phones on Facebook/Twitter to see how the neighboring communities we weathering the storm and to stay up to date on the power outages.  Around 9p on Monday, the entire sky lit up, as if sustaining a hit from a targeted missal, and the power was out.  We found out later that the substation that powered our home (and also quite a few hospitals in the area), had exploded due to the 14 foot water surge.  There is an unbelievable video link here from the security tapes.

JFK Airport deserted

The airport without a single plane!

The night of the hurricane was terrifying.  It was pitch black, there was a constant sound of howling winds & debris hitting the windows, and perhaps the most horrifying sound....hours and hours of ambulance sirens.   But what we woke up to the next morning was even worse than we could have ever imagined, and New York city didn't even sustain the worst of all the damage.  Without power, Mike and I found friends and a few bars with electricity and warm food to charge our phones and get back in touch with reality.  It wasn't until we got there that we could get a full grasp on the aftermath of the storm.  Horrifying images of the destruction flashed across the screen as people stood in silence at the bars...beer in hand....mouths open in shock. 

Gramercy Park

Without electricity, gas, and any phone signals, we were literally and figuratively "in the dark".  Because of the substation explosion, we were without electricity for almost a week, but looking at the pictures and videos of the damage, we felt lucky.  Just a few blocks east & west in the city, the flooding was devastating.  Full towns in the tri-state area and the 5 Burroughs were wiped out completely!  So many people lost their entire homes and everything....Thankfully, everyone that we love and know is accounted for, and safe.  After seeing all of the destruction, we are truly humbled and changed forever. 

Power to our apartment has since been restored as of last Friday, and we are happy to say that we've never been more excited to take a hot shower and actually have lights on in the apartment.  What's more rewarding than power and water though, is how much this city has come together during this time of crisis.  Not only were people opening up their homes to friends and family who were without power, but the tri-state area had organized donations of food, clothing and cleaning supplies to bring to people to who have nothing.  It's heartwarming that amongst this time of crisis, there is good in the world.  This catastrophe created unconventional heroes...like our doormen who stayed through the night and locked down the building to keep it safe from looters.  Or the people of NYU medical center who evacuated 200 people during the height of the Superstorm.  And the citizens of the who are eager to volunteer to help with donations and clean-up. And even the saint who brought a power strip to the only bar with electricity by our apartment. 

There is still a long way to go.  Lines for gas are several still hours long.  Some people inside and outside of Manhattan are still without power, and the temperatures are starting to drop.  Some of the damage is beyond repair and may never be the same.  One of America's toughest and most beloved cities was defeated over the past weak, and it was terrifying.  It was a sad, and uncharacteristically somber week for the area, but watching the acts of heroism and teamwork in the wake of the storm was the most proud I have ever felt to be part of this great city.  I love New York City and I love that I get to witness the resilience that is to come.  God Bless everyone who was affected by the storm, and everyone in the tri-state area.  I love my city.