J'Adore Paris!

Mike and I decided that we would cash in some of our Amex points this summer for another European adventure.  When we found out that some of our dear friends were going to be getting married in Tuscany in June, we immediately started to brainstorm other European cities to tack on to another Italian adventure.  The only pre-requisite for selecting our vacation destination was that we wanted to relax and we wanted to take in the sights without feeling the need to be "touristy".  We had the greatest time in Italy last September, but I'll admit, we packed A LOT into those 10 days that we were there.  Mike and I had a pretty aggressive itinerary last year, and we both agreed that we wanted this trip to be more relaxing.  With the craziness of my new job & jam packed summer schedule, the only agenda we had included bottles of wine, countless cappuccinos and long nights of sleep.  So it was decided that we would spend 3 days in Paris before flying down to Tuscany for the wedding.

My first dessert of the trip!

We arrived in Paris in time for a 2 hour lunch at a local cafe in Saint Germain  - an adorable neighborhood that was perfectly located for our needs.  We stayed at the Esprit Saint Germain, a lovely recommendation from our travel agent, and it proved to be one of the highlights of our trip - and it's NOT just because of the daily 14 hour open bar from 12p-2a and free access to the mini bar...OK, so that was the main reason.  And it didn't hurt that we were greeted with a bottle of Bordeaux and a plate of the finest French cheeses!  But it was a beautiful boutique hotel just a yards away from the Seine, and feet from some of the most delicious little sweet shops you could ever imagine.  What more could you ask for?

Handsome husband taking
advantage during "open bar"
time!

Of course it wouldn't be a Mobley vacation if there wasn't some sort of element of surprise, right?  So the morning of our second day in Paris, Mike had his phone stolen by little gypsy children while we stopped for a quick cappuccino.    To my traveling friends, let this be a lesson to you all to watch out for those little stinkers - they are sneaky and they have the most clever ways of getting to your belongings!  It was an initial bummer - and we were both deflated for a bit, but once we realized that the IT department at IAC could immediately shut down service and wipe out the phone, our spirits were restored and we accomplished the only thing I had on my agenda for the entire 9 day trip - a quick visit to the Pont Des Arts.

Our little love lock

As you all may know, the Pont Des Arts is a bridge that crosses the Seine, and it has become very popular for couples to attach padlocks with their first names written or engraved on it.  Once the padlock is locked to the bridge, it's a romantic gesture to throw the keys into the Seine, to show that your love will last forever & that the love can never be broken.  It's a silly little tradition made popular by tourists, but we brought our lock all the way from New York, and fixed it onto the Pont Des Arts so that we can go back to visit with our families one day!  It was a little 15 minute "ceremony" that epitomized the romanticism in the "city of love' - AND helped us forget that we had lost a $400 iphone5 earlier that morning!

After we threw our keys away forever!

Both Mike and myself had visited Paris before with our families, so we had previously checked off all of the French monuments and museums on previous trips.  But we did take time to do some obligatory Paris sight-seeing.  My patient husband let me ride the rickety carousel on the grounds in front of the Eiffel Tower after a glass or two of wine.  And he entertained my insatiable request for gelato, chocolate covered waffles & macarons - sometimes all at the same time.

The last night was my favorite night in Paris.  Mike and I decided that we would go to a different restaurant for each "course" of the meal.  We started out having a bottle of wine and some delectable fois gras under the shelter of an overhang while the rain poured down around us.  We stayed nice and dry while sipping Bordeaux and chatting with our animated waiter (who was in no way rude!).  We ran from restaurant to restaurant through the rain for our other courses of escargot, steak frites and of course, dessert crepes - all paired with delicious French wine.  While the rain wasn't ideal, it was pretty romantic, and with more wine, it became comical as we ran through the streets of Saint Germain in an effort to stay dry!

It was a bit easier to leave Paris, knowing that we had another city in Europe for the Mobleys to explore, but our three days in the City of Love and Lights provided us with hours of glutinous meals, juicy wines and unbelievable sights & sounds.  We were up nice and early the next morning (4am to be exact!) to fly to Florence for our second leg of the 2013 Mobley Eurotrip - stay tuned for highlights from our stay in Tuscany!

Yay for Dads!

Mike and I are super lucky because we had back to back weekends where we got to see our dads...BOTH of them!  We spent two weekends in a row in the city which afforded us quite a bit of time with each other and our guests.

My dad was in town for work & we were thrilled that he was in town for Sunday dinner - one of my favorite weekend traditions.   I'm happy to say that I've quite mastered the art of making a delicious lobster roll, and I was extremely proud of myself for making mussels for the first time ever!  Who doesn't love a little seafood in the summer time!?  I'm actually shocked I hadn't made them before, and it's a little dangerous that I know how to do this now!

When Mike told me that his parents were both going to be in the city the following weekend, I couldn't wait to replicate what quickly became our favorite Sunday night tradition.  And I'll never complain about needing to take a trip to Eataly - especially with our impending trip to Italy just a few weeks away!  So we did the lobster roll menu again - and this time I was a bit more seasoned.

We also started a new tradition with our visitors over the past few weeks.  As the season has quickly transitioned over into summer, I've been spending a lot of time on our building rooftop.  There is a lovely misting hose, a tranquil water fall, and the spot has been newly renovated with gorgeous new patio furniture. So during the day, I can be found reading Game of Thrones whilst bronzing my legs.  But during the evening....you can see a breathtaking view for miles, and the sunsets are unbelievable.  When both of our families were in town, we took them up to the top of the building to take in the sights of the 360 degree view while enjoying a happy hour cocktail or a nice juicy glass of rose.

The timeliness of our family's visits was ideal because it allowed us to spend a little extra time with our dads!  And with yesterday being Father's Day, the timing couldn't have been better.  So in celebration of Dad's Day, we want to say thank you to our Pops for being our biggest fans and for everything they've worked so hard to provide us.  We're grateful for both of you and we're extremely appreciative that we could see you both and are so lucky to have you in our lives.  We love you both tons!

A Glass Half Full

I've been trying to stay on top of my blog posts lately, but I have started to find that I'm falling behind slightly - and that's because I have some rather exciting news to share!  After over 3 years at my current ad agency working on the Unilever account, I've accepted a promotion to transition to the newly acquired Bacardi account!

The past three years, I've been fiercely engulfed in all things Axe.  I've mastered the art of targeting the coveted "experimental" 18-24 year old guy.  I've sat through brainstorms that a 16 year-old high school junior dude couldn't even dream of.  In three years I've been able to participate in some of the greatest media events of the year - the MTV Movie Awards, Spike Guys Choice Awards, The Comedy Central Roast, and let's not forget...the holy grail of advertising, the SUPER BOWL!  My life has been living the Axe dream since Mike & I moved to New York City.  And, I loved every second of it - which is extremely rare being in the always-changing advertising industry.

As cliche as it sounds, the best part of coming to work every day is the people - my team at the agency, my partner agencies, and of course, the clients.  I have had the pleasure of working with some of the brightest minds in the industry - and I'm so grateful for everything I've learned from each of them.  I'm so lucky that I'm not actually leaving the agency & that I'll get to see there faces or maybe I'll have the chance to  run into some of my former Unilever clients in the hallways at Mindshare.

I've been transitioning into the new gig over the past few weeks & it's been quite eventful!  My meetings have shifted from my trying to channel dudes and bros to learning about foreign distilleries for Bacardi, Grey Goose, Dewars, & other Bacardi owned liquor brands.  And it's not unlikely to end a meeting with a little tasting - which I'm still getting used to - because how else would you fully understand the brands???

It's going to be a crazy few months as I get settled into my new role, so I am apologizing now if I fall behind on my weekly updates.  But I'm thrilled and honored about the promotion & I can't wait to see where we can take this account with my new team.  It's going to be a wild ride - CHEERS!

Another DuPont Engagement!

Back in February, we were extremely excited to share the news that my little brother got engaged!  We are equally thrilled to share with you ANOTHER Dupont engagement!  My sweet cousin Sarah is FINALLY engaged to Mr. Ian Orefice.  These two crazy kids have been dating for close to a decade & we are all thrilled to have another 2014 wedding to look forward to!

I'll reference another blog I posted last month about the true bond of cousins & I feel so thankful that I got to spend an amazing childhood growing up with this one!  For a little while, it was just myself, Sarah, & Garrett.  We had the most ridiculous Christmases when we were the only 3 DuPont grandchildren....literally, the floor was covered in wrapping paper and toys galore!  

I have very warm memories from summers in Connecticut, where the three of us would spend hours playing outside catching fire flies, running through the woods (quite frequently getting poison ivy), playing wiffle ball, wrestling with our uncles, or riding the same freakin mini-roller coaster at Lake Compounce over and over again. Sure we got in fights, yes there were tears, we tattled on each other, and one of us had to sit in time out while the others continued to play (that was mostly Garrett), but some of my happiest & earliest memories were with little Sarah Dupont....always carrying around her little Puff, or perhaps a plastic grocery bag "purse".  

Even though we lived 3,000 miles apart, we picked up right where we left off & made sure to see each other at LEAST once a year.  As we started to grow up, and more Dupont cousins were born, we still maintained the closeness, in different ways. We graduated to a little bike gang - that now included Andrew - and we rode all over Bristol during those steamy summer days.  Instead of cooling off at Uncle Roger's pool, we attacked each other in cut-throat water balloon fights.  Instead of an innocent game of chutes and ladders, Uncle Russo taught us the art of blackjack in his basement at Casino Camp.  And our 8pm bedtimes turned into all-nighter slumber parties.  

The past three or four years have been exceptionally special because for the first time in our lives, Sarah and I were finally re-united, for good - myself in New York and Sarah in Hoboken.  In 24 years of being cousins, we were finally close enough to have dinners together & visit each other's apartments, and share commutes out to Connecticut for family holidays and parties.  During a time when this California girl was newly engaged and felt swallowed up by the big city during my first few months in New York, Sarah was my saving grace.  When my parents were all the way across the country, she would remind me that I had family anytime I needed it.  And when I was getting used to Mike traveling the first few months, she would come over with an over-night bag for a "grown up slumber party".  And when I had come close to some Bridezilla moments, Sarah what just a few blocks away as the most attentive & thoughtful bridesmaid anyone could ever imagine.  I'm not exaggerating when I say, that I don't even know how I could have gotten through a 14 month engagement without her every step of the way.  

So it goes without saying that I'm beyond excited to be welcoming Ian into the family.  I feel like he's been a part of us for years and we love having him be a part of the Dupont family festivities.  Sarah & Ian truly are a great team & they've had such an amazing journey since they met in the vending machine room at Providence College.  They have grown from carefree college students into working New York City professionals and it's been a pleasure and an honor to be along side them for the ride.  

Sarah was the friend every bride-to-be could dream of, and I hope to be able to even come close to reciprocating that for her during this beautiful time in her life.  I'm so giddy with love & excitement for the two of you, that I don't even know if I can wait until the 2014 nuptials!  We love the two of you more than I could even capture in a blog post & we can't wait for another Dupont wedding and a new member of the family.  Congratulations to the happy couple & let the wedding planning begin!