Friendship Fiesta 2013 - Montauk Style

Earlier this year, my husband took a well deserved "Mancation" to Miami with his friends for a weekend.  I took that as an excuse to visit my parents, and I also took that as a credit to have a "girls weekend" on a to-be-determined date. We've also started quite a little tradition between us girls - and last year's trip to Orlando would be hard to top.  After what felt like 5 months of debate on where our adventure would take us - we all agreed on Montauk.  I was very thankful because my sweet friends were gracious enough to choose a destination that saved me a flight - which was a huge plus given all the travel Mike and I have been doing lately for fun & for work!

After a night in the city where we dined at the famed NY restaurant, the 21 Club (along with George Lucas & Martin Scorsese - no big deal), we were Montauk bound by train the next day along with our luggage and station mixed mimosas! At the end of our breezy three hour trip (I had to meet the ladies after a jam-packed day of work), we were reunited at the Montauk Yacht Club to kick off the 2013 Friendship Fiesta with a little seafood dinner - and our favorite nightly routine - s'mores!

On our first night, we had an adorable little waiter, Juan Carlos, who accommodated our music request and served us the best seafood bake I've had in a really long time.  But the best part about our first evening at the Yacht Club, was when Juan Carlos surprised us with a delicious s'mores spread that would keep us quite entertained for the remainder of the evening.  We retired to our cozy (albeit noisy...caution travelers, the Yacht Club does not have sound-proof walls, try to avoid weekends of bachelorette parties) room a bit early the first night, but after cracking open a bottle of champagne, and taking a trip down memory lane and reminiscing about the 11-year friendship we have had - we called it a night.  

 You will probably not be shocked to hear that the weather was not great the weekend we were in Montauk - after it rained during our trip to Paris, our weekend in the Hamptons, the start of our 4th of July weekend, and again during my weekend with the girls.  While it's always a bummer when beach weekends aren't spent in bikinis and cover-ups, the skies stayed clear enough for us to visit the village for a quick bite and a 2-hour sail around Montauk.

I had a magnum of champagne at my desk for a few weeks, and I could think of no better occasion to pop that bad boy open than a sailing trip with my besties.  The magnum made the trip from the city to the beach to provide us just the perfect amount of refreshment for the sailing trip.  We stocked up on provisions from the market and outfitted ourselves with a myriad of nautical attire.  We took in the nautical sights and passed by Montauk landmarks  while sipping on Veuve and snacking on cheese and crackers.  It was absolutely delightful.

A few of the other highlights from the weekend included a delicious visit to Rushmeyer's where we had our first lobster rolls of the weekend, 2 more nights of girly "getting ready" time, Randi stealing a disgusting bottle of liquor from a promotional party on Friday night, paying $30 for a smores kit to enjoy late night treats in the rain, a post party photo shoot with the three of us in one bed, a rainy trip to Gossman's for a little seafood and shopping, 4 failed attempts at a dinner destination on our last night together, a laughable table at one of the restaurants that actually had some room, an eerily foggy final night, our cranky senior courtesy shuttle drivers from the Yacht Club, playing cards on our sweet patio in Adirondack chairs, discovering treasures in a Montauk thrift shop, a few self-timer photo shoots, buying matching shirts for said photo shoot, a few bottles of our Whispering Angel rose, a minor contact emergency, advances from 17 year old boys, helping Kendal study on the train back from Montauk, and talking ourselves to sleep late at night. 

But my favorite memories from the trip did not come from any of our excursions.  Each night, as we primped for dinner and our evenings out, and as we traded accessories and lipstick recommendations or did each others hair - I was reminded of the early days of our 11 year friendship.  We have all grown up and we may have traded fraternity parties for quiet dinners at a Yacht club, but we all pick up where we left off and act like our 18-year old selves, no matter how often we see each other. 

I treasure these girls trips every year and I'm so thankful that we have the discipline and desire to organize these getaways.  Maintaining these amazing friendships through college, careers, marriages and distance is one of the things I'm most proud of in my life.  Every trip, we brainstorm the possibilities and discuss where our next bestie's adventure is going to be.  These trips keep me sane and give me something to look forward to, and it makes my heart happy to know that our friendship is forever and we have a lifetime of "Friendship Fiestas" in our future.  Like the end of every girl's weekend, I get a little choked up leaving the girls and not knowing when we'll all be reunited again - and this year was no different.  Ladies, thank you so much for making the trip out to the East Coast - and thank you to the amazing men in our lives who give us the patience and freedom to do this every year.  Here's to Friendship Fiesta 2014!  Love, love, LOVE these girls!

America's Birthday!

It's always hard to come back to work after a fairy-tale vacation.  It's even HARDER to come back to work after that fairy-tale vacation is followed up by a weekend in the Hamptons.  So I was extremely grateful that my first week back was a short one.  The BEST day of the week to have the 4th of July is on a Thursday.  This year, the holiday afforded us a 1/2 day on Wednesday and TWO WHOLE vacation days on Thursday/Friday - followed by the weekend.  So that means I returned to a short 2.5 day work week followed by a long 4.5 day weekend!  What could be better?

So we packed quite a bit into those 4.5 days.  Our first trip was out to Princeton, where we have spent a few other 4th of July holidays.  Winston loves the Buck's house because there is always a ball somewhere to play with and the backyard is his playground.  WE love the Buck's house because every time we go there, we eat like kings when Chuck & Mr. Buck treat us to delicious home cooked meals, and hand made juicy cocktails.  Every trip to Princeton involves enjoying the great outdoors - this could be a game of bocce ball, a leisurely bike ride, or in this case, a cut-throat game of tennis doubles. 

We dressed in our Wimbledon whites, per the country club rules and battled it out on the courts.  It might have been 90 degrees and we played for well into 3 hours, and I still lost, but that made our plunge into the swimming pool and a cold glass of wine THAT much sweeter when we were done!  The main event of the night was a return to the tennis club to enjoy some good ol' fashioned American BBQ, in our finest American attire, of course.

The next morning, we were on to our next adventure - out to Huntington, Long Island for the next backyard bash!  My mom & dad were in town to attend a good friend and work colleagues annual 4th of July celebration, so Mike and I made sure to see them, even if it was just a few hours.  After a quick wardrobe change and dropping off little Winston, we were Huntington bound for some family time and some more home cooking!

Unfortunately, when we got to Princeton, we arrived in time to witness an amazing thunderstorm that rained out the Princeton fireworks show....something we've been trying to see for a few years now.  So it was a good thing that we got to Huntington in time to see an awesome show from the greens of the golf course.  Sadly, I can't remember the last time we got to see fireworks...that weren't bootlegged...or sparklers - so it was a real treat. There really is something magical and special about fireworks on the 4th of July, that is not to be ignored.  When it was time for the show, the entire party grabbed brightly colored flashlights to walk through the property in a festively-lit single filed line that opened up onto the golf course.  We all sat staring into the sky on the fairway of the 14th hole, watching the amazing spectacle - ooh-ing and ahh-ing at each giant burst of fire that lit up the sky.  It's extremely awe-inspiring, ridiculously festive, yet incredibly romantic at the same time!

Even though we spent a total of 4 hours with my parents, it was absolutely worth it - and we flew back to the city from Huntington in record time (not because we were driving recklessly, because there was no traffic, and we booked a car service!) to tuck Winston in before bed. Over the four Independence Days we've spent while living in New York, we seem to spend the holiday different every year - but this year, seeing my parents was the icing on the cake to a four day weekend!  Mike and I spent the remainder of the weekend recovering from our two weeks of travels and over three consecutive weekends away from home!  We needed a little apartment and city time (and laundry time, yikes!).  We hope you all enjoyed a happy and festive Fourth of July holiday & can't wait to do it all again next year (this time with less vacation days, sigh!).  Happy Birthday America!

Summer Rental

When our Tuscany trip came to an end, I found some comfort in the fact that upon landing in New York, Mike and I were immediately Hamptons bound to finish up our week of vacation.  For the first time in our almost 3.5 years of living in the city, we had a summer rental in the Hamptons for the weekend with a few of our friends.  After a quick night in our apartment, we loaded up the car with costumes and Winston to meet up with everyone else.

After the initial shock at the creepy and terrifying choice of decor in the house we rented, we settled in and took care of our first order of business - making sure we were stocked for the weekend with enough booze & stuff to BBQ.

Pool Tennis anyone?

The weather didn't end up being particularly beautiful and we had moments of rain, which wasn't ideal, (I'm pretty sure it's rained every time I've gone to the Hamptons) but the weekend was full of us doing our favorite things.  There really isn't any other way to put it.

We BBQ'ed, we squeezed copious amounts of lime juice by hand to make fresh margaritas, we invented games to play in the pool, we listened to the acoustic entertainment of Mike & Mike, we wrote festive songs together, we attended a big ol' lobster bake party, we cooked late night meals, we woke each other up with the scent of delicious bacon, we endlessly streamed a Calypso music station on Slacker radio, we made wine spritzers, we paraded costume attire around the house, we smoked cigars, we drank rum out of the bottle, and we were just the merriest bunch of friends you've ever seen. 


When people asked us what we did in the Hamptons, my answer is that we spent three days figuring out ways to be festive, and the options were endless.  I actually captured a video on my phone from our trip of everyone sipping rum & tonics while listening to the music we wrote and performed that weekend.  Those two minutes of video are the epitome of our friends & it's the pinnacle of festivity.  Even though our mini-vacation was short lived and we weren't able to fit in any beach days due to the weather, I absolutely cherish these weekends and the time we get to spend with some of our favorite people.  We are headed out to the Cape for our annual Cape Christmas in about a month, and I can't wait to share what shenanigans we come up with out there.

Under the Tuscan Sun

Mike and I were so excited when we were invited to the wedding of our friends Mich Matthews & Jason Spradlin at the Borgo San Felice in Siena, Italy.  Tuscany was our favorite part of our trip to Italy last September, and we were thrilled to get another opportunity to visit less than a year later!

After a 4am wake-up call (where we arrived at the airport terminal prior to it opening!), we arrived in Tuscany before brunch and were greeted by our sweet Italian driver at the baggage terminal for our drive through Tuscany to the villa.  We tried to pry our eyes open during the 60 minute car trip through the hills, but both of us could not keep our eyes open!  It was a beautiful surprise to wake up at the incredible grounds of the Borgo San Felice.  The villa was absolutely breath-taking and was complete with acres and acres of vineyards, a luscious crystal clear swimming pool, tennis courts, a little Roman chapel, and picturesque views as far as the eye can see.  And the best part - the entire villa was reserved for the wedding guests!  We had the whole town to ourselves.  

After a quick nap, the wedding festivities were off to a great start as everyone donned togas to participate in the "Sprad Games".  Of course Mike and I couldn't quietly adorn ourselves with store bought white & gold togas....we had to make an entrance with our vibrantly colored home-made togas crafted from margarita-printed fabric we picked up in New York before leaving for Europe (they took up quite a bit of room in our suitcase!).   With tequila flown in for the special event, we met new friends and wedding guests while competing in cut-throat games of musical chairs and dodge ball.  It was a little difficult to take everyone seriously in togas, and the competition was cut short by a quick Tuscan thunderstorm that re-located our dinner destination to the villa restaurant.

I love this guy

Mike with the happy couple!

We were so excited to spend some time with the bride & groom during the welcome dinner.  And after the storm, there was a sunset unlike anything I've ever seen before. It was a night of meeting friends, tasting delicious Italian wine, toasting the happy couple, enjoying cigars, and dancing until the early morning.  The first evening was the first time we got a taste of the eclectic group of people we were in the company of for the wedding festivities - and they were ALL fabulous and made for an incredible party, and this was just night #1!

Villa grounds

 So it was pretty incredible that we woke up in time to go wine tasting out in Montalcino at 10a....or so we THOUGHT!  My amazing husband booked our car for the wrong day, so we had a change of plans to visit a local Chianti winery for a light lunch as our back-up plan - and it ended up being one of my favorite parts of the entire trip.  Plus, mixing up our plans enabled us to bring some friends!  Our back-up driver took us on what seemed like a 60 mile an hour race through the winding hills of Chianti to Poggio Amorelli where we got to meet the winery owner, Marco, and settle in for a "light lunch"  at an adorable little table that ended up lasting 5 courses and upwards of 3 hours long.

Oroccolo the horse!

We snacked on courses of cheese, local olive oil, 21 year old aged balsamic vinegar, fine Italian meats, freshly shaved truffles and home made almond biscotti.  They had a fabulous Super Tuscan called Oroccolo  - which was the name of the winery pet horse, who we got to meet before departing.  His favorite activity is eating and he has no working purpose at the winery, except to be handsome and greet visitors.  He was super sweet - but as you can see from the picture, the size of him made me a little nervous.  So naturally, after meeting the mascot, and drinking almost 1/2 of the bottle we got to "taste", we walked out of the winery with some of our very own Oroccolo wine to take back to New York!

After the winery, it was time for the the big event.  Jason and Mich were getting married!!!! Even though it rained for just a few short minutes, it was a ceremony full of romance, laughter, and touching vows written with love by the bride and groom.  
And the reception was more of the same fun! Never have we met a couple like Jason & Mich who embrace the joys of life and take advantage of all that the world has to offer.  Their quest for an adventure as a couple is something that we both admire & we feel honored to be included on their special day.  There were some amazing speeches and some dancing that lasted for some until 6am! But this crazy wedding crowd was so much fun & I didn't expect anything less!

So it goes without saying that after one of the best parties of the year, Mike and I were slow moving the next morning for our second day of winery tours.  When we were in Italy last September, we discovered Brunello, which quickly became our favorite wine in all of Italy.  In planning our trip this time around, we made a point to get out to Montalcino to try some Brunello & to explore yet another quaint medieval Italian town.

Montalcino Centro

We didn't have much time in Montalcino, so we could only fit in one winery.  Luckily, we were able to get in to meet the owner and tour the vineyards of the Canalicchio di Sopra winery.   And, as expected, we were extremely excited to walk out of there with our very own case of delicious Brunello to bring back to the states to share with our friends and family.  The owner, Francecso was also kind enough to make a lunch reservation for us at an adorable little place called the Boccon di Vino just up the road.  This restaurant boasted one of the most magnificent views of Tuscany that I had ever seen!
After a quick stop in the Montalcino city center for some gelato (duh!), we returned to Borgo San Felice for a "Farewell dinner" with the rest of the wedding crew - and it was QUITE the send-off.  The entire party sat at one long, wooden, dinner table in a cozy, cavernous wine cellar illuminated by twinkling candlelight. It felt like we were having our final meal in Italy with 150 family members!  The energy was a bit different as people recounted the events of the previous night and laughed at some of the incredible stories that were shared.

I've said this before, but I want to say again how blessed we feel to have such great people in our lives.  During the rehearsal dinner, Mich did a brief speech, and in her speech, she said that "you are all invited because you are awesome, and we wanted you to be in the company of awesome people.  So make sure you spend some time with each other, because you are all awesome".  It made us all giggle, but I couldn't have put it better myself.  Mike and I were so grateful to be included in their special day and we were honored to be in the company of so many "awesome" people.  Congratulations to Mich & Jason - we love you both and we love your thirst for LIFE!  Thank you for including us in your special day & we can't wait until the next time we see you both!