A Spontaneous Trip to Notre Dame

 After our trip out to the West Coast last week for the wedding, Mike and I were prepared to put our suit cases away and spend the next few weeks trying to resume some sense of normalcy and sleep in a few weekends with our pup.  But then we got invited to Notre Dame...and we've never been to Notre Dame.  And then I found out that several members of my family - including my brother & dad were ALSO going to Notre Dame the same weekend - it was too great of a coincidence...and it was too good to say "no".

We found ourselves packing once more (this time just a duffel bag for the two of us), and we found ourselves at an airport before 6am again - but before we knew it we landed in Chicago before it was even 8am on game day.  One of Mike's former colleagues was our host for the weekend along with a crew from Bleacher Report.  Within an hour, we were checked in to our hotel at the Trump Towers in Chicago, we scarfed down a complete breakfast & we were on board one of two charter buses stocked with refreshments for the road trip out to South Bend, Indiana!

I had never made that drive before, and was way too excited when we drove through the miles and miles of cornfields.  But it was the last weekend of September, and the leaves were starting to turn - which made for a gorgeous scenery.  Mike and I immediately made fast friends on the 2 hour drive from Chicago out to South Bend.  I'm glad we had the 2 hours to bond with them on the way out because they all became important pieces of an intense 2 hour sing-along on the post-game ride home.

As soon as we arrived in South Bend - we met up with the family to have a few precious hours with them before the game started.  My pops and brother went out with some of my other uncles & one of my cousins for a bit of a guys trip.  They started their tail gate pret-ty early on game day so they were making their way towards the stadium by the time we got there.  Our time together with everyone was short but sweet and we had enough time to do a little more tail gating and get photo-bombed by Jerome Bettis, so that made it all worth while.  And we were able to switch up some tickets so that Mike & I could spend the game sitting with my pops & brother.

Notre Dame was playing OU when we were there.  For those of you who are not familiar....I started my college education at the University of Texas, where I developed a giant rivalry with OU.  But then I transferred to USC - only to develop an even bigger rivalry with Notre Dame - much to some of my extended family's chagrin.  Essentially - I was going to watch a game with two of my most hated teams in all of college football.  Mike and I usually have the perfect costume for every occasion, but I found myself at a loss here.  What DOES someone wear when you went to the rival school of BOTH teams playing?  My pops got it right....he wore his UT hat!  But he didn't anticipate us sitting RIGHT ON THE EDGE of the OU fan section, so when we got to the game, he wasn't the most popular person in the stadium!

In the end OU won, and it wasn't the closest of games, but despite who you are a fan of, watching a football game at one of the most iconic football stadiums in our Nation is quite the experience.  I bleed cardinal and gold - and burnt orange (wow I'm colorful), but it's hard not to get goosebumps when you see the student section at Notre Dame alive with energy as "Touchdown Jesus" looks on.  It's something a real sports fan can really appreciate - even if that little Fighting Irish guy makes your skin crawl slightly.  Our total time in the midwest was a total of 27 hours (but only because we were delayed coming home), but it was absolutely worth it.  I love that we are so blessed to be able to take advantage of these spontaneous trips.  Even though it seems like it could be more trouble than it's worth, I'm glad that we take each opportunity we can get to make some memories and experience something new.  Because in the end, it's always, ALWAYS worth it.

Wine Country Wedding Weekend

Doug & Yuka's wedding could NOT have come at a more pleasant time for the Mobleys.   With the end of summertime came arguably one of the most stressful months for both Mike and I.  We were both traveling at least once/week and we were churning out presentation after presentation - even if that meant working on the weekends.   A day off of work & a trip out to Napa Valley was just what the doctor ordered and we definitely made the most of our long weekend out in Northern California.

I wish we had more time to spend in San Francisco while we were out there, but upon landing at SFO, we were immediately bound for wine country.  We had no agenda outside of the fact that we were aiming to meet up with Mike's friends from the area.  But after starting our 2 hour drive through a valley of vineyards - and after reminiscing about our trips to the Italian countryside - we felt a little regret at not factoring in some time to do a little wine tasting.

BUT, after stopping for lunch in Calistoga, we noticed an extra large display bottle of Cabernet from our favorite California vineyard - Frank Family.  AND, after speaking to the owner of the restaurant, we were delighted to find out that Frank Family was only a 3 mile drive up the road!  How could we NOT make the trip?  I'm admittedly embarrassed that I didn't have the time to do the research before and make advanced arrangements.  We of course made the quick drive out to Frank Family which was the most wonderful surprise.  The vineyard grounds were gorgeous, and we were able to walk right into the office and get set up with a reserve tasting without having to make prior reservations.  Contrary to our plans we had discussed prior to walking into the Frank Family vineyard - we walked out with yet another case to add to our collection.  They should be here any day now, and we can't wait to share it with our friends and family as we get closer to the holidays!

After that spontaneous little surprise, we sat in our over sized chairs outside of the hotel room and sipped our newly purchased bottle of Chardonnay from Frank Family vineyard.  But we both couldn't wait to see everyone who was in town for Doug & Yuka's big day.  Mike had been making plans all week with Boe & Sophie Hayward - and as soon as we got a chance, we reunited with the entire San Francisco crew at THE dive-y-est bar in all of Calistoga...Suzie's.

We woke up the next morning to a doozie of a rain storm.  It was literally dumping buckets, which did make for a cozy morning of sleeping in and forced us to take advantage of some much needed relaxation.  We had an aggressive nature hike on the itinerary - but opted for a slow-paced breakfast and some massages instead.  Calistoga is famous for their mud baths - but Mr. Mobley was reluctant to submerge himself in "warm recycled dirt" - so massages it was!  We found an adorable massage parlor nestled inside a refurbished train car and enjoyed 60 minutes of pure relaxation.  And when we were done - the clouds had parted and made way for some sunshine just hours before Doug & Yuka's wedding!

Doug and Yuka got married at a beautiful vineyard that is owned by Doug's mother.  There were a few remnant showers left over from the day that made a appearance during their beautiful ceremony - but they were prepared with adorable Japanese parasols for everyone to shelter us from the rain.  I know that it's never preferred to have rain showers on your wedding, but I tend to think it's super romantic to have the bride and groom huddled together under one umbrella, keeping each other dry as they say their vows - and Doug & Yuka were picture perfect.  Yuka was walked down they aisle by her sweet father, and her pup Guinness, of course!  And the ceremony, which brought together two cultures was magical, despite a few rain drops.

After the ceremony, the rain was gone...for GOOD, and the sky made way for one of the most perfect sunsets you could ever imagine - a sunset that rivaled some of the nights we had just a few months ago in Tuscany.  And that was the setting for an incredible reception.  There were a few highlights that particularly made the evening memorable for us.  Doug & Yuka had a photo stage set up in property's barn that was complete costumes and props.  This little camera provided hours of entertainment and led to some "pant-splitting" laughter between my husband and Boe.  I can't wait to see how some of those photos actually turn out!

One of the other highlights of the night was Yuka's family.  Her parents were so adorable and gracious for all the love and hospitality that it brought tears to everyone's eyes.  As any father would do at his little girl's wedding, Yuka's dad took the stage for his speech - but this speech was particularly special because Mr. Nakanishi doesn't speak a ton of English.  But he put together a gorgeous speech and spoke beautifully and the entire room was either in tears or finding themselves wanting to give Yuka's sweet Japanese daddy a giant squeeze.  He stole the show - for just a few minutes - from the perfect new bride and groom.

We are so grateful to have been a part of such a special day.  With each wedding that we go to, I feel so lucky not only to be a witness for the families and bringing together two cultures - but I'm so happy that we get to enjoy the amazing settings and cities that play such a critical role in making our friends the people that we adore today.  To our entire NorCal crew - we can't wait until we come back west to spend a little bit more time with you all!  And to Doug & Yuka - we are so happy for you & can't wait to see what the future has in store for you - Congratulations to the happy couple!

2013 Football Kickoff!

The Mobleys ended the 2012 NFL season on a crazy high note (and for Mike, an extreme LOW note) when we went to the Super Bowl in New Orleans.  I don't care how cliche or repetitive it is to say that we REALLY missed football since that memorable day over 7 months ago.  Since it plays such a big part of our lives & since out social schedules revolve around football from now through January, I thought it would be only fitting to dedicate an entry to our favorite sport.

If week one is any indication of how the rest of the season will go, we're off to a great start!  In New York, finding the Bears game televised is a little difficult, when the Giants, the Jets and the Patriots get special treatment here.  So each year, my husband splurges on NFL Sunday Ticket so that we don't miss a minute of our favorite teams.  The Bears kicked off their season with a new coach and a flawlessly earned W.

And because I'm a good wife, I'm extremely supportive of Mike's favorite boys too - the Niners.  After a devastating defeat at the Super Bowl, Mike was more than anxious to start the 2013 year off on the right foot - so that means, we were headed to Finnerty's, THE New York City bar for 49ers fans.  In fact, my husband was so excited, the reserved a table - a table that came complete with it's own private keg....yes, a full keg...a keg which we tapped with our friends before the end of the 3rd quarter.  If there is one thing I love more than seeing my husband happy with his team bringing home a victory during the opening weekend of NFL football - it would be seeing the defeat of the Bear's division rivals - the Packers!

So after two Ws from the Bears & the 49ers, the only thing that could cap off those great games were not one, but TWO fantasy wins as well!  The Mobleys are beyond thrilled for the return of football.  That first day when I came home from work to the sounds of referee whistles and crunching helmets, I was ridiculously over-joyed.  To us, football is so much more than the games.  Football means it's fall & our favorite season is upon us.  Football means that our friends will always have an excuse to socialize on the weekends.  Football means that it's perfectly acceptable to eat buffalo wings as a meal.  And football means never having closet confusion on what to wear on Sundays.  We wish you an excellent 2013 season & hope that this season makes you as happy as it's made us so far!  LETS GO BEARS!

Tennis Anyone?

This summer left little room for date nights between Mr. & Mrs. Mobley - which isn't necessarily a bad thing seeing as we went on some pretty incredible vacations and spent time with some of our favorite people on earth.  After 4 summers in New York City, I had yet to go to the US Open, one of the biggest events in the state during early September.  I was adamant about going this year - and with date nights being few and far between this summer, it was the perfect opportunity for us to do something different, just the two of us.

I thought it was going to be a panic getting out to Flushing Meadows, Queens.  We haven't spent much time in Queens, and if I had to take a wild guess as to the best way to get there - I would have probably told you to take a cab.  But surprisingly - it's just a quick subway ride away!  Yes, there are some questionable stops along the way - but no trains, no transfers, no cabs necessary.

Unfortunately the skies were pouring down on us all day (because why wouldn't it?  It always rains whenever I want to do something awesome).  Luckily, the clouds parted in time for an evening at the Open.  But all I really need on date night is some alone time with my husband, and maybe a delicious cocktail.  Ok...who am I kidding....definitely a delicious cocktail.  Naturally, the first item on my agenda was to get a Honey Deuce...the official Grey Goose cocktail of the US Open (shameless client plug there).  But come on, what's more yuppy (do people still use that word?) than sipping a Honey Deuce while watching tennis?  It's a prepster's dream come true. And to that note, I did see enough bow ties, white dresses and seersucker to last me until NEXT summer.

As luck would have it, we got to see Rafeal Nadal play - which also provided an entertaining and eclectic crowd of Spanish supporters.  The match wasn't close.  Nadal spanked Kohlschreiber, and the match was over in lightening speed - enough for us to get home to our beds and get to bed at a reasonable time on a school night!

Thank you to Grey Goose for keeping the bars stocked with flowing Honey Deuces.  Thank you Rafael Nadal for your entertaining fans & for putting up a great match for this first-timer.  Thank you to my husband for getting tickets to my first ever night at the Open.  And thank you to New York for being a lovely host of the tournament and providing us with an exciting date night alternative to dinner in the neighborhood.  Can't wait to go again next year!

Labors of Love

Over the entire summer, I don't think we spent 2 consecutive weekends home in our apartment - so we decided to take it easy over Labor Day weekend and end the summer on a high note.  We wanted to go to bed early, sleep in late, see our family, get in some good workouts and finally have enough time to clean our apartment.  So we did all of that....but after we took a trip to CT for some much needed family time.

 For the past 10 years or so, we've had a DuPont celebration out in Connecticut that involved the entire family coming together.  Whether it be a milestone birthday, a graduation, or a wedding (yay!), we always have an organized trip out to Connecticut.  But this year was an off year - don't get me wrong, 2014 is going to be a very eventful year for the DuPont family with not one, but TWO gorgeous weddings.  So maybe it was ok that we had this summer off, since we're going to have double the fun next year.  But that means that I  went almost an entire summer without making the trip out to Connecticut!  Winston was longing for a weekend with the grass beneath his feet, and a football between his chompers - so CT was the first stop on our Labor Day Weekend tour.

We battled the LDW traffic and avoided the over-crowded Metro North by caravaning out with my cousin Sarah - who served as Winston's headrest for 2.5 hours (thanks Sarah!).   Once we arrived, it was just what the doctor ordered...we were home.   Outside from the necessary catching up over bottles of wine, family bonding at mealtime, and enjoying some fresh country air, we had a few other highlights from the weekend.

The DuPonts have a very competitive fantasy football league every year - and this year we were able to have the draft together!  It looked like a nerd convention with each of us coming prepared with our own laptops and what seemed like miles of charging chords, but the communal draft made for much better smack talking.

We also planned the weekend in conjunction with my Uncle Cary's birthday.  I haven't been out to West Hartford in years - actually, I can't even remember the last time I have been there.  When we went out there for a family dinner to celebrate uncle Cary's last year in his 50s, it was adorable!  Our dinner was at the most delicious Mexican Restaurant that had one of the greatest selections of tequila I had ever seen & served some bomb ass margaritas.

This summer was one of the best we've ever had - and we were sad to see it go.  But the one thing to keep us motivated is the fact that we know that New York does Autumn exceptionally well - and we love all that comes with it.  We have a jam packed few months & we can't wait to share it with you all!  Hope everyone else enjoyed their summer finale - it's going to be a beautiful fall.