Happy Birthday Brochacho

All 10 lbs of him!

I haven't spent my brother's birthday with him in the past 3 years, and that makes me sad.  Garrett John DuPont was born 27 years ago during one of the most epic Super Bowl weekends in the history of football --ok, maybe that's just my opinion.  But you have to know you're going to be a special human being if your birth date is synonymous with the 1985 Chicago Bear's Super Bowl Shuffle, and the great legends like William "The Refrigerator" Perry, Jim McMahon, Hurricane Ditka, and of course, Sweetness.



Maybe it's just me, but January is a particularly long month.  The weather is bitterly cold, we are all recovering from the holiday hangover, work is creating a sense of panic and extreme anxiety, and we have no trips or weekend getaways the entire month (the first time we've been home every weekend in a month since January 2012).  It's just a long 31 days.

So I'm not sure if it was more of a treat for him, or for myself to have both my brother & my pops here on Garrett's big 2-7.  They were both in town for business, and cleared their work schedule for the evening of Garrett's birthday.  After a hellish week at work, I was counting down the hours until quality time and delicious food with both of them.  We made reservations at one of  my favorite spots, Almond, so that we could conveniently be only two blocks away from my apartment and minimized exposure to the numbing 12 degree weather.  We had martinis & Old Fashioneds, we snacked on some gourmet meals, we talked about each others days, and we did a toast to the Big Guy himself.   The only thing we were missing was mom! 

Admittedly, I was a bit distracted and didn't make a cake - which I'm still regretting because I have been saving up all these delicious looking pins on Pinterest for an occasion like this (damn you 65 hour work week!).  So that means I got to introduce Garrett to one of New York's best little gems...Baked by Melissa.

It makes my heart happy when Winston gets that little surprise when my brother and dad do a little drop by at the apartment.  It's like Christmas morning every time to Winston when he sees those guys.  Having the two of them come over to the apartment and sit on our couch with Winston and drink a few glasses of scotch makes it feel like they actually live here, even if I only saw them for 4 hours.  Being able to sing happy birthday to my brother while he blows out his candles, and watching him open our gift to him takes away the 1,500 miles that are between us.  Happy birthday to the greatest brother ever, this year is going to be your best. Welcome to your late 20's bro - it's an amazing time in your life!

We love you!!! XOXO

Let's go Niners?

It started at an early age!  You can tell this
was during the Glory Days because I'm
still smiling!

From what you have probably seen in my past posts, I am an extremely avid Bear's fan.  With the exception of maybe the months of February and March (and unfortunately most of January THIS year...no thanks to the Green Bay Packers), I eat, breathe, sleep Chicago Bear's Football.  My parents have a dog named Bear, we plan our fall weekends around the Bear's home game schedule, my favorite article of clothing is a 1986 Super Bowl XX T-shirt that my friend bought me from a thrift shop in Texas, I ONLY receive Bears themed gifts from the DuPont family at Christmas, I travel with a foam Bear claw as my carry-on, I'm on a never-ending search for the perfect Ditka sweater-vest, I didn't speak to Mike for a few days when he refused to let me name Winston "Ditka" or "Butkus", and I cannot be counted on anytime between September and December to make plans on Sundays.  You get the point...I bleed navy and orange. 

He's only a 9ers fan 1/2 of the time!

When I married Mike, I took his name, and in exchange, I forced my love of all things Chicago Bears unto him and gave him no choice otherwise.  It's true...it was ACTUALLY in our vows.  He acted elated when I bought him Strange Cargo Bears shirts for every holiday I could think of, and he wasn't embarrassed to join in my rants against the terrible coaching I've endured for every year of my fan-dom since Ditka (All hail DA COACH!).  He even let's me put the Bears on the "big TV" in the event that the Bears and the 49ers are playing at the same time. That's true love, I'd say.

All of that being said, I'm sure you've heard that the Bears are NOT going to the Super Bowl this year, I know, I'm surprised too.  If I could pick one other team BESIDES my beloved Monsters of the Midway, I would have to say, in support of my husband, I'm thrilled to see the Niners going to the big game. Outside of the fact that their head coach is a former Bear, my husband has been patiently waiting all season for me to enjoy a few 49ers games with him and NOT think about how their win or loss could potentially have implications on the Bear's season. This is the first time in our relationship that I've been able to FULLY immerse myself in the success of the 49ers and truly be happy for my husband and his favorite team since his childhood in San Francisco.

Additionally, for the first time in my almost 7 year career in advertising, I've achieved the holy grail of all media buying in working on the Axe account.  I am now the proud owner of a sweet :30 spot in the Super Bowl game!  So more than anything in the world, for my first Super Bowl commercial, I wanted two things.  1. A good game and 2. Some teams that I actually care about!  Suffice to say...I think I've hit the jackpot here. 

No, I haven't officially converted to being a 49ers fan, and I still love my Chicago Bears defensive line as much as I love some of my best friends.  But I'm living proof that it IS possible to have room in your heart to love more than one team.  Congrats to the 49'ers and I'm looking forward to screaming my face off on February 3rd!  Let's go Niners!!!!

First 5 Things of 2013!

It's the little things in life that make you realize how sweet life really is!

1.  Sweet treats -- Mike and I were running errands around the city the other day, and we stopped by a Crumbs to pickup a little dessert to enjoy after Sunday Night Dinner.  Not only were they beautiful, but I felt no remorse in splitting a treat with my husband.  It's totally necessary to reward yourself with these indulgences after a whole week of packing salads and water-soluble vegetables to eat at work!

Don't worry...we know these photo bombers!

2.  Ah...the things we do for love, right?  As an avid Bears fan, my heart was broken a few weeks ago when the Green Bay Packers failed to beat the Vikings and send the Bears to the post-season.  My sweethusband is very tolerant and patient in my support for the Chicago Bears.  He's put up with countless rants over coaching, a few tears caused by an emotion-less quarterback, and perhaps the worst of all....the silence that ensues for hours after a devastating loss.  I'll admit, I try to pull rank when the Bears & Niners are playing at the same time.  So when the 49ers advanced to the playoffs, it was a great time to finally wear the Patrick Willis jersey that Mike bought me before the season and spend some time cheering for my husband's team.  If the Bears can't go to the Super Bowl, I guess this is my SECOND choice!  Let's go Niners!

3.  Much needed date night -- Every year during the first week of January, Mike heads out to Las Vegas for CES.  I'm not being dramatic in saying that it's one of the toughest weeks of the year.  It's difficult going back to work after a long winter break, and it's difficult waking up and coming home to an empty apartment during that tough week back at work!  When Mike returned, I couldn't wait for a Friday Night date with him at one of our favorite places in the neighborhood, BLT Fish Shack.  There is nothing better to battle the winter-time blues than a date at a nautical restaurant where you have endless options of festive snacks from the sea.


4.  A new book!  I have a never-ending list of books I want to read. There are at least 6 books downloaded on my iPad that I haven't started along with a list within my notes on my phone of other books I need to read.  Starting a new literary adventure is so exciting, and I was rubbing my palms together in anticipation as I curled up with my iPad and flipped to page 1.  Last year I read Pillars of the Earth and A World Without End, and I was giddy with excitement at the thought of starting the next Ken Follett book.  Mike is traveling the next few weeks, and we have a nice long weekend coming up -- I can't wait to spend a few hours to myself with a nice cup of tea, a furry blanket, and my new Ken Follett book.  Now if only we'd get some snow!     

5.   Shake Shack!  With the Golden Globes on Sunday, Mike and I have been doing our homework as we try to see some of the great films that have come out over the past few weeks.  After a matinee of Zero Dark Thirty, I had the brilliant idea to head over to Shake Shack where there was...wait for it....NO LINE!  One of the many benefits of living close to Madison Square Park is that I have the luxury of just browsing the line at Shake Shack, and knowing that rainy or chilly days are the optimal time to make your move for the deliciousness of Shake Shack.  We even brought home a pooch-ini treat for Winston & he went NUTS. 

Mike & I are looking forward for a 3-day weekend next weekend.  Hopefully we get out to do something fun in the city.  Have a great week everyone!

Farewell to 2012

I thought that 2011 couldn't be topped.  After an unbelievable wedding in 2011 and a dream vacation to Bora Bora, it was hard to believe that any other year could even begin compare.  And then 2012 happened, and it was absolutely unforgettable.   Part of me is a little sad to say goodbye to a year that was so incredible for the Mobleys, but the other part of me is hopeful in anticipation for what 2013 will bring, because each year has been better than the one before.

2012 was a year of a lot of firsts for me, and it became quite a theme throughout the entire year.  A few "first highlights" from 2012 are:

First cruise!  I never had any huge desire to go on a cruise, but when we had the option to go on the Monsters of Rock cruise, it was kind of a no-brainer.

First time to Key West!  My previous posts might have mentioned that Key West is one of Mike's favorite places in the world.  He knows all the nooks and crannies of that special island and he's spent many a "guy's weekend" frequenting Captain Tony's and the Conch Republic.  It meant a lot to me to finally be able to share that with my husband.

First Van Halen show!  Yep, before 2012, I had never seen Van Halen and the legend that is David Lee Roth.  The closest I ever got to seeing Van Halen was when Mike forced me to watch Chickenfoot at the Roxy when we still lived in LA...it was not awesome.

First time zip lining! During our beautiful trip to Sayulita, Mexico, I had my first experience with the zip line.  I'm not the dare devil/head ropes course instructor that Mike is, but it was pretty incredible and probably the closest I'll even come to feeling like I'm flying (I probably wont ever go sky diving).

First Anniversary!  April 30th, 2012 was our first anniversary!!!  We had a beautiful dinner together and exchanged our traditional gifts of paper & I can't wait to have many, many more anniversaries with my sweet husband.

First time to Maryland & Louisiana!  My sweet friend Randi got married in June of 2012 and her wedding festivities brought me to St. Michaels, Maryland & New Orleans - both places that I had never been before, and both places that I absolutely adored.  I'd love to make that a goal of mine in the future to try to visit at least one new state/or city in the US a year.


First time to Amsterdam!  For another wedding, we traveled to Amsterdam, and I was absolutely in love with the Netherlands. I truly hope that we get to go back, and we are so lucky to have so many friends all over the country and now in Holland!  Our friendships really are the reason that we've traveled to so many amazing places in 2012. 


First trip to Italy!  I fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine to go to Italy! As you've seen, I had 3 separate posts that detailed the Mobley's Italian adventure, and I can't wait to see where our travels take us next.  

First visit to the New Dallas Stadium!  While I missed the annual family trip to Chicago for the Bears game, it was quite a treat to visit Jerry World.  It was even MORE of a treat when the Bears D forced a record number of Cowboy turnovers during a Monday Night Game! BEAR DOWN!

First time to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!  This trip was just the icing on the cake for me.  After the eye-opening and tragic experience of Superstorm Sandy, a trip to Orlando with my besties was a welcome distraction.  We had such an amazing time, and it reminded us that even though we may be almost 7 years out of college and have grown to become a lawyer, a successful sales rep and an advertising exec, you really can't take yourself too seriously in life.

First visit to the Rockefeller Christmas Tree!  I know I just wrote a post about this a few weeks ago, but it was absolutely a 2012 highlight and one that I will remember forever.

It goes without saying that it was going to be pretty hard to top 2012, so we had to ring in 2013 in a big way.  Last year, we had such a great time getting dressed to the nines and celebrating at one of New York's finest restaurants with some of our best friends.  So we did it again this year...and with MORE friends!   Once again, the boys donned tuxes and the ladies wore sequins and sparkles to greet 2013 in style.  There is something classic about dressing up for a good ol' fashioned New York City New Years...and I don't mean Times Square.

This year, we chose Revel as the site where the 7 of us would say goodbye to "2012" and hello to "2013".  We had 3 free bottles of Prosecco to go through and an unlimited amount of New Year's attire to decorate ourselves with. It's very rare that this many of us are all in town for a big holiday such as this, so it was a real treat to have a big group celebration.  We chatted about our ups and downs of 2012 and how optimistic we all are for 2013 and celebrate what will be another great year of friendship.

At midnight, not only did I get to kiss my love, I got to hug and kiss 5 more of my favorite people who have become our New York City family.  Sure, we may have been asked not to stand on the furniture, and maybe the food wasn't the culinary masterpiece that we enjoyed last year, but if our new Year's Eve celebration is indicative of another wonderful year of friendships, then I truly am comforted in knowing that we will have that as a sure bet in 2013.      

Last year, I took some time to write down a few New Year's Resolutions for my family.  I thought that if I published them, I would have more shame in not fulfilling my goals.  So if you are looking for a progress report, I will say that Winston has done the best in completing his resolutions, although I stayed fiercely devoted to P90X.  NO WINSTON VISITS TO THE ER!  2012 was an extremely healthy and adventurous year for the Mobleys...arguably the healthiest and most adventurous year we've ever had.  Rather than outline my resolutions this year, I have opted to keep them more private.  Yes, I have the usual "try to be more healthy" and "save money" resolutions, but this year is going to be a lot more spontaneous for the Mobleys and I want to start it out right by not dictating our year by resolutions.  

I have achieved many goals that I've set for myself, and we spent 2012 "chasing serotonin" and being committed to various events, so 2013 is truly going to be a surprise because we literally do not know what is coming.  We can't wait to see what the year holds for us & what is to come for the Mobley Family.  Happy New Year everyone!