Just Keep Swimming!

We are almost two months into 2014 and I'm continuing to make a conscious effort to maintain my stress levels this year.  I was pretty adamant about trying ANYTHING it would take to live a more zen 2014 and so far.....it's working...well...KIND OF!  My weekdays are a constant battle to preserve my sanity and stress-levels and my weekends have been 100% devoted to clearing my mind and body of this stress.  I will admit, there have been a few close calls with work-induced anxiety, but I've become more conscious of using my weekends to strategically plan and implement my "zen tactics".

Sanka Playing a little peek-a-boo

One thing that I've always found extremely calming was fish.  Yes...you read that right...fish.  No, not sushi, not a nice grilled halibut, not fish-ING, but a fish.  A swimmy, graceful, little friend in a bowl.  There is a reason that doctors and dentists offices have aquariums.  I read a few places that watching fish swimming in a home environment eases stress and may offer a means of treating high blood pressure (which I don't have...but I'm working to avoid).  After we lost our little gold fish Cannoli last summer, there was an empty space on our counter from where that tropical bowl used to sit.  And in my first post of 2014, I vowed to try anything for a little relief.

So off we went to trusty Pet Smart, and after much debate over species and selection - we brought home a teal beta fish that we have lovingly named Sanka.  Sanka - named after his festiveness and tropical hue, and in celebration of the 2014 Winter Olympics and the iconic Jamaican bobsled team.  But more importantly, Sanka, so that I can greet him every morning as he floats atop the bowl waiting for food and say "Sanka, you dead mon?"

Maybe I'm crazy thinking that staring at this little blue fish will be a cure for some of my stress woes, but he IS handsome and he is fun to look at when I am sitting at my kitchen table working late night on a deck.  And being my Pisces self, it's lovely to have another "fish" in the house!  Welcome to the most festive family in Manhattan Sanka - We already love your tranquil little spirit!

L.O.V.E.

How wonderful that Valentine's day fell on a Friday this year - and not only that, but Valentine's day also gifted us a 3 day weekend in observance of President's Day!  After the way this 2014 has started off, Mike and I find ourselves running out of steam by the time Fridays come around every week and often opt for a cocktail and a 10p bedtime rather than a wild night on the town.

So this Friday was definitely a lovely and welcome change.  After an embarrassingly large bouquet was delivered to my desk at work from my handsome husband, we both took self-imposed half days at the office to meet up at home before a nice romantic evening out.  We exchanged a few little surprises we got for each other.  I had been holding on to THESE amazing whiskey tumblers for a few weeks, and was dying to see Mike's face when he opened them.  And I was lucky enough to have a little package from J Crew waiting for me when I got home - and you really can't go wrong with anything from J Crew!

We decided on the Strip House for our 2014 Valentine's Day dinner.  No you sickos, not THAT kind of strip house - but one of our favorite steak restaurants down by Union Square.  The place was packed, but it wasn't enough to spoil the fantastic music selection and the sweet conversation that filled the evening.  Most places try to furiously turn tables to fit in second seatings on what is arguably one of the busiest days of the year.  But the staff at the Strip House let us leisurely sip on our Chateauneuf du Pape and truffled blue cheese martinis with no agenda and no sense of urgency. And that is all I could have ever asked for out of our Valentine's date night.  We were relaxed, we took our time, we ate, we drank, and we were merry.

After an absolutely perfect dinner, we came hope for another Valentine's day tradition of fancy cupcakes and a photo shoot with Winston, because he IS, after all, my other most handsome Valentine. And the best part about the whole day...we still had 3 days left to sleep in over the long weekend!    We hope that you all enjoyed a great Valentines Day and had some quality time with the people that make your heart smile.   Happy Day of LOVE to you all!

It's been 4 years...

Since I said "YES".  Aside from our wedding, this was the second best day of my life. I've told the story again and again, but I'd like to just take a minute to thank my husband for a flawlessly executed surprise back in 2010 in my parent's backyard down in Orange County, California.  It takes a LOT of courage to not only to pull off that surprise, but to propose to your future wife in front of the ENTIRE FAMILY (all the dogs included).

I'll never forget that day for as long as I live and I'll never forget how happy Michael Mobley made me by asking me to spend the rest of my life with him (packaged with a proposal to move to New York City - also a question that changed my life in the best way possible).  When he got down on one knee and when he opened up that little white box, to reveal a ring that was more perfect than anything I could have imagined, I felt like the luckiest girl on the planet.  It was the best and easiest question anyone has ever asked me and a day that I'll always enjoy reminiscing about.  And I'll never get over that little sparkle on my left hand that will always be my most prized possession and favorite accessory.  Thank you to Michael for making me a Mrs!!!

Super Bowl XLVIII in NYC

I've never been lucky enough to live in a city that hosted the Super Bowl. And while the Chicago Bears and the San Francisco 49ers both were eliminated before the Big Game, that doesn't mean that we couldn't enjoy all of the Super Bowl festivities that were popping up all over the city last week.

Evidence of SBXLVIII started last Monday, when Herald Square, my work hood, was transformed into Super Bowl headquarters.  In the history of New York, Broadway had only been shut down for 9 hours total...until this week...when 20 or so blocks of Broadway were shut down for an entire WEEK!  Talk about a logistical traffic nightmare!

Broadway was completely transformed into a Super Bowl Wonderland from Herald Square all the way up to Times Square.  Every storefront on the entire street was converted into a Super Bowl theme, the street signs were re-named on Broadway to read "Super Bowl Boulevard" and over the course of the week, several different booths opened up with exciting SBXLVIII experiences open to the public.  There was even a 60 foot toboggan in the middle of Herald Square! And I'm pretty sure I'm in the background of some ESPN correspondence during my morning commute to the office as the ESPN broadcast was transported to Herald Square for the week.

As soon as I received an agenda of events, and found out that my man Matt Forte was making an appearance at the GMC autograph tent to sign goodies for Bears fans for free....I found it imperative that I take an extended lunch so that I could meet one of my favorite Chicago Bears.  It was 18 degrees, my eyes were watering, my toes and my face were purple and numb, I stood out in the cold for 43 minutes, and I did not have the benefit of any media connections to jump the line, but I returned back to the office with a beautiful John Hancock from Matt Forte that I proudly waved in the air.  What's even better is that my new treasure turned into an early birthday present for my pops - how can you beat that!  An autograph from the one, the only, Matt Forte, obtained through love and dedication....like a TRUE Bear's fan.

If that wasn't invaluable enough, Super Bowl weekend hosted a smorgasbord of parties featuring some of the best in music.  From Jay Z at the Direct TV party to the Foo Fighters and Zach Brown Band.  And what good is it working in media, if you can't flex your connections to get into the hottest party in town during the ONLY time I've lived in a Super Bowl host city?  So that means that Mike and I spent the entire weekend at the Bud Light Hotel.  Not only did Bud Light rent out an enormous cruise ship docked next to the Intrepid on the Hudson, but they rented out an entire space across the West Side Highway to showcase a pretty incredible lineup for the entire weekend.

The two night extravaganza was pretty incredible.  From the random run ins on night #1 with some older team members from work, to the front row view of Zac Brown Band we had on night #2, to fraternizing with some of the funniest people in Hollywood in a special VIP section, and an epic first ever time for the Mobleys to see the Foo Fighters TOGETHER (Dave Grohl is a GOD!).  It was a truly exhilarating and exhausting weekend all at the same time and one that was special in so many ways and so representative of New York.

By the time the actual game took place, we were ready for a quiet night in with friends rather than the New York spectacles we'd been wrapped up in over the course of the week.  And after the somewhat under-whelming game, after the Empire State Building had reflected it's last lights in support of the winning team, and after all of the confetti had
settled, the city was completely back to normal. Broadway is now fully open, and the traffic has resumed it's normal pace (regardless of the fact that we are now getting POUNDED with more snow, just hours after a perfectly clear night for the Super Bowl).  And as fun as it was hosting, I'm glad to have my commute officially cleared of all the Seahawks fans!


I'm so glad that we had the opportunity to partake in the Super Bowl festivities over the past week.  I think that the events of the week were executed as flawlessly as possible in the city that never sleeps, and New York was a fantastic host city.  Even though we didn't get out to the game, and even though the Bears and the Niners were not Super Bowl participants OR victors, it felt like we were fully immersed in all things Super Bowl.  What a special opportunity for us to be able to enjoy all of this fun right in our own backyard.  While we are sad to say goodbye to our favorite sport for the next 7 months - we are looking forward to having some productive Sundays now.  We hope everyone had a wonderful & safe Super Bowl, and here is to the 2014 Football Season!  GO BEARS!