New York is Open for the Summer!

We have been looking forward to Memorial Day weekend pretty much since the beginning of May.  I know that the official first day of Summer isn't until June 21st, but Memorial day weekend is the UN-official first day of summer - at least for New Yorkers.  It's first date for the start of summer Fridays, it's the first day all of the rooftop bars open for the summer, it's the weekend that starts the 3 month long city-wide "white party", and it's the kick off for sandals season!

It was a little bit of a buzz kill when we all rushed out from our "early dismissals" from work on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend to an evening of terrifying thunderstorms!  There were all sorts of flood alerts going off and we were forced to take shelter indoors instead of enjoying the much anticipated sunshine on a nice, happy patio!  So we did what any normal human beings would do with their friends while being forced to stay inside - we made balloon animals!  What?  You guys don't do that on Friday nights?

But after that one soggy evening, the rest of the weekend was absolutely fantastic.  It was the perfect temperature outside, the sun was shining, and New York City came alive (despite the mass exodus of people out to their first weekend in the Hamptons) with the sights of summer.  We commemorated the season with a New York staple - a rooftop celebration on the East River.  This celebration included, but was not limited to: our first showing of white linen clothing, our first lobster roll, 3 (very watered down) pitchers of fruity-delicious sangria, a LOT of sunshine, and captain's hats - because we just don't see a reason to leave the house without them.

Not more than 2 months ago, we felt like we would never be able to put away our down parkas.  We were still seeing snow flurries well into March.  I'd been sloshing through New York City in wellies since October.  I've stared longingly at my little skirts and sun dresses since last September.  But just like that....it is summer!   Happy Memorial Day to everyone and thank you to all of our troops who put themselves in the line of defense for our country!  USA! USA!

The New Mr. & Mrs. Cooper Greene!

If you look close enough
you can see Mike on the
patio!

We are going on our 5th year of living in New York City.  And as we approach our 5th summer in Manhattan, I have to admit that we've never made it out to the Jersey Shore.  Yes, I know that there are more pristine beaches outside of Seaside Heights, NJ and that we don't necessarily have to be in the company of the cast from the Jersey Shore, but I was admittedly a bit ignorant about it since we've opted for the Hamptons & the Cape the past 4 summers.  So when we got the invitation to attend the nuptials of our sweet friends Megan and Cooper in Sea Isle City, NJ, I was thrilled to finally add the Jersey Shore to my list of vacation destinations on the East Coast!

When we moved to NY, Mike and I already had a built in friend base from Mike's high school and college buddies that have become our second family. But Meg and Coop (aka my best friend) are among the friends we've recently made since moving to New York and have quickly become some of our two favorite people. They are among the best people to enjoy a nice single malt scotch with, or sip on a lovely Chateauneuf du Pape, or grab a burger at Mollie's, or just have a Christmas sing-a-long at the apartment.  Regardless of what we end up doing with these two crazy kids, it's a fantastic time and we absolutely adore them.

Sea Isle City, NJ is SO quaint that there aren't really too many hotels to choose from when it comes to accommodations.  And because it's just more fun, we rented a house with an awesome crew for the weekend.  We had an unobstructed view of the ocean, we were walking distance from all of the wedding activities, we had 3 floors of beach-y decorations, and we had a massive patio perfect for catching up with our friends and listening to a little music.  In fact, the day of the wedding, Mike and I were catching some rays on the patio and we watched as a school of dolphins surfing through the waves right in front of the house!  Since we saw the same thing from our hotel balcony at the Surf and Sand the day of our wedding almost 3 years prior, we like to think that was a sign of good luck for the happy couple!

Cooper and Meghan had a sweet and absolutely unique ceremony that was full of sweet tears, laughter and smiles all around.  Instead of getting married in front of endless rows of chairs, they opted for three stories of friends and family looking on as the sky filled with one of the most majestic sunsets you've ever seen.  The yacht club provided the perfect venue for a couple who prides themselves on their year-long tans, and frequent beach weekends that aren't just reserved for the summer!

There are some people in your life that you just know are GOOD people.   People with hearts the size of an entire elephant.  People who just make you smile when you think about them.  People who you look forward to seeing every time you make plans.  Friends who always promise to provide hours of laughter and entertainment.  And people who you just want to hug for a full 60 seconds when you first see them and before they leave.  Meg and Coop are good people and we couldn't be happier that these two good people found each other.  We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves out in Sea Isle, NJ at the wedding and are so excited to share an anniversary weekend (almost...just 3 days apart!) with Mr & Mrs. Greene.  Here is to many, many joint celebrations.  Congratulations Meg & Cooper - we wish you all the best and love you SO SO much.

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs DuPont!

I've admittedly waited a few weeks to write this post because it's a special one...a very special one, and I've thought very hard about how to articulate this life event.  I've thought about the right words to use every day since it's happened because I want it to be just perfect.  Even after it was complete, I analyzed over every sentence, picture and word before posting it for all of you to see!  And over the course of our 3 year marriage and the life of this blog, I've attended several weddings and hopefully documented the unique characteristics of each one of those nuptials.  But this one is a bit different, because this particular matrimonial celebration gave me....A NEW SISTER!

Garrett & Jenny selected the Queen Mary in Long Beach as the site for their May wedding in California.  It provided the perfect setting for the "nautical glam" theme that the beautiful bride was hoping for.  The perfect mix of anchors and glitter, ship's wheels and sparkles, sailors and rhinestones.  I spent the majority of my life in Southern California, and Long Beach was a neighborhood that we just never spent much time in, so we were looking forward to exploring a new area of the California coastline.  After spending an evening in LA celebrating Mike's birthday and catching up with some of our LA family, Mike and I were anxious to get down to the LBC for the rehearsal event and to see everyone that had flown in for the joyous occasion.

Over the 3 days that ensued, the sun was shining and there was not a cloud in the sky.  Aside from a tiny bit of a pestering wind on the roof of the boat, the setting was perfect for Jenny & Garrett to share their love in front of all their family and friends.  The festivities kicked off at the rehearsal dinner - a lovely fusion of both Candelaria & DuPont families - and each friend in between.  My parents organized a fantastic party with a fabulous menu and a free flowing bar with the world's most patient bartenders!  But what makes the rehearsal dinner particularly enjoyable are the spontaneous speeches that people recite over the course of the evening.  Aside from maybe mine...I was a little unprepared and effectively spicy after a few Cuba Libres (gotta support my peeps at Bacardi!) - another reason why I wanted to be particularly attentive to my writing here, because this post is more eloquent than any "off the cuff" speech I could have done.  As a sister, I was truly touched by all of the sweet words people had to say about my brother, about Jenny, and about the two of them together, as a couple.

Then it was time for the big day.  A day 14 months in the making.  A day that both families had been preparing for for over a year.  And one where not a single detail was out of place.   In an effort to effectively manage both parties I spent the morning with my mom/grandmother, helping them primp for the day, before I shuttled over to the Queen Mary to get ready with the rest of the sparkly wedding party.  This was my first time getting to spend some quality time with Jenny's two sisters, Jillian and Nicole - both two extremely sweet and supportive ladies who I'm happy to have met over the weekend.  And Jenny requested that we all have "big, beachy, beautiful" curls for our wedding hair, so the room was a hot box of hairspray!  Good thing no one lit a match!

More importantly, I felt honored to be a part of the special group to assist Jenny in her wedding preparations.  We got a sneak peek at the bride before the ceremony and she was beautiful....and absolutely glowing (both from happiness and from all the sparkle!).  Her lipstick had the perfect amount of shimmer, her hair was so delicately curled, her makeup was flawless, and not a rhinestone was out of place!  And it was adorable and endearing to see Jenny quietly saying her vows to herself through a few joyful tears, or silently practicing tying the rope/knot that would seal their marriage in the ceremony.

When it came time for us all to walk down the aisle (albeit fashionably late!), it was emotional and breathtaking.  I walked down the aisle, gave my little brother a quick wink, and lost it.  I'm not sure why, and I can't tell you how many people came up to me during the reception to tell me how they noticed my sniffles (ok, maybe more than sniffles), but at that moment, I was overwhelmed by how happy my brother was and how composed and calm he was about marrying the love of his life.  And as I stood next to the other bridesmaids and watched the ceremony transpire, I got the view of all 150 (or so....) people looking on the beautiful couple and who adore my brother and Jenny just as much as we do.  And that, is a pretty powerful, magical, and VERY emotional sight.

And then the reception started.  And I had SO much fun at the reception.  It's pretty ironic that Mike and I are such babies of the 80s, that we often don't know some of the cool songs and bands that occupy the top 40.  But Mike could NOT have been more excited to hear a little Pit Bull and a bit of Don Omar.  Since it was on a ship, the DuPont family came adequately prepared (after the boys enjoyed a 2 hour boat excursion during the day) with various forms of head wear including captain's and sailor hats...because we do love a good hat.  It was so great to see so many of Garrett's friends that I have known since we were just little tiny toe-headed kids in Laguna Niguel, California and also spend time with some of the new ones that I don't get to see because we're all the way out in New York.  But celebrating with my family was definitely one of my major highlights from the reception.  In fact, we stuffed as many DuPonts as humanly possible into the photo booth - and a bunch of DuPont in a photo booth is a really, REALLY, amazing sight.

ALMOST everyone stayed in town the day after the wedding so that we could all rehash the previous nights festivities over lunch and cocktails.  We spent some quality time with Garrett and Jenny at the pool on another perfect day before sending them off to their honeymoon in St. Kitts.  There are few occasions where we get to have the whole family together, so I cherish every single second that we are all together celebrating such a happy event - and I was obviously devastated when it was over and we all went our separate ways. The weekend flew by and as always I felt like there were so many people I didn't get to spend enough time with out in California...especially the bride and groom.  But at least we have another few events coming up this year where the gang will all be back together!  

I cry at weddings.  I just do.  I cry when I see a bride's dad see his little girl in a wedding dress for the first time.  I cry when I see a blushing bride walk down the aisle to her proud, proud groom.  I cry when the couple chokes up during their vows.  I cry when they have their first dance as husband and wife.  I cry during the father/daughter or mother/son dance.  And I cry when it's all over, we all go home, and I don't know when I'm going to see the happy couple, or my friends, or family next.  It's just my thing....I can barely make it through the full 2 hours of the Today Show, or one of those special interest stories on Sports Center without shedding a few tears, so weddings?  FUGGEDABOUTIT!

But Jenny & Garrett's wedding was a different level!  If you have ever experienced a sibling getting married, it's one of the most emotional experiences I've ever had - ALL KINDS of emotions.  I was sad to not be able to spend enough time with them over the course of the weekend.  I was stressed that all the little details go JUST right to ensure that all those months of hard work by both families went off without a hitch.  I was worried about getting to meet every member of the bridal party during our short time together.  I was reminiscent about my amazing wedding just 3 years prior and all the memories that we had from OUR special day.  I was concerned about my mother having to "give away" her baby boy (yes, it's not just dad's who give their daughter's away, I think it's a real thing for moms!!!  And my mom was FINE!) that weekend.  And I was anxious about having enough time in the day to help my mother/grandmother get ready and then jet over to the Queen Mary to get ready with the bridal party!

But more than any other emotion...I was HAPPY!  I was SO HAPPY to see my brother's face light up when Jenny's sparkly little figure walked down the aisle.  I was HAPPY when Jenny made the entire crowd laugh when she messed up her knot a little bit during the ceremony.  I was HAPPY when they broke out into a choreographed boogie during their first dance.  I was HAPPY that most of my family was able to fit into a photo booth for what could arguably be the most festive picture in the history of the DuPont family.  I was HAPPY that the weather was absolutely gorgeous for their wedding weekend.   I was HAPPY that we got one more day with everyone on Sunday before heading home.  But above all, I was HAPPY that Jenny and Garrett were HAPPY...because that's really all that matters at the wedding of your only sibling.   Congratulations to the new Mr. & Mrs. Garrett DuPont.  Welcome to the family Mrs. Jenny-Lynn!  We love you guys!

Happy Birthday Handsome!

Somewhere between our never ending travel, our 3rd anniversary and craziness of my brother & Jenny's impending nuptials, my husband had a birthday!  This year was not the bash that last year was, as it fell on the eve of our departure for California, but we did take some time for a quiet celebration over dinner with our close friends and a few little surprises.  Mike's big gift from yours truly was a brand spankin', shiny new PlayStation 4! And no Mobley birthday is complete without a box full of fancy cupcakes.

I feel a little guilty that this birthday crept up on us so quickly, because everyone deserves to feel like the most important person in the world on their special day.  And it is probably a bit surprising to you all that a man who takes great pleasure in being the center of every conversation and serenading a room full of people with his guitar antics - isn't to hot on the attention that comes from celebrating his birthday!  He literally can't wait until May 8th, when it's not his birthday anymore.  Perhaps it's a guy thing...I'll never understand!

So again, a little later than his actual day, I want to wish my amazing husband a happy, happy birthday and wishes for a beautiful upcoming year.  You deserve nothing less than a day and year full of everything you love and everything that makes you....YOU!  I'm so lucky to have you as my partner-in-crime for life & hope that you felt like a King on your special day.  Here is to celebrating a man who brings smiles to everyone he meets, who brings laughter to every room he enters, guitar tunes to every party he attends, and who always has the perfectly planned costume for every event.  I love you every day!