Jo Jo in the City

The beautiful birthday girl!

Sometimes you just need your mom.  Mike and I were lucky to be spared slightly from business travel during the month of May.  But that just means June was going to be a doozie.  Mike started off the month with a 3 day business trip that took him to the other side of the country.   I knew Winston and I would be missing him terribly, so I made limoncello out of lemons (because that's MUCH more fun than lemonade) and planned a few nights of mommy/daughter time in New York City.

My beautiful mother was not only keeping me company out here, but we were celebrating a very special day - MOM'S BIRTHDAY!  I made sure I had plenty of little treats to surprise her upon her arrival.  So when she walked into the apartment, she was greeted by a jumpy Winston, peonies GALORE, as much Italian wine as she could ever want, some juicy magazines, and presents, of course!  I couldn't wait to get home to give her a big hug & take my mom out to a quaint little girls dinner to celebrate her birthday.  And because it's my mom, I could only think that the perfect setting for our ladies night was Wined Up!  And because we're girls, I could only think that the perfect refreshment for our dinner was a pretty bottle of rose!  The weather was another perfect gift for my mom on her birthday.  It was so gorgeous, that we felt compelled to take a nice evening stroll to Eataly for some gelato after dinner.

A tender little reunion!

But our girly fun didn't end there.  Mom stayed one more night - just enough time for me to treat her to a facial at Mario Badescu after work.  I've been wanting to share that experience with her since I started my monthly visits with Leah over there in 2010!  It's not a glamorous or spa-like treatment by any means, but it's the best facial in all of New York, and we both walked out of there with bags full of goodies and a pretty fantastic glow!  After a quiet night of cooking at home together (ok....maybe I did most of the cooking, we know that's not Jo Jo's strong suit) my mom was winding down her quick visit.  But we spent every last minute together as we possible could, and fell asleep chatting - like teenagers at a slumber party.

This was the first time in a while that I've hosted Jo Jo in New York - and it was an absolute pleasure having my mom in town.  Who is better to keep you company while you are a single fur-mommy for a few days while your husband travels?  And, what could be better than coming home from an absolutely grueling day at work to your mom who greets you with a glass of wine and some little surprises she picked up for you during her shopping excursion?  Happy HAPPY birthday to my amazing mother.  It meant so much to me to be able to celebrate with you on your special day and to share a few little surprises with you.  You are the best visitor I could ever ask for.  I can't wait to have more New York adventures in August with you and Pops.  We love you & miss you every day!