Boardwalk Bachelorette!

Sarah in her custom sunglasses!

I've managed to live in New York City for four and a half years, and somehow I've never had opportunity or reason to visit Atlantic City.  I've heard the tales of the AC crowd, Mike has made a trip or two out there for bachelor parties, and I've watched 3 seasons of Boardwalk Empire, but never had I experienced the legend that is Atlantic City...until NOW!  My sweet cousin Sarah's chose AC as her destination for her very own bachelorette party!  So I packed the Jeep full of favors and presents for the bride and the 15 other ladies who were joining in on the fun and headed out for what was sure to be a memorable trip.

Our first choice of hotels was in a bit of a financial crisis, and actually announced it's closure the week before our trip - so thankfully we had a backup plan that proved to be perfect for the needs of our sweet little bride. Harrah's Hotel & Casino was the location and backdrop for our evening of celebration, but no trip to AC would be complete without a visit to the boardwalk, and the beach!  The beach was where we all congregated and said our introductions (I was meeting most of these ladies for the first time), enjoyed some fresh mimosas, and soaked up a few rays before heading back to the hotel for the night.  Having grown up in the vicinity of some of the world's best beaches in Laguna, AC was a little....different.  I'm not sure what the mixture of unidentified black particles were in the sand - it could have been ash, or it could have been just dirt - but let's just say the sand was a lovely shade of, well...gray!

The MOH did a fantastic job coordinating all the events for the evening, and luckily everything we did was all in the comfort of our hotel which proved to be MORE than convenient.  There was a Dos Caminos in the hotel, which was extremely accommodating to our party of 16 for dinner, and after a little shower in the hotel room for Sarah, we stayed again in the hotel for the big party.   Harrah's has a funny little indoor "pool party" that turns nightclub in the evenings.  And because we were with a bachelorette party, and because the MOH hooked us up with VIP, we were swiftly escorted into the club that was our stage for the rest of the evening.

There is the saying that "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas", and I'm not sure if that applies to Atlantic City as well, since it IS the "Vegas of the East Coast", so I'm going to save any more details for the hearts and minds of all the ladies that were actually there.  But I will say that this bachelorette party was the most drama-free bachelorette party that I've ever been to.  Despite the girls coming from different backgrounds (some were related to Sarah, some had grown up with her, some went to high school with her, and then she had all of her lovely ladies from Providence), we all meshed.  There were no petty fights, there were no disappearing acts from any of the girls, there were no tears, and there were no clashes of the different groups.

Sarah has a fantastic group of friends, who all love her very much, and it was an absolute pleasure getting to spend time with all of them.  I can't wait to see them all in September, and I know that Sarah & Ian's wedding will be that much more fun, now that I have 14 more friends to celebrate with.  Sarah, I'm so glad you had a wonderful time at your party.  And on top of that, I'm glad I got to experience Atlantic City before it either falls into the ocean or goes bankrupt! :P  I'm always happy to visit a place I've never been.  I love you to pieces, and I'm so so SO excited for you to marry your best friend and for the family to grow by one more cousin in just one month!  Here is to our gorgeous, blushing bride!!!!! <3

Mom & Pops Come for a Visit!

I can't remember the last time I had BOTH my parents in town at the same time.  Usually Pops stops by the city during a business trip to have dinner with me, and I've been able to convince my mother to keep me company from time to time while my husband is away for work travel.  But it's a REAL treat when I get them BOTH here at the same time.  It's even more fabulous when they have a sweet suite at the Gansevoort just five blocks from our apartment.

The weather could not have been more perfect for the DuPont's trip to New York - and Mike and I were excited to have an rare summer weekend home in the city.  So we celebrated the weekend like any festive couple hosting their parents for the weekend - cocktails and snacks at our place!  Our little one bedroom apartment offered a fully stocked bar, a squeaky clean patio to enjoy a gorgeous summer night in New York City, and a really happy bulldog who enjoys having visitors to his apartment.

We took my mom and dad to one of our favorite restaurants in New York City - the Strip House. Since both of my parents tend to favor a delicious martini after as their beverage of choice, I couldn't wait for them to experience the truffled blue cheese stuffed olive martini that the Strip House is so famous for.  We absolutely gorged on a fantastic seafood tower complete with lobster, oysters, crab claws, tuna tartare, clams, and any other type of shell fish you could ever imagine coming from the sea.  And just when it seemed as if we couldn't eat anymore, our dinner was delivered - a giant tomahawk steak for all of us to share.  I felt like I had to be rolled home.

Knowing that Mike & I are usually on-the-go, my parents had no other expectations for our Sunday together.  We spent a little time at the Gansevoort rooftop pool, I took them to Eataly to get the full "fancy grocery shopping' experience, we ate a Shake Shack lunch in the park because the line was shorter than I've ever seen it on a beautiful 80 degree summer afternoon, and we had Sunday dinner, complete with my dad's delicious meatballs.  Sure, we could have done a Yankee game, or a Broadway show, but this was a no frills weekend for the DuPonts, where the most important thing was to just be with us and to just be HERE.

It was a short and sweet visit, and it was over in the blink of an eye - but it was what we all needed.  We wish EVERY Sunday dinner could be with my parents, so it was lovely to just pretend that this was a regular ol' Sunday dinner with the parents, even if it was for one night!  Our spaghetti with meatballs with my parents was the perfect end to our weekend together.  We can't wait to have everyone back on the East Coast in just a few more weeks for my cousin's wedding at the end of September - next time with Garrett & Jenny!  Thanks for visiting us mom & dad - come back ANY TIME!

Ho Ho Ho & a Bottle of Rum!

It's that time of year again everyone.  The time of year when we pull out all the Christmas decorations, play some steel drum holiday songs, find our finest Christmas attire and wrap little gifts for our beloved friends.  The weekend we have been waiting for all year is finally here. Ladies and gentlemen, it's Cape Christmas time!

Totally normal family picture....

Midnight crab hunt

A few things have changed in the core Cape Crew over the past years.  It's pretty amazing what a difference a year makes.  We grew from five people to nine for Cape Christmas 2014. For the first time ever, we had a baby joining us at Cape Christmas! Instead of just Winston having full reign of the Cape, we had TWO beach-ready pups!  Instead of a lovely three day weekend, we extended this year from Thursday into the following Monday!  And rather than a caravan of cars driving in from various locations in New York City, our attendees this year arrived over two days from THREE different states.  All of these little tweaks and developments of Cape Christmas were sure to promise an eventful and exciting trip for all of us.

Even though we had a few personnel developments this year, we stuck to the same fantastic traditions that have made so many memories for us and our friends in the past.  We had our themed costume nights (albeit a little toned down as to not scare off some of the newbies) this year, we made our regular visit to Wood's Hole on a rainy day for dark and stormys, we stuffed our faces with steamers & lobster rolls, we played our made-up games on the sand at the beach, we went for a midnight beach walk through the foggy/haunted neighborhood, we enjoyed refreshing sunset and invigorating morning swims in the ocean,  and we stayed up until the wee hours of the morning playing games and hosting sing-a-longs.

 

Boys on Cape Christmas

Ladies on Cape Christmas!

Despite the continued traditions, there were a few highlights this year that were particularly special, and a little bit different.  Over the past few Cape Christmases, we have enjoyed a ferry ride over to Martha's Vineyard.  But this year, we called an audible and took a day trip to Nantucket instead!  And my GOODNESS what a festive and adorable little town.  We were not lucky enough to have a day full of sun, and we battled the elements slightly with some rain, but the cobblestone streets and stores upon stores of nautical treasures entertained us for hours!  And like every other year, we came home with a few unique little gifts for our apartment!

 
We added a new tradition this year, by heading out to a local restaurant for sunset on our first night while we awaited the arrival of the rest of our team.  The landscape offered some pretty spectacular views as we sipped on our Mount Gay and tonics and world famous mudslides from weathered Adirondack chairs.  We didn't have the full crew at this point, but it was a gorgeous sunset with a pretty amazing group of friends that was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

As always, one of the most memorable parts of our trip is the actual night of Cape Christmas.  My friends never cease to amaze me with the costumes they are able to procure for our made-up holiday.  Even our littlest member of the Cape Christmas Crew had some festive attire. And while it was the 4th annual celebration of our summer Christmas, it just doesn't get old.  Singing Jimmy Buffet holiday songs, selecting our choice of lobsters for dinner, cooking together in the kitchen, dancing with oven mitts on, setting the table for our group, wishing the neighbors a Merry Christmas as they walk by the house, trimming our hot pink tree with tropical ornaments & staying out late on the patio to play games - none of that will ever get old.

This Cape Christmas ended with a few more tears than the other ones. I'm always a bit sad when the weekend comes to a close, especially since it's this weekend that actually gets us through the brutal winters every year.  It's like Cape Christmas is the light at the end of the winter tunnel.  But this year was a little bit harder for us because this was the end of the East Coast road for some of our best friends who were moving to Austin.  The end of Cape Christmas meant the end of them living just 1 mile away from us.  The end of us calling them up to go have lobster rolls and sit outside and drink a bottle of Chardonn-yay.  The end of us running in to them at the bar during football season.  The end of our impromptu dinners Chez Buck complete with a home cooked meal & steel drums.  The end of our random meet-ups in Princeton.  So it was an emotional departure for us to lose a little part of our New York family when they flew home to Austin instead of riding home with us to their apartment in Tribeca.

Two of our friends have moved halfway across the country, we have a baby for the first time in our group of friends, and we have grown the Cape Christmas family by almost double - but I find the greatest happiness in knowing that despite all of these life changes, this weekend never fails to exceed expectations.  Even as we "grow up" and even if some of us move to different states, this is a tradition that all of us are committed to keeping and improving each year that we plan it.  Yes - weddings, babies, and moves may change everything else, but they won't change Cape Christmas - they'll only make it better! Thank you to our gracious host for having us out to your home. And to my friends - I love you guys.  I really, REALLY love you all, and thank YOU for another year of memories. I'm already starting the countdown until Cape Christmas 2015.

Winston is 5!

 

Winston's best friend....

It's been five WHOLE years that we've been blessed with the love and affection from our sweet pup Winston.  Five years since we Googled bulldog puppies for fun and instantly fell in love with his picture online.  Five years since we became fur parents to the World's most handsome beast.  This year we treated him to a Five year-old celebration with some of his favorite things.  Footballs, cookies (we got him a special lobster-shaped cookie this year), other smooshed-face puppy friends, hot dogs, salty swims in the ocean, a few long naps, and of course....a visit to Cape Cod.  And because I just can't get enough of the majestic pictures of this regal pooch, I'm sharing a few of my favorites with you from Winston's 5th year of being the greatest dog in the world:

Loving on my sweet boy 

Winston with the God Father 

We gave Winston a girlfriend for his birthday - he's into French chicks :P

Winston - you're the only guy I know more grumpy than I am in the morning - but every time I see that little hiney wiggle, my life is complete.  Thank you for loving us (and pretty much everyone else in the world) with all of your heart, and for your sweet snuggles every day of your life.  We love you more than anything and hope that we sufficiently spoiled your stinky face on your special day.  Happy birthday big guy - we can't wait to have you by our sides (or by our feet) for many more family adventures.