Foggy London Town

For those of you who have had the immense pleasure of meeting my sweet father-in-law, Mr. Bob Mobley, you would know that he's one of the most enjoyable people in the world.  And this fantastic man turned 80 years old this year!  80...what a milestone.  The Mobleys are very fond of the birthday milestone vacation - as you may remember, we took a journey to Sayulita for Melinda's 70th birthday back in 2012.  Since Mike's dad has an affinity for European culture, we decided to join him for a United Kingdom adventure in London & Scotland.

I'd like to first start with our adventures in London.  Mike's parents had already been in England for a month attending to some business, so we met them at the conclusion of their work commitments to join them for some fun and celebration.  Below are a few highlights from the fantastic time we spent with the Mobleys in London!

1.  Some High Tea at Fortnum & Mason - since it's London & since you HAVE to have tea in London, Mike's mother had the brilliant idea of taking our tea at the world famous Fortnum & Mason, and Mike and I were in British heaven.  Not only was F&M, the perfect tea shop, complete with floors and floors of tea time goodies....we were there on the day that they opened the storefronts for CHRISTMAS!  We could have spent an entire year's salary in that store and walked out with sterling silver teapots, and the most unique British China, and every bulldog shaped home decor item you could imagine....but we resisted, and left with only one small bag full of treasures.  But we'll return, and we'll bring even more treats back next time!

2.  The Tower of London Poppies - We were in London during the 100 Year Anniversary of the start of WWI.  And to commemorate and honor the British lives lost, there was a spectacular display of poppies pouring out of the Tower of London, that was ONLY on display until Remembrance Day (another highlight I'll get to shortly!).  The poppies are symbolic of the beautiful flowers that bloomed through the battlefields covered in blood, but also is an icon every year that people wear proudly on their lapels all over Britain.  The sight at the Tower was incredibly powerful & extremely breathtaking.  It was beautiful, yet emotional when you think about all that it represents...a fantastic artistic installation that we were so lucky to have been able to witness.



3.  A cozy train ride through the countryside - We traveled between London & Scotland via train that we boarded at King's Cross Station...Especially notable, because I was able to get a little glimpse of Platform 9 3/4....which was a lifelong dream of mine since discovering Harry Potter back in High School.  They even have a special Harry Potter dedicated store at the train station - I was in nerd heaven.  We had limited time for visitation of many of the tourist attractions in London, but this would have topped them all anyway!  Not to mention, our train ride boasted some of the best views of the English & Scottish countryside.  There were quaint little farms, sparkling lakes, foggy hillsides, and miles of lush green landscape as far as the eye can see.  The perfect way to transfer from our London adventures to our Scottish escape!

4.  Remembrance Day in London - Our last day in London was on Remembrance Day.  For two history majors in my husband and father-in-law, and for two men who admire military history - celebrating Remembrance Day in London was a real treat.  We observed the day in witnessing the bands marching from Buckingham Palace & followed that with a lovely Remembrance Day Mass at the Guard's Chapel - right outside of the Palace.  The chapel has historical significance when it was bombed in WWII during a Sunday Mass, one of the biggest catastrophic events in British history.  But presently, it's a beautiful chapel & a wonderful memorial to the British military.  As expected, mass was more emotional than usual - complete with bagpipes & the recital of the National Anthem. It was a wonderful way to observe the day in our Sunday best.

Our time in London seemed extremely short - and before we knew it we were off to Scotland.  London was all about spending our time with family and taking part in they typical traditions and celebration of our English friends across the pond.  Being in London with Melinda & Bob, who have spent so much of their lives in Europe, meant that we weren't tourists in London - we were just some Americans...blending in!  I hadn't been to England (outside of a few layovers) since High School - and this was the first time that Mike & I traveled there together!  London is a city so special to my Mobley family, that it was the perfect destination for some family time abroad.

Now we're on to Scotland to continue the next leg of the Mobley family adventures!!!!

The Mobleys in Central Park

Outside of our wedding - Mike and I have been a little camera shy when it comes to professional photos.  We didn't really do engagement shots & we haven't really had a reason to hire a photographer since then, so most of our favorite snaps are touched up with my iPhone or Instagram filters.

This year, we thought that we could celebrate our 5th autumn in New York City by taking to Central Park with a fantastic photographer to capture just a few special moments between the two of us...well...the three of us actually.  As you can imagine, Winston absolutely stole the show...per usual.

We used a wonderfully talented photographer friend, Jenny Grant Digital Imaging, and she knew all the charming little nooks and crannies of Central Park like the back of her hand.  And, being a smooshy-faced dog lover herself, she was extremely patient with our slobbery little beast and captured our trio perfectly.

Aside from the lovely pictures that we were truly thrilled with, our second treat was the impromptu tour we took of the beautiful park right in our backyard - something we had yet to do since living in New York.  We saw places of Central Park that I've only seen on movies and TV shows!  And to top it all off - it was the quintessential fall day with the leaves perfectly turning for the season.

We wanted to share just a few of our favorite shots with you and thank Jenny again for the perfect fall treat and some pictures we'll cherish forever - on an absolutely PERFECT day.

A Haunting in Sleepy Hollow

Mike & I visited Sleepy Hollow back in 2012 just hours before we were hit by Super Storm Sandy.  We were there for the big block party, and we stayed through the evening for some fun on the haunted hayride through the Sleepy Hollow Graveyard.  Because we were in the UK last Halloween, we skipped out on our new tradition - but we would be damned if we missed it again!

There really is no better way to get into the Halloween spirit than to spend a day in Sleepy Hollow.  It's spooky, the entire town takes on the tradition (I mean...the high school mascot is the HEADLESS HORSEMEN!), and it is absolutely beautiful during the fall  - even in the expansive, yet completely haunted graveyard.  Outside of the yearly Halloween celebrations, there are not a ton of other activities to do in Sleepy Hollow - but it is a staple to get into the spirit.

This year, we added a new item to the itinerary after touring through Sleepy Hollow & the world renowned cemetery - we headed up to Croton on the Hudson for the Great Jack-o-Lantern Blaze!  We drove along the Hudson River during a blood-red sunset to arrive at one of the most spectacular exhibitions of pumpkins I'd ever seen in my life!

We traveled through a maze of intricately carved pumpkins in the most elaborate displays you had ever seen!  There were stacks of pumpkins up to 4 stories high, there were tiny pumpkins carved with only the tiniest of hands, and giant pumpkins carved to perfection.  All illuminated flawlessly by the flickering light of real candles....not one was blown out...and not one was powered by any sort of battery!  Mike and I were in absolute awe at what seemed to be a display of over 10,000 jack-o-lanterns.

Here are a few snaps from our 2nd trip up to Sleepy Hollow.  Even though we made it out here two years ago, it was every bit just as festive the second time around, especially with our addition of the Great Jack-o-Lantern Blaze...an event I'll be sure to frequent for years to come as a Westchester Halloween mandatory!  We hope you enjoy some of the photos, and we hope you all had a happy & haunted Halloween.

A trip to Harvest Moon Orchards

Mike & I have been trying to explore Westchester during our free time on the weekends in hopes of discovering the town of our future home.  There are just so many gorgeous places in Westchester county, and sifting through the possibilities is an extremely daunting task - but we'll talk more about that later.  Last weekend, we decided to visit Westchester by way of a pumpkin patch!  Sure, we can get pumpkins across the street at the local bodega - and of course I'm obsessed with our Union Square Farmers Market, especially in the fall.  But it's always more festive to pick out your pumpkin from a real farm - especially when dogs are welcome at this farm!

The three of us loaded up in the Jeep to head out to Westchester on a quest to find Harvest Moon Orchards.  It was a chilly autumn New York day, and rain was threatening a little bit, but the three of us were in for a true Halloween excursion.  When we arrived, the crowds all had the same idea as the Mobleys, but it was the first pumpkin patch we had been too since moving to New York!  And we found everything you could ever want from a farm - apple orchards, acres of pumpkins, a corn maze, hay rides, apple cider, and aisles and aisles of mums & Halloween decorations.  The grounds were extremely dog friendly - and of course Winston was pretty popular with all the sweet little children.

We were back in the Jeep returning to the city in no time, but it's amazing to just get out of the city and explore the beautiful state of New York.  It's easy to think that the best parts of New York are all found right here in Manhattan, and you can get anything you have everything at your fingertips living on this little island.  But some of the best parts of the city are still to be discovered if you can take some time to explore.  There is no where like the East Coast during autumn, and words cannot describe the beauty you can stumble upon when the leaves change just a short drive north of the city.  I never appreciated autumn growing up in California, because it just doesn't happen there - so we're both eager to soak up every gorgeous view and every fantastic tradition that we can in October & November.  It's worth making a trip out here just for the trees!

Winston was beat from chasing an endless supply of "balls" (aka apples everywhere!) when we got home from the Mobley farm adventure, and we had arm fulls of perfect pumpkins.  I can't wait to continue the tradition of visiting an authentic pumpkin patch next year and in the years to come.  It's just a little embarrassing when everyone is taking pictures of their little babies among piles of pumpkins - and I'm whistling at Winston to pose for some snaps.  But when you don't have kids, you take pictures of your prized pup at the farm!  If you haven't already visited a real farm for your pumpkins, I strongly urge you to make the trip and enjoy the wonder that is autumn in New York State.

Sister Tiiiime!

Jenny & I don't get to spend a lot of time together - we especially don't get to spend a lot of time together with just the two of us!  We love our husbands, but sometimes life just calls for a little sister time.  So after Sarah & Ian's wedding, Jenny decided to come back to the city with Mike & I for a girls night in NYC!  Her husband was on the first flight out of LGA back to Dallas, she had to keep her suitcase in the living room, she had to sleep on the couch, and both Mike and I had to work the next day, but Jenny didn't care!  She just wanted to spend some quality time with her favorite New Yorkers (but mostly me) before heading back to Texas.

Riding back from Rhode Island after a late night at a wedding was rough...definitely rough.  At least the drive through New England was pretty with some early signs of changing leaves - but it was over 3 hours, and we were all a little beat up.  But that didn't keep us from a good ol fashioned rally when we got home to the city.  Within 2 hours of walking through the apartment door, we were dressed up in our Sunday evening best, we had flawless hair, and we were walking out the door with a low-key agenda for a girls night.

We stopped first at Eataly, Because it was a rather off-peak time, we were able to get a table to have some meat & cheese with rose wine to start our evening.  In my almost five years of living here, I've always had an agenda or a very specific grocery list to fulfill when I battled the crowds through Eataly.  For once, I enjoyed having a reason and a guest to just stop and smell the burrata with me!  We closed our tab and hopped in an Uber up to the theater district and walked into a theater where Chicago was playing.  Also, never in my five years of living in New York, have I walked in to a theater seven minutes before a show is scheduled to start, and buy tickets!  And because we were so polite, and dressed so nicely for the theater - the ticket clerk gave us 7th row, center tickets.  But here's the catch...they were only $100!  It totally pays to be spontaneous - and polite, of course.

Jenny & I had little sippy cups full of champagne and we got some snacks to share during the show.  And it was hard to not enjoy any Broadway play when you have such fantastic seats!  When the curtain closed we were swiftly out the doors and home in cozies in no time.  Since we were hosting Jenny, Mike made sure to have some pizza delivered for when we got home...because that's just being a good host!

It meant a lot to me to have just a few extra hours of quality time with my sister in law.  Every time we see each other it's for a very short amount of time or it's for some major holiday - we need more "just cause" nights like this.  Now that we're officially related, I'm confident that we will create more reasons to have these nights.  We're always happy to have people visit us in New York, but the best guests are family - especially any one of our siblings. I love my newest sister, I love that she stayed one extra night to be with us, and I love that the night we spent together was perfectly spontaneous and girly in every way.  Jenny (and Garrett I suppose....) you're welcome back any day you ever want!

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Orefice!

I wrote last Memorial Day about my cousin Sarah's engagement to her long-time love, Ian - and after 17 months, the big day was finally here.  Mike and I have been to a ton of weddings since we started dating over 6 years ago - but there is something extra special about family weddings. It's just more fun when you get to go to a wedding where you absolutely know, that at the very least - you'll be related to more than 30% of the wedding attendees.   And we've been lucky enough to have TWO of those this year.  After Garrett & Jenny got married in May, we shifted focus to Sarah & Ian & their impending September 27th nuptials.  There was so much excitement and anticipation between all families leading up to the big day - and now it was actually upon us!

Sarah & Ian decided to have their wedding in Warwick, Rhode Island - just 20 minutes outside of Providence, at the Aldrich Mansion.  I don't think the weather could have been any more perfect for an early fall wedding in New England.  I had never spent any time in Providence, so it was lovely not only to spend some time in a new city that I had never explored before, but to also experience the place that meant so much to our bride & groom - the place where they fell in love as two Providence College students 10 years ago.

The night before the wedding, Sarah & Ian hosted a giant welcome dinner at one of their favorite bars in Providence.  Between the two of them - I think there were over 100 family members alone at the dinner!  It was so great to see everyone arriving and spend some time with all of the wedding guests, but there was a definite highlight of the rehearsal dinner - and it was Ian's special video dedication to our favorite bride.

Ian has spent his entire career in production - the guy has an EMMY! - so it was only fitting that some of his greatest work was the personalized video he shared with all of us and his blushing bride the night before the wedding.  It was a beautiful mash-up of photos from their 10 years together, some adorable anecdotes from some of our favorite romantic comedies, and of course a perfect proclamation of love for his soon to be wife.  When the credits rolled, there were quite a few tears, a few sniffles, and more than a few wives punching their husband in the arm for Ian making all the men in the room look bad!

I'm not surprised that Sarah remained completely calm and unnerved during most of her wedding planning, which made being her bridesmaid one of the most enjoyable wedding parties I've had the pleasure of being a part of.  Sarah let us pick our own style of bridesmaid gown, and she let us do our hair, nails & makeup any way our hearts desired - which made her pretty much the opposite of a Bridezilla.  But there was definitely some stress on the big day - but only the stress that comes when you spend too much time worrying that every single detail will be absolutely perfect and flawless on the most important day of your life...the day that's been 10 years in the making....NO PRESSURE!

When Sarah put her dress on, and slipped on those sparkly bridal shoes - she was a vision. My cousin looked flawless.  Sarah is my first cousin to have a wedding - so part of me just saw my sweet little Sarah as the tiny 3 year old in a big pretty gown playing dress up, with her stuffed Puff that she brought everywhere.  But the other part of me appreciated and admired the gorgeous woman she has grown up to become and the friend I've been happy to have for 28.5 of my 30 years of life.  It goes without saying that I was extra emotional when she took her steps down the aisle towards her soon-to-be-husband with my Uncle Cary.  It's always my favorite moment of any wedding - but it really takes your breath away when that father & daughter are some of the most important people in your life.  Despite some sniffles that I may have blotted with my bouquet, I was so happy to be there by her side for her a lovely ceremony.   .

There were a few things that were truly unique about Sarah & Ian's ceremony & reception.  First was the venue.  I already mentioned that it was at the Aldrich Mansion, but if you don't know anything about it, it's a historic site that boasts some incredible views.  It was like a mansion straight out of Great Gatsby - complete with the vintage champagne glasses, luxurious sitting room, lush gardens, floor to ceiling windows, and a back porch that overlooked the waterfront and was big enough to host the entire party.  In between speeches & meals, we wandered around the different nooks of the mansion discovering all of the charm in the expansive estate.

The second element was the collection of family of friends the two of them had in attendance on their special day.  Between the two of them, their list of family members is overwhelming - but it was just that many more people who love these two fantastic humans.  It was just as impressive getting to witness all of the friendships that they have been able to nurture over the course of their lives.  They both had so many childhood friends, friends from High School, friends that the two of them have from their time at Providence College, and friends from beyond their college years.  We're so lucky to have been able to see the entire DuPont side of the family back in May for Garrett & Jenny's fabulous Long Beach wedding - so getting a double-dose of DuPonts was the icing on the (wedding) cake!  I adore, ADORE, events when we're all together.  And thank GOD we get another one together in 2015...I'm already counting down the days!

And finally - the bride and groom.  Ian got a lot of grief from my Uncle Cary & some of his groomsmen for this day being "ten years in the making", but those ten years just meant more time for memories between the two of them.  More time for them to grow their many, many friendships as a couple,  More time for people to witness how perfect the two of them are when they are together.  And just a tiny extra time to make sure that the day was absolutely flawless.

I know I'm late in saying this again and they are approaching now their 3rd month of marriage - but congratulations again to some of my favorite cousins.  You guys mean the world to us & we can't wait to see what the future has in store for you both as all of our families continue to grow.  We love you both....TONS!

Are you ready for some football?????

By the time I get to post this, I'm sure that it will be halfway through the season & the hopes and dreams of a fresh new start may or may not be completely plagued by a myriad of injuries, legal woes, and scandals.  But this blog wouldn't be complete, and SEPTEMBER wouldn't be complete without a post dedicated to acknowledge the sport that makes our world go round.  The sport that brings both family and foe together.  The sport that causes so much joy and elation - but so much pain and anguish.

We got to kick off an early season W with my brother & pops here in New York when the Bears took on the New York Jets for Monday Night football.  The DuPonts & Mobleys usually get out to a football game every year - and whether or not we are able to make the trek to Chicago is still under discussion.  But we were all in the same place at the same time on a chilly September Monday last weekend, so we reunited in Long Island City to watch a much to-close-for-comfort win over the Jets.
Whether your team ends the year in first place of the division or 0 & 16, the Mobleys wish you all the festivities of the 2014 football season.  We wish you an endless supply of buffalo wings, never-ending pitchers of ice cold brewskies, full days of sunny, brisk football weather, and of course weekly excitement and happiness with minimal disappointment and let-downs.  Let the games begin & BEAR DOWN CHICAGO BEARS (and go Niners....I suppose!).