Hoppy Easter

Mike and I moved over Easter weekend 2 years ago.  It was the first Easter I had spent without my family, and since then, we've started a little tradition of having a "kids Easter" every year.  April tends to be a busy month for the Mobleys, and while we would love to be with our family on Easter, it's hard to travel so far for just the weekend.  But our friends are our family too, and for the past three years (including this weekend), we've celebrated with "the kids".   Starting on Good Friday, New York transformed into full blown spring (which I'll talk about in my next post).  And while it was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful in Manhattan, we thought it would be even more festive to enjoy the great outdoors out in the country.  So we took a quick little drive out to one of our favorite "homes" at the Buck's house in Princeton.  

There is no shortage of activities to do out in Princeton, and the magnitude of festiveness is uncanny at the Buck's home.  Immediately upon our arrival, we found ourselves as the subjects of an Easter Egg hunt.  I've got a bit of an eagle eye, and we found all 29 eggs within an hour or so of getting to the house.  And what would Easter be without some egg decorating.  Yes, everyone participated....even the boys.  All the kids had their own personalized eggs that we created with a mix of vibrantly colored dye.  

The activities continued after we packed up an amazing spread of wine and cheese to head out to the club for some paddle tennis.  Yes, it's a funny, preppy sport played on a mini tennis court that requires minimal athletic gear, and you can enjoy a nice Malbec while you're waiting to rotate in.

The five of us played under the lights during a sunset happy hour, and I'm sorry to say that paddle tennis is probably not my forte, but that's 100% ok.  It's still fun, even if you're not that good.  Before his back surgery, Mike LOVED playing tennis, so it was nice to see him get out and have some fun again.


Chuck made everyone a delicious family dinner consisting of filet mignon, peel & eat shrimp and some grilled veggies.  And as for the after dinner activity...POKER!  For the first time ever in my life, I played poker. The crew taught me how to play Texas Hold 'em, and again....not my forte...but I'm so thrilled to have FINALLY learned how to play poker.  A few hours of wine, cigars and Johnny Walker Black Label later, it was the early hours of the morning before we even knew it.

Winston, as usually woke up Mom & Dad eager to get out into the beautiful sunshine and enjoy the day out in the country.  At 8:30am, it was a brisk morning and the sun was up in the sky, happy to be celebrating Easter Sunday.   We enjoyed our coffee on the back patio while waiting for the rest of the crew to rise and shine.  Everyone, donned in their greatest Easter pastels, loaded up on Easter mimosas, ham, and deviled eggs before an aggressive and challenging game of bocce ball around the grounds of the Buck garden.  Regardless of the fact that I got schooled by my husband, and the fact that Winston added a level of difficulty by pushing select bocce balls around the yard with his nose, nothing beats some time in the sunny great outdoors with our fabulous friends and my "little family".  And before we parted to head back to the city we grilled peeps to try a Peeps s'more recipe that I learned from Pinterest....AMAZING.  Although it seems a little violent to burn peeps...just sayin.

I always miss my parents and brother on holidays that I don't spend with them, but our friends really are a family to us too and made for an extremely festive and memorable Easter weekend.

A New York Minute

 It's hard to believe that two years ago today, I boarded an American Airlines one-way trip to NYC!  I took a red eye with an 8 month old bulldog puppy and woke up in Manhattan where Mike was waiting for us in front of our new home....290 3rd Avenue in beautiful Gramercy Park.

Our empty apartment and Winston's first day as a New Yorker

Before moving to New York, both Californians and New Yorkers were convinced a little South Orange County girl wouldn't adjust well to New York and that I would find myself longing for the simple life of Laguna Beach very quickly.  My husband was extremely encouraging, and did everything in his power to make our move as easy and seamless as possible, because it was, after all, his job that transferred our little family to the Big Apple. 

I love New York, but I'd be lying to you if I didn't say that there were some things that were hard for me to adjust to:

1.  First and foremost, was the rent & space.  Mike and I are paying DOUBLE what we paid in LA, for 1/2 the space.  Each of us had walk in closets in LA, and beautiful views of the ocean and the mountains.  So it was no surprise to us that when we moved here, a storage unit was mandatory so compensate for the overflow of my husband's rock star memorabilia. 

2.  Homeless people.  I'm not a prude when it comes to bums....lord knows I've seen my fair share of bums in Venice Beach or along Hollywood Boulevard.  But at least in California, they stay out of the neighborhoods.   It was an adjustment to me to see homeless people on every corner you turn. 

Winston helping with the unending amount of boxes we brought

 3.  Cigarettes.  Californians just do not smoke as much as these New Yorkers.  I am 100% smoke free, but I feel like by the time I walk to work, I've smoked the equivalent of 2 cigarettes, and there is no escaping it.  You can be walking on your merry way, and get a giant plume of smoke blown in your face out of no where.  Bleh...

4.  Lack of "nature".  Sure we have parks, and sure there are beautiful flowers planted all over the city for each of the seasons.  But there is no natural escape in the city...whatever you do, you're still stuck in the concrete jungle.  I know there is smog in LA, but there are still canyons, parks, beaches just minutes away from where ever you are at any given time.  Sometimes I feel like I took for granted how easy it was to just take a hike (figuratively and literally), or how amazing the Pacific Ocean feels on your face.  There are some beautiful nature excursions out here, but it isn't at your fingertips, and it requires much more of an effort. 

 5.  Noise! New York is the City that Never Sleeps....so there is noise all day, every day.  Sirens, construction drilling, buses, people out on the streets, horns, you name it!  I never in my life thought I could be one of those people to sleep with ear plugs...but now I don't know how I'd sleep with out them!

But, within 3 months, I had fallen head over heals with the city that never sleeps. Regardless of whether you're here to stay or just on vacation, there are things about Manhattan that you just have to love!  And these are the things that made it easy as pie to adjust to living in New York. 

1.  Not having a car.  I was skeptical about selling the ol' Beemer.  There is something about having the windows rolled down, with the wind in your hair.  But once I got here, I was THRILLED not to have that added expense.  No car means no paying for gas, no sacrificing shoes/clothes to make sure I pay insurance, no monthly payments, no oil changes, no paying for maintenance, and best of all, NO DRINKING AND DRIVING!  There is always a safe way to party in New York without having to appoint someone as designated driver, and I LOVE that!

2.  Seasons.  I know I've talked about this a lot, but the #1 thing people told me before moving was "you're not going to be able to handle the winter".  Well you know what....I DID handle the winter, and I LOVE the winter.  Sure I didn't have to switch out my clothes every season in California, but I don't mind.  There is something festive every 3 months about the changing of the seasons in New York.  And I can honestly say, the first time I felt like New York was "home" to me, was the first "fall-y" day in 2010.  Seasons are beautiful, and I was missing out on all of that in my life as a Californian.

3.  Summer Fridays.  Yes, I had Summer Friday's in California, but it's a crazy phenomenon here in New York.  Weekends in the summer means that NO ONE stays in the city.  People flock every Friday from Memorial Day through Labor Day, to various coastal escapes including the Hamptons, The Cape, the Shore (yes, that's Jersey), Nantucket, Newport RI, Fire Island, Martha's Vineyard, wherever, just anywhere outside of the steamy confines of the city.  It's the one time of year when all New Yorkers experience the same sense of urgency in condensing a 5 day workweek into 4 days, so that Friday can be a day of travel out to one of the many beach destinations just a train ride away!

4.  Fashion.  I'm not sure if it's the different seasons, but people in New York are fancy paaants!  It's not unusual for me to see more Louboutins than I can count on two hands just during my commute to work.  Maybe it's because I see more people during my walk to work, but I find myself envying more and more pairs of shoes and handbags in my walk to work.  In LA, it's 100% more casual....and jeans are part of the "business casual" dress code.  That's not the case in NY, and both men & women dress to the nines for just a normal day on the job.

5.  Walking.  I walk to and from work every day....which is about 3 miles round trip.  Yes, it might mess up my hair by the time I get to the office, and yes, it's not optimal for shoes, but I've found a way to adjust and I love my walks MUCH more than sitting in AC and traffic.  It gives me time to catch up with people on the phone, it gives me time to enjoy the city before starting my day, and it gives me a little extra exercise before I sit in front of a computer for 10 - 11 hours a day. 

Hooray for another year in the city!!!!

6.  Coffee Carts.  Now this is just silly and small, but there are very few things more delicious than a cup of coffee from a CART (no corporate coffee establishment), where the guy behind the window is just as excited to see you on Tuesday as he was on Monday.  There is something to be said about getting a $2 cup of coffee for free one morning, just because he's happy you're there.  I really felt like a New Yorker the day I called him "my coffee guy".  

7.  Delivery.  You can literally get everything delivered to you in Manhattan.  Takeout, groceries, dry cleaning, booze, medication, even my freakin DOG can be delivered to my house after he comes home from doggee day care.  I've come to appreciate it and my door men every time I have to pull a late night at work, or when Mike is traveling.  Those delivery people are out there rain, snow or shine to make sure you get your goods.  And no...it hasn't made us lazier. :)

So after 2 years of living in Manhattan, Mike and I didn't even think twice before signing another year lease for our Gramercy Park apartment.  The past 2 years have gone by SO fast, we haven't even had time to THINK about living anywhere else.  I thought I'd be counting down the days until our 2 year least was up, but I we signed that paperwork within minutes of received the renewal.  Here is to another year at 290 3rd Ave and our cozy little one bedroom!!!!

Over the River and Through the Woods

Last week was just "one of those weeks"...and sometimes, the only cure for that is good ol' fashioned family time and a little bit of fresh air.  I've spent most of my life (with the exception of a few years as a young child) living in a different state from my extended family.

Winston and Franklin 

The DuPonts had to brave the airport craziness anytime we spent Christmas or Thanksgiving with our family.  But in 2010, when Mike and I moved to New York, we were a mere train ride away from my grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins, dogs, you name it!  So I get to make up for 26 years of living far away from them, by heading out to Bristol, Connecticut whenever the heck I feel like it!

Home made guac

A little nap in the sun room

 I don't think I can even begin to describe how much Winston loves being out in Connecticut.  He doesn't have to wear a leash, he doesn't have to relieve himself on cement or trash bags, there are kids and other dogs, and there is an unlimited amount of balls for him to chase!  And when we get out to the country, he's happy, which is hard to tell on a bulldog, because in general, they look grumpy....but he's happy.  He loves nature, he's a nature dog. And he knows....boy does he know...when he gets a car ride to visit Connecticut.  Sometimes it's worth it, just for him.  Man, am I going to be a sap when I have a child. 


We don't need to do anything special when we visit Connecticut, it's not like we go out there because we want a crazy night out on the town.  I just feel lucky to have an outlet from the city whenever I need it.  And sometimes the best thing to do is just catch up with everyone and maybe attend a little cocktail party that my gram threw for all of her friends, regardless of the fact that I was the youngest by about 45 years.  Or sometimes, all you need to do is bust out the ol' Margaritaville machine and make a daiquiri, even though it's not summer.  Or sometimes you just need to do P90X in the living room with your uncle.  And sometimes, you just want to eat cocoa puffs and cinnamon rolls because you never have them at home.  It doesn't matter how old or how self sufficient you are, sometimes you just need a good home cooked meal, a family game night, and maybe a little time away from the daily grind to reboot yourself before another crazy week.  Thank God for family!

Kiss Me, I'm Irish!

Winston in a Dropkick
Murphys shirt

St. Patrick's Day was on a Saturday this year.  And not just ANY Saturday, the most beautiful Saturday so far in 2012...therefore a recipe for definite and absolute chaos.

The Mobleys were extremely prepared (as always with any holiday), with a Guinness beef stew, green rice krispy treats, and a refrigerator full of ice cold Guinness.  The sounds of Dropkick Murphys filled the home and the sun was bright and shining, allowing us to enjoy our wonderful patio space. Mike even made sure to get orange and green flowers for our apartment so we could proudly display the colors of the Irish flag.  Mike donned his kilt and we were dressed in the greenest attire we could throw together.

We can see at least six or seven different Irish drinking establishments directly from our patio, so we used our apartment as a base camp and start the day in some of the more authentic pubs, like our neighborhood favorite Molly's.  Irish pubs on St. Patrick's day are nuts to begin with, but then add on the fact that it was a Saturday, allowing for travel from the B&T crowd....and you've got an absolutely PACKED bar.  We are locals, and the Molly's staff appreciated that, so we got Guinness and some authentic corned beef and hash in record time.  The crowd was definitely interesting, and with people having the entire day off, it was an all day event, which allowed for more craziness earlier in the day.  People were 100% intoxicated before 2pm....which was just remarkable.

Our travels around the city took us to a couple more Irish pubs before we joined the rest of our buddies down on the lower east side.  This was the first time I think we'd all been together in quite a while.  I literally don't think we had the whole crew together since Mike and I had our Christmas party.  Nothing beats a night out with friends whilst being festive to celebrate a holiday. 

Somehow between 7 and 11p the night flew by and we had to leave to get home to our pup.  The night literally went by so quickly and I had such a blast with each and everyone of our friends.  Our schedules have all been so crazy lately that it was hard to coordinate with everyone, and Mike and I were starting to miss our buddies.  Everyone was in such good spirits and it was just good ol' fashioned honest fun.  We're definitely paying for it today, and Winston was up and at em' bright an early, but it was 100% worth it for a fun St. Patrick's Day with the best crew of people I know.

A Springtime Visit from the Mobleys!

 With the exception of what seemed like a month full of metal....we've had a relatively quiet and uneventful Q1 allowing Mike TONS of time to travel for work!  Now, I'm not saying that I'm ungrateful for have some quiet time, because once April starts, the Mobley's are going to be hitting the ground running for pretty much the rest of 2012.  There are bachelorette parties, showers, weddings, anniversaries, reunions, vacations, and recitals, oh my!  I'm not the least bit overwhelmed thinking about it, in fact I look forward to it all.

It's been a while since we had people come visit us in New York (outside of the monthly visit from my mom to keep me company while Mike travels....LOVE YOU MOM!!!!).  So it goes without saying that it was absolutely wonderful to have my in-laws in town for the weekend.  Mike's dad had some business here in the city and they were able to fit in some time with us on a beautiful spring weekend in New York. 

Minetta Tavern - Home of the Black Label Burger!

We took them to Minetta Tavern for my first experience with one of their world famous Black Label burgers!  It was absolutely delicious and I devoured every tiny morsel.  There are a few burgers in New York City that I'd put above this one, but it was definitely in my top 5 burgers I've ever had!

New York is definitely not in the full swing of springtime yet, but it was some of the best weather NY has seen in a while, regardless of the mild winter we had this year.  And boy did we enjoy it!  Mike drank his coffee & read the newspaper outside, while Winston engaged in his favorite past time...sunbathing.  It's the silliest thing this little pup does and every time there is just a sliver of sun on the patio, he's out there getting his tan on!

Our visit with Mr. & Mrs. Mobley continued with some lovely downtime at our apartment.  Mike and his mom sipped delicious martini's while I enjoyed a nice scotch with my father-in-law.  We may not have had the fanciest appetizer spread, but let me tell you, our bar is fully stocked 24/7.  And our night continued to one of our favorite neighborhood spots, Almond.  Dinner may have been a little late as were were all a few cocktails deep by the time we got there, but Almond always promises a great time and great food (we went there the next morning for brunch as well...WHOOPS!). 

We finished up the weekend with none other than a good ol' fashioned Sunday dinner!  Mike and I haven't shared a Sunday Dinner with anyone other than each other in ages.  I've been trying new Pinterest recipes and experimenting with the crock pot every week, but we always have TONS of leftovers and no one else to try my cooking.  So this Sunday, we actually had guests!  I made one of my staples, Shephard's Pie (although the weather was a little warm for it), along with my husband's favorite little pudding pie dessert.  I love entertaining people in our home (especially now that we have more room), and I LOVE LOVE LOVE, having family in town.  We can't wait to see the whole Mobley family one month from tomorrow in beautiful Sayulita, Mexico!!!

1984

My sweet shirt that used
to fit my husband

My birthday tends to fall within a time of year where there just so happens to be a lot of concerts.  Since Mike and I have been dating, we've celebrated my birthday with some type of epic musical performance.  In 2009, it was the 10th Anniversary concert of Jimmy Eat World's Clarity album, one of my favorite bands of all time.  2010 took us to Las Vegas with the Blades' for my first ever Bon Jovi show.  Last year was another JBJ show at MSG, and this year....well this year was Van Halen.

Birthday 2010 in Vegas for Bon Jovi!

For everyone who doesn't know by husband, Van Halen is his favorite band of all time.  It is the perfect blend of metal, awesomeness, and serotonin (as evident through the single "Jump").  I often boast of his amazing Van Halen tatoo on his arm.  So here we are with another 2012 first for me.  My first ever Van Halen show!   I can always rely on my husband to get amazing tickets to every concert and for Van Halen we were 6 rows away from Eddie Van Halen shredding his face off and David Lee Roth's little twinkle toes.  This reunion has been a long time coming, and as soon as they made the announcement in December, it was the best Christmas gift Mike had gotten all year.  It was such a treat to see one of the greatest guitarists of all time from just a few feet away.  And it was the perfect way to end a very musical and metal week after 4 days of rocking (literally and physically) on the cruise!

But yesterday I celebrated 28 wonderful years of life and I thank everyone out there who made me feel special.  Growing up, my family always knew by birthday was coming because right around February 20th, I started milking it.  "Can I stay up an extra 20 minutes please, it's my birthday?".  "Can I sleep over at a friends house on a school night, it's my birthday?".  "Can you do all my chores in the house for me, because it's my birthday?".  "Can I have two Popsicles for dessert, it's my birthday!"  "Can you get me some water, it's my birthday?".  If you didn't know it was my birthday, you saw it coming weeks before the actual day. 

A little birthday toast

I'm not sure at which age I stopped with these tendencies, but my birthday used to be my favorite day of the year.  Better than Christmas, better than Halloween...better than the last day of school.  I could never understand why crazy ladies started to not like their birthdays over the years. But this year...I completely understood, and THANK GOD I have my amazing husband who made sure I felt special and that there was no time for me to turn into a crazy lady because you're

My birthday bouquet and
a bulldog card...what else?

"sensitive" around your birthday.  He gave me presents all day, which included: a beautiful silk dress he picked out himself! (and knew what size I was!!!), P90X II (no, I did NOT take that gift the wrong way...for those of you who know me....P90X is pretty much my life), and best of all....two round trip, FIRST CLASS tickets to Italy in September!  Mike took me to one of the finest restaurants in New York City, Gramercy Tavern where we enjoyed some exquisite cuisine and spotted a few New York celebrities while indulging in one of the best brownie sundaes I've ever had!

But after another year and as I grow older and wiser, I am reminded of just how lucky I am to have all the amazing people in my life.  Even though I had a few crazy "I hate my birthday" moments, I had overwhelming love from all my friends and family to ground me and make me feel special.  Thank you to Joanna DuPont for giving birth to a 10 lb baby girl (those were some ugly pictures that day I was born...not my best) 28 years ago!  And thank you to my patient and sweet, sweet, husband for a day full of treats!

Rock the Boat!

On our cruise ship!  Waiting to get
out on the water

2012 is going to be quite a year of firsts for me.  Mike and I will be going to a lot of places I've never been and doing a lot of things that I have never done before.  So there will be no shortage of adventures for me to share over 2012 with all of you.  But this year's first first, was a cruise.  I have gone almost 28 (this is they first time I've referred to myself as that age) years without going on a cruise.  Some of that was by chance, some of that was by choice.  I'm terrified of boats sinking (unless I can hold hands with Leonardo DiCaprio on floating piece of wood), I've heard mixed reviews about typical cruise clientele, and I'm not a fan of the fact that you don't get to enjoy the nightlife at any of the destinations because the ships travel at night.  But, I decided to face my fears and hop aboard for the "Monsters of Rock" cruise to Key West & the Bahamas.

Night Ranger getting excited for their first
Monsters of Rock Cruise!

I love these kids

There are a few reasons why I chose this particular cruise to give away my boat virginity.  First, it's the Monsters of Rock Cruise....3 nights of awesome 80s hair metal bands to enjoy with my husband, whilst being tropical.  Second, we have some family going too!  Our cousins James & Julie are our favorite couple to hang out with in LA, and we miss them every day now that we live in New York.


When I found out that the Blades family was going to be there, it was a bit of a no-brainer because they are so much fun.  Third, this wont be your average cruise clientele....I was intrigued to see what type of eclectic people were going to be on the ship.  Fourth, my husband promised to fly us first class to and from Ft. Lauderdale and that we would have upgraded accommodations on the boat if I agreed to join them on this excursion.  And finally, I've never been to either Key West OR the Bahamas (another TWO firsts for ya right there).  Key West is hands down Mike's favorite little weekend retreat, and I couldn't wait to visit this tropical destination with the most festive person I know in the world.

A happy Blades Family

It was extremely hard to pack for this trip.  I had to bring a mix of 80's, some metal attire, and let us not forget to be tropical!  Prior to leaving, we also got upwards of 20 documents with boarding information, cruise survival kits, itineraries, maps of the boat, schedules for dining, and of course the concert lineups for all three nights.  So needless to say, I was nervous about the embarkation and safety drills required for each passenger. But Mike prepared a survival kit that was indicative of something Tom Hank's could have benefited from while stranded on Castaway, so I felt safe in the event that our ship sank and we needed water purification drops and  emergency rope.

It's hard to give kisses when you have life vests on!

THE single most popular shirt on the entire ship!

Our first order of business was to meet up with the Blades family in Fort Lauderdale before embarkation.  We haven't seen the Blades family together since our wedding almost 10 months ago and we were SO happy to see everyone!  We loaded up all the gear and packed up into the vans to head over to the dock where we THANKFULLY didn't have to wait in the general boarding lines.  The embarkation process was not seamless and we even had special treatment!  Mike and I got to tag along with Night Ranger and the crew and it STILL took over an hour to get everyone boarded and through customs and security.  Not to mention, we were waiting in line with some extreme metal heads.  Not white trash, there is a difference.  We're talking grown men with waist length hair, a sea of black clothing, and metal fans from all over the world.  That was definitely not my favorite part of the whole process, but once we got on board it was all awesomeness for the next 72 hours.

The Mobley's cabin was directly above James & Julie.  We could go out onto our balcony and yell down to them anytime we wanted to chat.  But fear not, we had walkie talkies in case we needed to communicate (you'll notice my handset in my hand in most of the cruise pictures).  If you ever go on a cruise with a group of people, the walkie talkies are clutch because phones don't work out in the middle of the ocean.  We were always able to get in touch with each other with those little radios.  Everyone had code names that we made up for each member of the party for the trip.

Mike = Ghost rider
James = Colonel
Uncle Jack = Commodore
Julie = JuJu
Aunt Mollie = Mamma Gia
and for myself....Shemobs (or Stef Leppard...depending on the mood)

Mike and I fit in a LOT of music on the first night while a few of the members of the party were battling a bit of sea sickness.  We saw Tesla, Cinderella,

Firehouse & Y&T all in one night.  Mike was like a kid in a candy shop.  There was amazing music all day, all over the boat, any time you wanted.  Right out of the gate, we rallied pretty hard and tried to fit in as much music as possible.  Firehouse was definitely a favorite of mine one night one, but all the shows were extremely intimate and completely unlike any traditional concert experience you could ever have.  But day 2 of the trip was hands down one of my favorite days so far of 2012.  We woke up docked at beautiful Key West and were anxious to get off the boat to enjoy everything that wonderful Key West had to offer.  So obviously, with less than a day to run around the island, it was evident that we needed to rent scooters.  Mike was so excited to show me around and share some of his favorite places with me during my first trip to one of Mike's favorite places in the world. Key West is such a quaint little island town with endless places to stop in and have cocktails & delicious shellfish.


We went to the Southernmost point (90 miles to Cuba!), we saw the Hemmingway House where Ernest Hemmingway lived with all his ladies and a 6 toed cat. We went to an art fair and bought some pieces for our apartment, and we had a wonderful group lunch at the Conch Republic.  Every place on the island had happy, tropical tunes playing from local beach bums and the conch fritters and cocktails were flowing.

If it wasn't for an impending Night Ranger show, we would have been bummed to leave.  But we hurried back to the boat to get ready to see NR rock the faces off  the entire boat.

Night Ranger Captain's Hats!

As some of you may know, Mike's Uncle Jack is the front man for Night Ranger, so as you can imagine, we've seen them quite a few times, Mike more than myself of course, but we've seen them play a lot.  But the show we saw on the boat was the best thing ever!  People all over the cruise were talking about how amazing the NR show was and how it wasn't just the highlight for us,but a highlight for a lot of the metal fans on the boat as well.  Obviously, there was nothing to do after that show but just party with everyone, right?  We had cocktails in the room, we had dinner with the band, and we caught some more music with the rest of the crew (including a Lynch Mob jam session, Eric Martin (aka Mr. Big), and Kix).  It.Was.A.Blast!!!!

Our rock star night made for a painful day 3 on the cruise ship when we docked in Nassau.  I'm not sure how I feel about Nassau and we weren't in the Bahamas long enough to explore the more remote areas, but we did a day trip to the beach/pool for some much needed re-hydration and relaxation. And nothing beats sparkling turquoise Caribbean ocean at the end of February when you still have a few more weeks of winter to go home to in New York.  Nothing could beat the energy from day 2 on the boat, but Night Ranger played an amazing acoustic set the final night, which was more fitting for an evening where everyone was on their reserve tanks and feeling the effects of 3 days on a boat coupled aggressive amounts of tequila.

All of the things that concerned me about taking a cruise were obsolete and silly after the epic adventure I had with amazing people.  The music was unbelievable and it was unreal to have all of my favorite music at my disposal whenever I wanted to enjoy it live.  And while I there were some "interesting people" on the cruise it wasn't the white trash boat ride I feared but rather 2700 extremely enthusiastic metal maniacs from all over the world.  I admit, I had my hesitations about this little trip before going, but I'm so glad I went and I hope we can make it an annual tradition.  Thank you to the Blades family for including us and we can't wait until Monsters of Rock 2013!!!