Spring Has Sprung!

I don't think I need to remind my readers how much I enjoy the changing of the seasons.  And honestly, I used to think that spring time was anti-climactic when measured up against the other seasons.  I mean, it's a season where the timing is decided by a fat rodent who may or may not be afraid of his own shadow, and I feel like it's the shortest season of all.  And for some people, springtime is characterized by days and days of  pouring rain.  But even though we had a mild winter this year, spring has been absolutely beautiful and I've developed a new found appreciation for the season of showers and flowers for a few reasons. 

1.  Full Bloom -Watching entire streets bloom with flowers brings an element of nature to New York city that almost makes you forget that you're in the middle of a concrete jungle.  Parks and sidewalks all over the city are littered with blooming trees, tulips, daffodils and fluffy purple flowers.  The colors are unbelievable, and even the barest trees are starting to show signs of budding.  My daily walk through Madison Square Park is full of the most vibrant pinks, purples, and reds that you ever did see!

2.  "Fashion shows" - Ok, so it's not THE NY Fashion Week, but the first day of the year where you can walk outside without wearing tights and boots is one of the best feelings I never knew about until these past few years.  When that day comes where you can talk on  your cell phone without having to have gloves on your hands, or when your morning time routine isn't delayed by how long it takes to put on scarves, hats, puffy coats, it's an amazing amazing feeling.  Springtime is marked by the departure of dark black coats, in favor of pastels and floral prints.  It's a beautiful display of colorful, flowy clothing, instead of the winter uniform of black and neutrals.  Chunky boots are ditched for those flats and pumps you have kept in storage for the past few months.  .  Which leads me to my next favorite thing about Spring....

3.  More Closet Space!! -  Winter clothes just take up too much damn room.  Sweaters are so bulky and cumbersome, and New York closets are not conducive to accommodating several pairs of boots. Packing all my winter attire away for the spring/summer cleared out an unbelievable amount of room in my closet.  And more room in my closet only means one thing....I can go shopping!

4.  Daylight savings - The first week of daylight savings is a pain...losing an hour of sleep isn't something that I adjust very well to, but it's worth it if you can muscle through the mornings because it means an extra hour of sun!  Even though I'm not leaving work any earlier, there is something about getting home while the sun is still up that lifts your spirits significantly.  And there is a lot more you can do outside with an hour more of sunlight.

5.  Baseball season - The arrival of spring means the start of baseball season!  Ok, maybe it's not the most exciting sport to watch on TV, but it makes my heart smile to think about leaving work a little early to enjoy a cold one and a hot dog on a warm summer evening.  Or trekking out to the ballpark with a group of friends to sit in cheap seats so that we can enjoy each other while enjoying a little bit of New York Yankees baseball.

6.  Happy New Yorkers - Much like the mad dash to bust out spring time clothes, I love the first nice day of the year, where New Yorkers appreciate being able to spend as much time as possible outside again after 4 months of hiding from the cold.  As a Californian, I took advantage of how consistently beautiful it was while I lived there, no matter what the season.  But something I love about New York is how UNIVERSALLY THRILLED everyone is when we have beautiful weather.  No beautiful day goes unnoticed.  It's the only time in the city of Manhattan where hands down, EVERYONE is happy.  And for a bunch of New Yorkers to ALL be in a good mood???  That's very rare.

7.  Outdoor Seating - This is a seasonal thing, not a permanent thing out here.  So when you start to see restaurants extending their square footage by adding some patio tables, iiiiiit's springtime!

Yes, I have itchy eyes, and yes, I pretty much have a permanent sinus headache during April and May.  But it's the changing of the seasons, and it's a beautiful thing.  And springtime is extremely underrated considering all the joy it brings to the folks who can open up their windows and get some fresh air without freezing to death.  And unfortunately, I feel like its the shortest month (damn groundhog!) because true spring seems to last only from the time between Easter and Memorial Day weekend.  So enjoy some vitamin D, and open up your windows folks because in a few short weeks, we'll all be longing for a nice cool breeze!!!!

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!