Stephen Sanchez & Paper Kites at The Met Philly!

I'd be remiss if I didn't document Noah's first concert! Jon was originally supposed to go with me but he got called into work and luckily Noah is a good sport and didn't hesitate to see Stephen Sanchez with me! He really enjoyed the concert too! I think the fact that Stephen Sanchez plays the guitar got Noah so interested. He is now hooked on his music. He also enjoyed seeing the Paper Kites and meeting them was the coolest thing. I didn't know they were opening for them until I got the tickets so I killed two birds with one stone by seeing two great artists perform on the same evening! It was a fun evening with my boy and look forward to many more little concert dates with this kiddo!

Hudson Valley in the Fall!

 

The Be real and lapse apps have become a fave and sharing them on here makes me happy to document on what reality looks like behind the pictures. On this day (November 3rd) our original plan was to drive to Vermont but because we went to church in Maplewood to say goodbye to Elder Rodgers made the drive too long and knew we wouldn't arrive until after dark. The furthest we got was Newburgh in the Hudson Valley and man are we glad we did. We made a pit stop at the pizza shop where their neighboring foodie was a taco place. The wait was too long at Hudson tacos so we ended up eating pizza and wings and ice cream and it did not disappoint! This was an early birthday treat for Noah. In spite of Noah getting sick on the way home (too much dairy on an empty stomach!) it was worth seeing the fall foliage on the Hudson. Next time we will all make sure we have breakfast before heading out on such long drives. You'd think we'd know this since we travel so much! Other than the puking part it was a great day to go to church to see a friend and get out of Jersey!

Dia De Muertos In Times Square.

 

Dia De Los Muertos in Times Square. This day hit hard and so differently compared to past Dia De Muertos. Mourning my mom is still ongoing. Grief continues to sneak in on me but at the end of the day I celebrate her memory knowing that she is with me. Two of the most important and amazing people in my life have left this world. I miss them both so much but happy that they are together again. The offrendas were exquisite and elaborate. So beautiful. I love this tradition and will continue to remember those who have passed on. But especially my mom and Joe.

Noah is 15!!

My favorite, yet bittersweet time of the year is celebrating Noahs birthday. Every year I say this and it is such a cliche saying this but time does fly! He's 15 and getting taller every day. He's now an inch or two taller than me now. I had so much fun capturing random photos of him at our favorite spot in Central Park. I love that he still likes for me to take his picture (sometimes) that he's still into legos, transformers, sonic and shadow figurines, and playing Roblox. Although he says girls are pretty he's not into them right now. He says he is focusing on school and guitar and that's good because he is still young!! He's old school in a lot of ways by playing outside and also loves staying at home watching youtube videos. I am so lucky to have an amazing kid. Sure he can get a little annoying at times but it's very rare. I love that he still likes to snuggle and that he gives me a peck on the cheek when I drop him off at school and when he comes home from school. May those moments never end! Happy Birthday Noah! Love you more than ever!!

Our Mini "Stars Hollow."

 

There are so many quaint towns in New England that give Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girl vibes and going to New Milford in Connecticut where they actually have a gazebo that is similar to the one in the show blew me away. I have loved Gilmore Girls since the 90's and my youngest daughter and I can rewatch it over and over again. Apparently there are a few charming New England towns that inspired Stars Hollow. This one has become a favorite. Going during the fall season was dreamy and the fall decor throughout the town is stunning. I'm so grateful to be a fall baby and to be able to celebrate all season long by venturing out to the places I love. 

Scenes Of NYC In BeReals!

 

New York City is always filled with excitement and since the fall season began it has been a good season so far. The "ember" months are definitely my favorite and there is always so much to do here. I love spending time with my family and we had so much fun going to Jimmy Fallon's Tonightmares. Although it wasn't super scary the effects and the actors did such a great job. I loved the set up and it was super kid friendly which is probably why it wasn't super duper scary. 

Peak Foliage in Central Park!

Two weekends ago we went to Central Park cause it was peak foliage and it was stunning! I was really impressed with the fall foliage. We have had summer all month of October and with no rain I feel that the leaves are already drying out. They are falling off now but I am so glad we were able to see autumn in New York. It never gets old and we just love coming here when peak hits. I captured a few photos on the lapse app as well as my own. So remind yourself that these scenes from fall in Central Park are a reminder to you to put it on your bucket list and come experience it for yourself. It is gorgeous! And let's not get into the halloween decorations that new Yorker put out! Absolutely perfect!

Same Stoop Six Years Later!

 

We have been "halloween stooping" since moving closer to the city and six years ago I captured Noah walking past the same stoop from six years ago. I can't believe how tall and grown he's gotten. My heart is literally breaking watching him tower me. It's so fun to capture these moments and bittersweet at the same time. Not sure how long we will do these reenactments of old photos but I'll take it as long as he allows me to!

Halloween 2024.

And just like that...October is gone and November arrived like a leer jet. Before welcoming November I'd like to talk a little about October and how trick or treating went this year. First of all, let me mention that this was my first time preparing and handing out candy in about 25 years. All my years I've been taking the kids out trick or treating and mind you I never left a bowl of candy out because in all honestly we lived in an area where we didn't get many trick or treaters and just didn't bother because we weren't going to be home anyway. However, for the first time in the year 2024 I made cute little candy baggies and decorated my tin basket outside and guess how many trick or treaters came? Four! Luckily as I was putting everything inside I saw three more trick or treaters passing my house and gave them bags of candy. I still had at least 20 plus left. Oh well, since Noah didn't go out trick or treating I gave the candy to him and that was how my halloween went. Not sure I will do it again next year as we do live in an area that is near the turnpike where we hardly get trick or treaters but nonetheless I was grateful for those seven humans who came and passed through my space to hand out candy. And although I cried a bit, it was a pretty good feeling when I handed them out. 

Fall In The Hudson Valley.

 

It's peak foliage right now in the Hudson Valley and each year we go to Sleepy Hollow to check out all the sights. We didn't do the whole "touristy" thing because we've gone so many times and it's a good thing because it was so crowded. I swear every year this area gets busier and busier with crowds. I know putting this spot on social media doesn't help. When some big influencer posts about a certain place everyone just has to go there. We've been coming here since Instagram was even a thing and now that I'm getting older it kind of bothers me that these quaint little towns are becoming so popular. Don't get me wrong I love people but not when it's super crowded! We love sleepy hollow and we will still come here but not during halloween season!

Tia Margot.

I've always wondered what my aunt was up to since she left Mcallen and when I googled my aunt's address earlier this year I knew that I had to get in touch with her. I was trying to get a hold of her to let her know about my mom and when I was on my way to see my niece I decided to go see her. See, they both live within 30 minutes of each other and I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone. Even though it took me forever to get a hold of my aunt I knew that I had to keep trying. I finally got a text back from her but it wasn't very sensible. I kept calling her to let her know that her sister (my mom) died but to no avail. She wasn't picking up or answering the texts right away. When we finally arrived I now knew why and I will explain that in a minute.