The Great Gatsby on Broadway!

 

Seeing a broadway show has become a tradition around my birthday and this year we saw the Great Gatsby. I absolutely loved it. It was well done and written and loved it as a musical. I even cried in the end. I thought the movies were good but when they do musicals based off a movie, it becomes emotional for me. 

Thankful for Traditions and Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Traditions are very special and one tradition that we have had since moving to the east coast has been going to the Macy's thanksgiving parade in NYC. It's hard to believe that I have one kid left in the nest and today was extra special. This kid has been a trooper for the past 12 years waking up every thanksgiving morning at 5-6am just so we can get to the Macy's parade a bit early! I am thankful for all of our blessings and for the day we had. Especially more grateful for my girls who are away for college and live in a state where they have family to spend the holidays with. My heart is full! Happy thanksgiving and stay tuned for more pics! 

A Day In Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Williamsburg in Brooklyn is a hip town and I love coming here. there are many things to do here and earlier this year Noah and I ventured out to it. I have always wanted to see this mural of Drew Barrymore. I saw it on Instagram years ago and we finally captured it in person. It's pretty much peeling off but the artist, Steven Paul who was just 17 years old at the time did a really good job. He titled it "Lost Time" and entered it in the Scholastic Arts & Writing competition in 2014. He also won the gold medal for this photo which led for him to collaborate with Colossal Media by turning it into a mural that is four stories high! It is now one of the most famous murals known as "the Mona Lisa of Williamsburg." Amazing!

Happy Memorial Day!

 

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. 

We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. 

It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."

 - Ronald Reagan

Fleet week was this week and while walking on the streets of the city there were navy soldiers everywhere. Forever grateful for their service and even more grateful to those who lost their lives for our freedoms today. May we always remember our loved ones on this day and never forget their sacrifice for our country. 

Walking The Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.

There are so many things to do here in the east and one thing I never thought to do is go for a walk on the Governor Mario M. Cuomo bridge. We have always crossed this bridge while going to sleepy hollow and have never thought to walk it until Lexie mentioned going the other day. I figured...why not. Although the days have been brutally hot we were lucky to have gone on a cloudy day and it was perfect! No crowds, just peace and quiet. It's a couple of miles longer than the Brooklyn bridge so we didn't walk it completely but we walked enough where I could capture some good views and make this little reel. We all had a great time. It's four hour parking so I believe that it takes that long to walk it in its entirety. Two hours each way. If you have the time and stamina I'd say go for it. Maybe next time we'll go in the fall when the temperatures are a lot cooler. But it is a pretty awesome bridge and it's so cool how it was built and how the timelines shows all how this bridge progressed over time!

Love Letter To New York City.

 

"The city still continues to surprise me every day. 

How you may ask?

A city like New York, where everything is moving all the time at this constant driving pace right?

It’s like a living organism breathing and changing, and overtime your relationship to it becomes like this incredible romance. At first it’s intoxicating, irresistible and then slowly it becomes comfortable and safe. You have this cellular connection to it, as if you’ve known each other forever. Like your oldest happiness, and sometimes you’re on the outs, and sometimes you’re making up. And every now and then you catch yourself in this transcendent moment where you think to yourself, “oh my God, I’m madly in love with you! And I always will be.” 

And I think that’s when it surprises me."

Mini-Golf In Industry City!

Going a bit backwards here on the blog and writing about some of the things we did in early fall and because we love mini golf had to document this so the kids can look back and say, "hey, I remember that day! That was sooooo fun." The kids developed a love for mini golf over the summer and when we went to the Industry city last month around my birthday we happened to stumble upon a pop-up mini golf course in so after we had Burger Joint we paid the 5 buck deposit and played a couple of rounds and had an absolute fun time! The theme of this pop-up mini golf course was of course "New York" so I captured a few photos of the kids golfing and had to capture a picture of Noah's favorite installation of King Kong atop the Empire State building. 

Happy October!!!

I can't believe October has arrived! These photos were taken last year in the upper west side of Manhattan. We love coming here during October to see all the decorations in this neighborhood. I'm hoping that the residents of this location will decorate their stoop again. It's soooo aesthetic and since halloween is not cancelled in new york here's hoping that the UWS will go to town and spook up their stoops! Here's hoping for a fun month of tricks and treats wherever you live and that this pandemic won't ruin Halloween! 

Art Omi In Ghent, New York!

The more we hear all about the great things that New York has to offer the more we love it!! We heard about this huge art sculpture park out in the Catskills and we made a day trip of it and spent the entire afternoon here. It was the best. It was unique. And best of all...it was FREE! The visitors center was closed but all the sculptures are outdoors. They are all spread apart so social distancing was on point. We thought that Grounds for Sculpture was huge, but Art Omi covers more ground! It's also one of the biggest art parks I've been to so far so make sure you wear comfortable shoes cause you'll be doing a lot of walking. We covered most of the park and it took us about 3 hours. We walked at least 100 acres of it and boy were our feet tired! This was a perfect place for Noah to roam around freely without bumping into anyone. Poor kid needed to go outside more. Here's hoping for more outdoor trips especially when "homeschooling" begins! 

Now for some really cool art sculptures! I only captured a few in photos of some of my favorites. And you can see some videos of the house sculptures here and here!

Strawberry Picking At Fishkill Farms!

As it got closer to summer the kids and I were talking about how much we would miss picking fruit at the farm due to the pandemic, but when we heard that Fishkill farms was open to go strawberry picking by reservation only you better believe that I quickly picked up my phone to book an appointment. It was weird to be paying online and making an appointment just to go picking. There wasn't too many people as they limited it by appointment so were lucky to have had a few rows to ourselves to pick. This definitely was social distancing at its best! And boy did the kids go to town picking! Chelsea was our main picker as Noah was whining a bit due to it being so hot. I know wearing a mask wasn't comfortable in the hot weather but luckily there weren't too many people so we slid them down our face for awhile. Noah then began picking more, and we left with a ton of strawberries!! 

More pics below...

New York Stock Exchange: Together, We're Strong.

Love, love this city and how they express their love for it especially at this time with all they are going through. It sure was a different start to our "summer season" going to outings wearing masks and all but it is for own good. 

For some it is the beginning of summer at the beach wearing flip flops, and sandals, having bbq's and eating a lot of melted ice cream cones but for us on this day we spent it remembering our soldiers who have passed on, and those who continue to fight today. Memorial Day gives us the moment to pay tribute to those who have done so much to preserve our country in values that we strive for. So thankful for this holiday that comes once a year and for a city that is proud to wear red, white, and blue. 

A Mother's Day Re-Cap.

Although this Mother's Day was different it was definitely memorable. One doesn't need to have a huge celebration to feel loved and to be honest all my past mothers days have pretty much been simple and extra sweet. Since both our families live across the country we don't have any one coming over nor do we. For the past 14 years it has always just been us, and I actually like it that way. I do hope that when my kids get older and have a family of their own that they will come visit me if we live on the same side of the world. Other than that it's always the little things that matter. The simple joys. The simplicity of a homemade card with a drawing on the front cover. Uttering those three words Happy. Mother's. Day. Burned toast, and raw eggs for breakfast. Oh wait, that was when the girls were little! Seriously though...hugs and kisses, a good hamburger, laughter and a simple walk through a tulip garden makes this momma happy. And a quick trip to D.C. to eat at Cookout and take in the temple under construction was a treat too! These great kids-I'm so honored to be their momma, and so happy that Lexie got to spend one last Mummy's Day with me before she took off on her mission! More pics below...

Days Before Halloween We...

Days before Halloween we always drive into the city and spend all day sightseeing and locating all the halloween installations, and decorations that we see one of my favorite pages on Instagram. New York city decorates in all forms and it is so interesting to see how creative, and unique New Yorkers get when it comes to Halloween season! I captured a few photos of the kids checking out all kinds of decorations particularly this one pumpkin arch installation which is set up at Pier 17 in the seaport district.

Hello Fall!

"Don't you love New York in the fall? 

It makes me want to buy school supplies. 

I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils

 if I knew your name and address." 

A snippet from Nora Ephron's romantic comedy, You've Got Mail. 

What Valentine's Day Means To Me.

So I decided to do a little bit of an "early spring cleaning" and grabbed my little storage box where I store all my memorabilia such as cards from every occasion, playbills, concert tickets, photos, etc. As I was looking through this box I stumbled upon a ton of valentine cards that Jon gave me. I remember when he used to give me a card and send me flowers on Valentines day when I used to work as well as when I decided to be a stay at home mom. We always exchanged valentine gifts for the first few years of our married life, but as the kids got older life and age crept up on us we don't really do the gift exchange anymore. Since my kids have grown, especially my girls I've realized that even though cards, flowers, diamonds, and candy are dandy and all...valentines day doesn't have to be all about that. 

Santa At The Plaza & All Things Christmas-y!!

I can't believe tomorrow is Christmas! I mean, when did December decide to go from the first to the 24th? Crazy, but we are excited for it, and the kids are having way too much fun together. Since Lexie arrived we've been exploring, and in between our outings she's been chilling by the piano as well as catching up on some much needed sleep. Oh, the life of a college student, but for the most part we've been to the city a few times, and have ventured out some more because...Christmas lights! 

A Day Out In Midtown!

Living close to the city has its advantages, and I'm so grateful for the stamina that I have to be able to take the kids out for a day in the city. Christmas is definitely the time to take advantage and see all the magic that wafts over the city with their lights, and Christmas trees on display that make this entire city sparkle. 

A Few More Things To Do In NYC This Christmas!

We may not live in the city, but boy do we "live" for the city! Next to New England, New York has become our second home, and place to visit because we are always venturing out there. A few friends have even asked if we've moved there only because we frequent there so much. This city all year round is magical, and energetic. It doesn't matter what time of the year you come because it is so fun, and beautiful! Christmas time is one of our favorite times of the year to go, and Thanksgiving day is when we begin to celebrate the holidays! 

For The Weekend.

After a long week of work, and school for the kids weekends are our favorite, and I'm so thankful for the weekend when it comes. Those two days are pretty major for us as a whole because it is when we spend time as a family. Unless there is a church activity or scout outing that requires being outdoors then we make that a priority, and if we attend the temple we make sure we go in the morning that way we have the entire day to ourselves to go out and "play."

New York in October!

I have to tell ya each year for us Halloween just gets better and better. Even though these kids are getting up there in age they still make this holiday fun! I love that Chelsea is 13.5 years old and still likes to go trick or treating with us. All of my girls were like that until they left for college. I am hoping that these two will continue to celebrate Halloween every day in many different ways. Whether it's going on simple walks to see Halloween decorations, pumpkin picking, or going to sleepy hollow!