Feliz Dia De Los Muertos!

Thankful for my ancestors who have lived and passed on and for this day in which we remember them. 

This past week there was a beautiful display of art done by Mexican artists celebrating Mexico week: the Dia De Los Muertos at Rockefeller Center. I went last year and it was so beautiful that I couldn't miss out on this years exhibit.

Such a fun and wonderful celebration of my heritage. To remember those who have lived and passed on and to know that they will always be a part of our memory even after they're gone. So glad I have passed this tradition on down to my children so that they can understand this day and reflect back on their loved ones.

Love all the sculptures here including this large jaguar sculpture (above photo) done by Cesar Menchaca. There's also an ofrenda, and a tianguis. This was the second year artists displayed their sculptures and if you happen to be in NYC next year please come and check them out. Each year there are different sculptures and they are indeed beautiful! So lucky to live near a sea of culture! And at the end of this post you can see a video of my daughter Lexie singing "Cielito Lindo" and this heartwarming video done by my oldest daughter Sierra.

A Roller Skating Rink, Dirty Laundry & An Art Piece At Rockefeller Center!

There is always something going on at the Rockefeller center. A new art piece or installation. And for this spring all the way into early fall there will be a roller skating rink in place of a lawn or ice skating rink. Pretty cool and when we went it took me back to the 70's when I actually owned a pair of roller skates and skated for hours! Noah thought it was better than an ice rink. He isn't a great ice skater and prefers roller skates so yeah. We didn't get to skate on this day because we were pressed for time but we did walk around for a bit and stood for while to watch people boogie on the rink. You can see a reel of the art piece here and a snippet of the roller rink here on my TikTok.

The Rockefeller Tree '21

This cutie made it on the Rockefeller's newsletter this month and seeing his sweet face published holding these Rockefeller tree postcards designed by artist Lisa Congdon warmed my heart. We absolutely love this city no matter how crowded it gets-especially during the holidays. We recently went to see the tree at Rockefeller and oh my gosh! The crowds were insane! I couldn't believe how cramped and crowded everyone was! I'm talking like sardines! I mean it's always crowed during the holidays cause of tourists but this even worse than pre-covid. I didn't want to be rude and push people so I gently and in a firm manner fought my way through the crowd to get a picture of this years tree. It was impossible to get the kids in a photo so I found an empty spot where you can still see the tree in the background. I quickly snapped a photo of these lovely faces before everyone and their dog saw where I was standing. Oh man, was it a crazy evening but nonetheless got some pictures to remember this New York moment! 

Dia De Los Muertos At Rockefeller Center.

Last week I stopped by the Rockefeller center where they had a gorgeous display of Syrians celebrating Dia De Los Metros and this Selena display stopped me in my tracks along with many others were Mexico week was being celebrated. What an elegant display of elegantly dressed skeleton sculptures done my Mexican artists by Menchaca studio.

What We Saw In NYC!

In spite of Covid nothing stops us from venturing out and lately there has been so much to look and see in the city  and luckily we live close enough to where we can just hop on a train or get in our car and go. I love the art installations and the flower flashes that have been displayed lately. There's never a shortage of things to see or do in New York city and after watching "Pretend It's a City" just makes me want to live in it and visit it even more. I've gotten so used to the nuances of the city that I feel sometimes as if I actually could live there. Maybe some day but for now we are lucky enough to travel a short distance (yes...75 minutes on the turnpike is a short distance for me!) and arrive safely to our favorite city in the world!

Scenes of An Empty NYC In The Midst Of A Pandemic.

Although we don't live in New York I was curious to see how the city has been doing, so for the past month we've been venturing out to see how empty it has been with everyone sheltering in place. And it was surreal. So surreal to see this epic city on pause. To see some of my favorite spots shut down. To not have people hustling and brushing next to me on the sidewalk. I felt so much sorrow and my heart was hurting for this city that has once been known to never sleep. I even documented its emptiness on my TikTok. Yes, I caved and I blame it on the pandemic for having created one! 

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

Christmas is already in motion in New York city and on the weekend of Noah's birthday we happened to be in the city where New York's most famous decoration arrived at the Rockefeller center. The Christmas tree! We were so excited to have witnessed this without it being super crowded. Noah was amazed at how huge the tree was. He said it looks huge and plain without the decorations and lights on! I have to agree. He was impressed with all the workers securing and working around the tree to get it ready for the lighting ceremony.

23 years.

Today is our 23 wedding anniversary! The past 23 years have been filled with trials, and triumphs, but there is no one in the world I'd rather be enduring them with than with this guy! Happy anniversary Jonny! xoxoxo

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade '17!

I can't believe another Thanksgiving has passed us by, and that this was our fifth year going to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. We braved the cold temperatures this year (last year it was in the 50's) and stood for about an hour, and a half until the parade got to our part of Manhattan. We stood right smack in front of Radio city Music hall, and had a pretty good view of the floats. People are always kind to let Chelsea and Noah stand front and center of the parade. They had a clear view of all the floats, and people walking in the parade. It was nothing but magical, and fun. 

Seated Ballerina At Rockefeller Center.

When I heard about Jeff Koons 45 ft.public art display at the Rockefeller Center I knew I had to go and check it out before they took her down. I first heard about the artist Jeff Koons on one of my favorite series of all time Felicty. There was an espisode that guest starred Tyra Banks, and she played this huge art freak, and when she mentioned Jeff Koons I had to look him up to make sure he was a real artist, and not just a name they made up for the show.

While Sierra Was Here...

I've been meaning to blog about Sierra's visit from a couple of weeks ago, but time caught up with me and in between attending concerts, a trip to the temple, some thrift shopping, visiting teaching, wrapping small gifts as well as delivering them, and overall life I never got around to it. Looking at some of my photos on my phone of Sierra reminded me that I wanted to write about her short visit even if it was just for four days. In those four days we managed to do quite a bit, and had so much fun. I swear we were like zombies! I am so glad she surprised us, and that she was able to take some time off from work. She figured since she's not in school, and still waiting for her mission call that she might as well take advantage, and visit a bit early. 

Chelsea and Noah were super excited when they saw her. They totally thought she was coming the week of Christmas! Lexie overheard us talking the night before her arrival so that was spoiled (she's got superman hearing), and she was expecting her the following morning when she came home from seminary. Still...it was a great surprise for us all, and the energy that once filled this house came back ten fold. Good thing because these kids have been missing their older sister for over a year! 

Here are a few photos from our time spent with our sweet sierra. 

Because Sierra wasn't in our Christmas photo last year (and a big shout out to those who pointed it out and made me feel guilty) I definitely wasn't going to let her get away without us taking some sort of family photo. I decided to call our dear friend Ashley at the last minute (because we do things like that), and asked if she wanted to come with us to new york. She said yes, and we had her take a few photos of us. She has a knack for taking pretty good pictures and did such a good job taking our photos. Here are a few outtakes, and we all had so much fun goofing around in the midst of it all. 

  ^^^ Before we went into the city we needed some much needed energy so we had some Panda express for lunch. I didn't even know they have them in Jersey. Where have I been? ^^^

 ^^^ We walked all around Manhattan, and down fifth avenue, and looked at all the window displays at Bergdorf's. 

^^^ These two were my favorite! ^^^

Rockefeller Center at Christmas time is a beautiful sight, and we wandered around capturing the beauty of this city. and check out this big wreath outside the plaza! Christmas in the city sure is magical!

The Santa at the Plaza is super friendly!! 

^^^ and in between time spent with us, Sierra made time for one of her dearest friends. Sure do love these girls! ^^^

^^^ Even though these two are 10 years apart they are so similar in personality! Bubbly and all! It's as if Sierra never left!

 ^^^ Goofy pics with baby brother. ^^^

^^^ And a few photos with her "twin" wearing their best friends beanies. Crazy girls! ^^^

So grateful we had four crazy days with our girl, and look forward to her coming back for a longer visit once she gets her mission call. 

Until then enjoy your time with family, especially when one lives far away. Take advantage of their time no matter how exhausted you become, because before you know it our kiddos will be on their own for good!

Have a wonderful weekend guys! 

an eggstravaganza in nyc.

Every now & then we take trips to New York City because let's face it...there is always something to do and see. Whether it's new exhibits at the MoMa or different art insulations at Madison Square park. This time the city had a big a big easter egg hunt that consisted of at least 270 faberge eggs. They were spread out all around the five boroughs of Manhattan & for this week only they'll have them displayed at the Rockefeller Center.

When I told Chelsea that we were going on an easter egg hunt in Manhattan she couldn't quite understand why we were driving to New York just for that. She doesn't mind because she loves the city, and as we were halfway there she says, "mom...we forgot our baskets!" I then said, "we don't need baskets for these eggs." She asked why, and that's when I told her it's a surprise.

She was surprised all right! She couldn't believe how huge these eggs were! She loved every single egg, and was excited to be "cracking" them from my iPhone. Apparently there was an app where you could download, and hunt the eggs, and when you find it you crack it. There's a barcode you can scan where each egg is displayed, and you can either save it, or crack it. It also records every egg you collected. It was pretty cool, and the girls had fun with that.

Art really inspires me, and I was very impressed with all the different compositions, ideas, and designs each faberge egg had. They were all designed by various artists, and there were so many that I loved. If I had a ton of money I would have walked away with one that day. Then again I'd have to figure out where to display it in the house! The girls were amazed at all the different ways the eggs were designed.

^^^ "love me"^^^

 ^^^ Humpty dumpty... ^^^

^^^ because I'm a 70's baby! The disco egg was my favorite!" ^^^

 ^^^ This was the most famous cracked egg. The Ralph Lauren egg. ^^^

This is awesome...New York skyline.

 ^^^ a chalked egg in which we wrote our names on. ^^^

 ^^^ where's waldo? ^^^

 ^^^ "It's a lego egg daddy! ^^^

^^^We went for a walk afterwards throughout the city, and what a gorgeous day it was! The weather was perfect, and some of the trees are in full bloom! ^^^

We had so much fun exploring the streets of new york looking at fabulous art, and skyscrapers. I have moments where I wonder how it would feel like to live in this concrete jungle of a city, and after living in Jersey for almost six years....I'm more than sure that I could handle it!

Left with some Joe's Pizza on the ride home! Best pizza in the village if you're in a hurry!

It truly was good day!