Music Mondays: You're Gonna Miss This

I literally felt like on Friday, Valentine's Day, I was living the 3rd verse of this song. The plumber arrived at our house around 5pm. The dog, Beaumont, was barking up a storm. Adelaide was running around in her little red apron screaming and/or crying depending on the moment. My kitchen looked like a baking bomb had exploded. And I looked about as disheveled as a girl can look. But all I could hear in my head was the lyrics to "You're Gonna Miss This" allowing me to laugh & smile at it all.

On the Seventh Day of Christmas...

  ...Adelaide, Beaumont, & I watched a Christmas movie while snuggled up on the couch.

Memory 15: Woman's Best Friend

Memory 15: Baby Beaumont

The sweetest face on puppy Earth. I love this baby puppy more than anyone will ever know. He was my best friend, my rock, my salvation during a very difficult time in my life. He always loves me and is happy to see me, despite my faults. He gives amazing kisses and is a great big brother. 6 year later he still lights up my world!

Memory (2000) NINE

Memory Nine: Sunny San Diego + Doggie Happy Hour + Adventures with the Rhodes Boys + PB's Shore Club

Ah Pacific Beach, where we may look like adults but are most definitely not acting like it. Where doctors & lawyers surf on their lunch break. Every. Single. Day. Where the sun shines all the time. Where temps are a solid 75 degrees year round. Where you can sip a giant bowl of beer or cocktail while watching the sunset and the waves crash against the beach. Where the two minute drive from La Jolla to PB has the most gorgeous view. Where downtown has the aura of LA but the pleasantry of the south. Where all you see is smiles.

It is no secret that I loved every second of my time in San Diego. Really there wasn't much to not love. I had the amazing opportunity to homeschool and coach two wonderful boys. I played tennis twice a day usually in between swimming at the beach or cruising PB on my beach cruiser. Every Wednesday was doggie happy hour at the San Diego Food & Wine Center. Us humans dined on fancy apps & sipped wine while our pups socialized sand leashes.

This is where I met Shana. The wonderful Shana who has the biggest heart of anyone in the world. Yes I will challenge you to bring someone as God-devoted, positive, upbeat, & selfless as her. We would eventually become roomies with Marky Mark at 1812 Chalcedony. Oh the memories. She is also the unbelievably talented photographer who did our engagement & wedding pictures. She was the creator of Neighbor Wars, a festive weekend filled with scavenger hunts, beer tasting, sangria making, & other adult games. **Champion of Neighbor Wars 2 by the way**

PB is where I met ERIN (get down!), the Brookes and the Navy boys. It is where we became a pseudo family away from our real families. We had tacos on Tuesdays. We went to Shore Club on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays. We danced the night away at Moondoggies. We had brunch at Sandbar in Mission Beach every Sunday. We had slumber parties in the neighborhood. We went boating in the bay. We cheered on the Chargers and the Padres. We drank wine at Kate Sessions. We clubbed it at Basic downtown. We bonded over late night conversations.

San Diego is where I gained my life back. I restored confidence in myself and those around me. I built life-long friendships while having the time of my life. I learned what true happiness is all about in SD. I learned that life can be what you want it to be. I learned to do the things that I enjoy without feeling guilty for choosing that lifestyle/life motto.

I will always have a soft spot in my heart for San Diego. It brought Ryan back into my life after many years of separation. And well, we all know how that story turns out...

Weekend Treats: Last One as a Party of Three

*party of three includes baby Beau of course*

We spent our last weekend as non-parents indulging in the little things. Things that might take a bit more effort once we welcome our bundle of joy. And things that we often take for granted. Plus we had   a splash of adventure of course.

The New Haven Open wrapped up so we enjoyed the finals suite style with A/C, yummy treats, and refreshing drinks.

Speaking of yummy treats...I only have a few more days to blame my sweet tooth and cravings on Baby T so I have been taking full advantage. Note the cinnamon rolls and the stellar bbq meal from Memphis Mae's.

Little Beau got skunked in our backyard Friday night so Ryan had to perform Operation Emergency Bath on him. Poor guy was soaked in a baking soda/hydrogen peroxide/dish detergent mixture. Then we had to also get him a faded haircut. Never a dull moment on the weekend.

And last, we got to see sweet snapshots of Bishop the night before and the first day of preschool. He was such a good boy and loved it! Collins wanted to be just like her big brother so she sported her own backpack :)

Hope your weekend was fantastic!

4th of July: An Independence Party

When we first looked at our house, I imagined all of the entertaining that we could do here. The deck and patio filled with family & friends enjoying the Hudson view, fab foodie treats, and memories made. And while our house is still not a complete work of art (who knows if it really ever will be), I figured pre-baby and summertime is a great place to start making those memories. Starting small with Girls Night Out, I gained confidence in my ability to throw a nice little gathering. Hence the upgrade to a full-blown 4th of July party!

Now I must accredit Pinterest as well as Nana for helping me us pull off a successful Saturday evening with family, friends, and neighbors that we've made thus far in our adventures here. Who knew a bit of red, white, & blue decor and food along with the American spirit could make for such a great time?!

We sprinkled liberty & freedom throughout the house and cooked up bravery out on the deck.

Celebrating the many opportunities that our country has given us and continues to bless us with as well as those who paved the way in the past, those who fight for us now, and those who will forever make the United States of America the greatest nation in the world!

A Sneak Peek: Maternity Photo Session

A few weeks ago, Ryan & I did some maternity photos. We wanted to capture "the bump" on camera to have for our house and to show Baby T when he/she is born..err grows up. After months of trying to coordinate with our dear friend Shana (who shot our engagement session and wedding weekend), we couldn't find a weekend that worked for all of us. We had already booked Roy for the newborn session in September, pending our sweet bundle's arrival date, so we decided to book our maternity photos with him. **At first I felt so guilty like we were cheating on Shana but then he let us in on his Roger Federer photo shoot secret which subsided any hesitations I previously had :)

We spent a few hours with him on a Thursday morning before Ryan headed to work. The weather majorly cooperated making for some great outside shots that got to include baby Beau. Our little family of 3, almost 4 enjoyed the shoot and the scenery. Roy is great and we highly recommend him!

To see the full gallery, click here and email me for the password.

All pictures are copyrighted by NYVisual.com Photography by Roy.

Weekend Treats: In The City & Out to the Country Edition

We kicked off the weekend on Thursday with a date night in the city. We've basically been trying to plan one of those in New York for about 5 months. Either I was too tired, Ryan was working too late, or the weather was icky. It just hadn't worked in our favor until now.

Way back in February, my theme for our V-day was romance to sort of spice up our love life. Getting married, moving, conceiving, buying a house, long work hours for hubby, and all that comes with those minor life changes can really put a damper on your *sex* life. So I was trying to think of ways to make our first married Valentine's Day hot-hot-hot. There was a Groupon for the Museum of Sex in New York. Bingo! I bought tickets for 2.

Fast forward to Thursday June 21st and we finally got around to using them :) I hopped on the train and headed into Grand Central. While Ryan wrapped up a few work things, I happily shopped at J Crew (finding the most precious 4th of July outfit for our party!) before we walked the 15 blocks in the sweltering heat to the corner of 27th & 5th Avenue. Glittered in pink with full frontal windows, we arrived at our destination. We took the 3 floor tour examining exhibits from sex in the cinemas to mammal intercourse to modern day exploration. We laughed like school children at times. We read intently at times. But mainly we just had a good time as husband and wife...and Ryan blushed a lot :)

Having worked up an appetite, we decided to dine at Michael Jordan's Steakhouse. It is centrally located in Grand Central with a gorgeous view of the architectural beauty that the building exonerates. We had a romantic corner table filled with wonderful people watching. The "23" burger was amazing as were the sweet potato fries and finished off with a delightful piece of good ole' New York cheesecake made for the perfect date night meal.

Friday Beau-man and I headed on a little walk around Croton Point Park in the am before the heat index hit 95. *Warning* preggo outside in heat does not make for a fancy sight. 

After our exercise, we spent the day inside prepping for the big camping trip. Thanks to our friends Christie & Wes who seem to camp a lot, I grabbed some great tips off of her Pinterest board and put them to good use.

prepping for Sat dinner

prepping for Sun breakfast

all sorts of goodies in Ziploc baggies

stuffing for the campurritos

campurritos ready for Sun breakfast

Friday night we prepped for our big getaway on Saturday morning. We headed up to Fahenstock Park in Putnam County, a mere 30 minute drive, for some outdoor adventure. Enjoying an easy hike around the Pelton Pond followed by some row boating on the lake. And of course, a whole lot of campfire time including a picnic, steak dinner, and s'mores!

you'd think we are going for days...

Beau in paradise

yummy steak dinner

captain Ry

gorgeous

roasting mellows

yummy s'mores

breakfast campurritos were a hit

mornin'

setting up camp

loungin' pup

setting up for our picnic lunch

easy  breezy hike

Beau, Baby, & Me

Dad & Beau

get those arms moving...

love

water dog

little swimmer

toes in the water

amazing wedding gifts: camp couch and table stop (REI)

pooped after the hike and water

veggies!

evening fun

I also took the liberty to make a small comparison chart between the two coasts and their camping (+)s and (-)s...

East Coast vs. West Coast Camping

East                                                                                         West

(+) Civilized meaning no animals except skeeters                                                    (-) Home of bears, raccoons, et al

(+) Thanks to above, bathrooms & trashcans galore                                               (-) Nature is your bathroom                  

(-) Due to above, any Tom/Dick/Harry now camps                                                (+) Must be built Ford tough to camp

(-) Loud drunks up until all hours thanks to Tom/Dick/Harry                                 (+) Due to above, peaceful & serene

All in all, we had a great time living it up in the great outdoors before Baby T comes. If we can, we might try to squeeze in one last camping trip this summer. Fingers crossed!

Sunday we headed home to do some house maintenance and run errands before dining with Liz & Win. You might remember Win, one of Ryan's bfs/groomsmen/handy man, from past posts. Well his bride was visiting in NY so we took the opportunity to feast on some homemade BBQ at Memphis Mae's in Croton. A little hole in the wall place with dynamite entrees. And since Win refuses to come see us without making a stop at The Blue Pig, we enjoyed dessert outside to wrap up the weekend.

lagunitas for the fellas

What did you do that was "city-like" or "country-esque" this weekend?!