Back in the Borough: Memorial Day Weekend Madness

Hi friends!

As the holiday weekend fast approaches (which I will gladly take after having JURY DUTY this upcoming week!), I’m getting excited for the plans Chris and I are making. On Friday night we’ll be heading to the Mets game (complete with a fireworks show!) with friends.

(P.S. We did this last year as well):

 

Then we’re renting bikes to ride in Central Park on either Saturday or Sunday and heading to a Brooklyn barbecue on Monday (also something we did last year, as well).

Hope you guys all have some fun plans for the holiday weekend, too!

Bis bald!

Read Full Post »

A Valentine’s Day Trip to Tarrytown

Hey friends,

Chris and I just arrived back from our Valentine’s Day trip to Tarrytown, a quaint little town about 45 minutes north of the city, and I have to say–I loved everything about it. Since it’s winter it was obviously a bit freezing outside, and some of the stores in the town and some of the historical sites were closed for the winter months, but still, we managed to have an awesome time just the same.

Here’s what we got up to.

Read Full Post »

A Valentine’s Day Weekend Retreat

Hey friends!

So Chris and I are about to leave for our first Valentine’s Day weekend as old marrieds We are heading to the Tarrytown House Estate, and I’m super excited! Post soon to follow with the details.

Hope you’re all having a lovely Valentine’s weekend … bis bald!

I made this tasty treat for Valentine’s Day….yum!

Click here for the full recipe.

Read Full Post »

Life Lately: January 2013

Hey friends!
Hope your 2013 is off to a fabulous start. Here’s a little bit of what our life has looked like lately:

We started the year with brunch in our fancy hotel room at The Standard, courtesy of my mom and stepdad. Thanks guys!

We’ve celebrated THREE 30th birthdays so far, and one 100th! (But I’ll get to that later…)

We celebrated married life on our first full day of being husband and wife at the new bar that opened on the corner of our street-The District.

We started apartment hunting, which meant we needed some cocktails to ease our nerves. Working with brokers is scary!

We held Jen’s baby shower at Cake Bistro & Bakery in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania.

The mom and proud soon-to-aunties!

My dad got the baby all this Army gear. I think he’s a little excited to have his first grandson…wouldn’t ya say?!

Penny had to spend a day at the vet getting tested for asthma. She spent the rest of the night in her carrying case and wouldn’t come out. I think it’s safe to say she was mad at me…

When she finally did come out, she and Nugget did some bonding.

HUSBAND GOT HIS GREEN CARD!

Grand Central celebrated its 100th birthday on Feb. 1, 2013.

Mom and I tasted some cakes for our wedding party celebration in April. Yummmm!

My husband bought me purple flowers to celebrate our one month of marriage.

We celebrated one month of wedded bliss by getting drinks at The Guthrie Inn, an awesome, tiny little cocktail bar on Park between 97th and 98th. The owner also owns Earl’s Beer & Cheese, the restaurant right next door that Chris swears by.

The view of the Hudson on the way back to the city from my mom’s house.

Bis bald, friends! Hope you have fun plans for February–especially if you’re in love Chris and I have made reservations at the gorgeous Tarrytown House, which just happens to be where we attended a wedding last year, as well.

See ya’ll soon!

Read Full Post »

Life Lately

So friends, December is rapidly passing us by, isn’t it? Seriously, where does the time go?

Anyway, with the holidays and, you know, our WEDDING!, coming up, things around the Connor/Lock household have been pretty insanely busy. I do love the city around the holidays, though, and Chris and I picked up our Christmas tree the other day and I’ve decorated the apartment. Despite the busyness, we’ve been trying really hard to stop and smell the Christmas tree (does that analogy work?) from time to time.

Here’s a little of what we’ve been up to lately in the city that never sleeps …

We love our little 94th St. Christmas tree!

I had these lovely ladies over for some holiday drinks. In lieu of an actual fireplace, I played the YouTube yule log over and over again on TV.

For my sister’s baby gender reveal party, I was the person who got the cupcake with the blue frosting. It’s a boy!! I’m having a nephew!

On December 7, Chris and I took a little trip to City Hall to get our marriage license. Our MARRIAGE LICENSE! Ca-razy!

And this was our ticket. I will proceed to frame it and hang it in our teeny abode.

My sister and her boyfriend came to visit last weekend and we took in the scenery at Bryant Park. I love it there during the holidays.

Friends at a beautiful Brooklyn wedding I attended this past Sunday.

Little details like the white tea lights and wine corks really brought the night to life.

You guys KNOW how I love my lights! Isn’t this chandelier from the wedding venue gorgeous?

Cute little A & B cookies for Allison and Boris.

A beautiful bride!

What? I’m not doing anything wrong?

It’s hard to wrap gifts when this cutie keeps distracting me. And sitting on my supplies.

On another note, our little Nugget had surgery recently. We’re happy to report that his cast is off, and today was the first day he climbed in and out of his cage all by himself. Go Nugget!

So that’s been December in a nutshell, basically. This Friday Chris and I will head upstate to celebrate the holidays with my mom and step-dad, then we’ll head to New Jersey to be with my dad, step-mom, sisters and brother-in-law. After that we head back into the city to get ready for our New Years Eve nuptials. That means I may not make it back here to post again before I become Mrs. Christopher Vincent Connor.

Woah.

Happy holidays friends! I hope everyone has a great time filled with family, friends and delicious foods! See ya’ll in the New Year!

Bis bald!

Read Full Post »

A Bachelorette Party for the Books: I’m the Luckiest Gal Alive

Hey friends!

So just a super quick update here, as it’s Thanksgiving week and I’m swamped and exhausted! I just wanted to let the world know that this past weekend, my two sisters and about a dozen of the best girlfriends a gal could ever ask for swept me away to a surprise bachelorette weekend in Hamptons Bay in the Hamptons.

I was so surprised! It was relaxing and fun, and there were drinks and a hot tub and a fireplace and movies and an amazing Mexican dinner–and lots and lots of games and prizes and love. Lots and lots of love.

I don’t have any photos, but my friends and sisters took some so when I get a couple I’ll post them.

All I have to say is, when you amazing friends and family in your life, everything else will always be okay. And I’m truly blessed to have everyone in my life who I do …

Bis bald, friends!

Read Full Post »

A Last-Minute Labor Day Trip

A row of sunflowers on the drive back from New Paltz. I made my stepdad pull over so I could take a picture. He obliged. Good man.

Hi friends,

So after a full week of dealing with some seriously hard-core jet lag (I mean, we’re talking serious jet lag here!), I’ve finally managed to drag myself out of the foggy haze.

It’s always worth the jet-lag in the end though, isn’t it? I can’t believe my trip to Italy is already a thing of the past. So sad.

Anyway, after pulling myself through the haze, I was facing a 3 and 1/2 day weekend, and I was feeling … antsy. Chris and I had plans to head to Far Rockaway with some friends for one last beach-filled weekend, but I bailed at the last minute. So instead, as Chris caught the subway to meet up with our friends, I hopped the train and headed upstate to my mom’s, where we took in a wine and crafts festival in New Paltz (which has seriously become my new favorite place to spend my falls, with its wineries, hiking trails, breweries and gorgeous fall foliage), ate dinner at The Gilded Otter and just generally chilled out.

I even managed to wake up early Monday morning and drag myself out to the back porch swing with my blanket, coffee and the book I’m currently reading.

I truly believe that only if you actually live in a city can you really appreciate what it means to get out of the city every now and then. I mean, I spent my entire high school career living in this same house, and never found as much solace in its back yard as I do these days.

So that was my Labor day! What did you guys get up to?

Read Full Post »

July 4th Weekend…In Photos

Hi friends. So we’re back from Prince Edward Island! It was a whirlwind trip that culminated in a 7 a.m. Sunday morning flight back into the city. But that’s okay, because the early flight leaves us with enough time for brunch at Jane, which we are all getting ready for right now.

While we’re waiting, I figured I’d throw up some photos from our adventures last weekend. Here are a few highlights:

Our first beach stop on the Jersey Shore—Seabright

We ate lunch at a great little restaurant in Seabright called Dive

The Spirit Line lunch cruise we took on Saturday gave us great views of the skyline

On Sunday it was off to Brotherhood Winery and....

Whitecliff

On the way home from Newburgh, I snapped this photo of the sun setting over the Hudson at the Beacon train station

Then it was back to the city to catch the fireworks over the Hudson from the rooftop of the Saatchi & Saatchi building

So that was last weekend! Stay tuned for a Prince Edward Island update soon…but I’ll say this—it’s as quaint, beautiful, and serene as you would imagine it to be.

Bis bald, friends!

Read Full Post »

A July 4th Addendum

If, by chance, your July 4th weekend will be including a game or two of Wiffle ball, be sure to check out this awesome WSJ piece on the 22 Rules of Backyard Wiffle.

Play away, friends!

Read Full Post »

Happy July 4th Weekend!

I hope you guys all have fantastic plans for the holiday weekend! Over on our end, Chris’s mom arrived in last night from Australia, and we couldn’t be happier to be hosting her. This is her first summer in the city (although her third visit in total), let alone her first July 4th. As such, Chris and I felt it was only proper to give her a real America weekend, complete with family, friends, and tons of fun, of course. Here’s our list of activities.

Friday: We’ll be renting a car so we can take a leisurely drive along the Jersey Shore (we’ll be starting with Sandy Hook and making our way down Ocean Avenue to get closer to my parents house).

Saturday: There is an undisclosed activity being planned by my step-mom (hi, Judy!), and hopefully some time to just chillax at the house and hang out in the great outdoors.

Sunday: We’ll take that sweet little rental car and head to upstate New York to link up with my mom and step-dad for some winery visits (you know how we love them!). Depending on how much time we have we’ll try to hit two or three, but we’ll definitely start our trek with Brotherhood, America’s oldest winery. Then we’ll head over to the Gilded Otter Brewing Company in New Paltz for dinner, then home for a little outdoor s’mores action.

Monday: On the actual holiday, we’ll be hanging out at my mom’s and step-dad’s, cooking up some delicious barbecue with the fam. Hopefully at some point we’ll be able to find some fireworks somewhere as well. The city fireworks start at 9:20 p.m., but I don’t think we’ll be back in enough time to find a good spot to camp out.

Anyway, that’s us! Plenty ‘o pictures and deets to come. Bis bald, and hope ya’ll have a great one!

Read Full Post »