NYC

Last Wed Spouse & I spent the day in NYC.  My realtor association charters a bus every year on the 1st Wed in Dec so Realtors and others can spend the day in the city.  Many of us go to see a matinee, while others prefer shopping, looking at the department store windows dressed for Christmas, and site-seeing.  We try to do a bit of it all.  Our friend Joey and his husband Glenn went with us again this year too. The weather was in the upper 30s so it was cold but it wasn't windy so it was pleasant to be outside.

We started with a Christmasy photo in front of the giant balls.

Next we stopped in at Capital Grille and just beat the lunch rush.  Spouse had a rib-eye steak sandwich with caramelized onions and Havarti.  I had a lobster roll, and we both had yummy truffle fries.  Wow!

Next we headed toward the theatre, stopping in at a few stores along the way.  I admit it - I love to look inside those "I Love New York" stores at all the souvenirs and touristy crap!  I don't know why but I do.  Then we arrived at the Helen Hayes theatre.

And right next door was the famous Sardi's.

We all enjoyed Torch Song!  Its interesting because the play Torch Song was written in the early 80s, then made into a film in 1988 called Torch Song Trilogy.  Now the original play is back on Broadway.  I saw the film first so it was interesting to see how they condensed all of the locations in the film back into just a few locations in the play, like the original.

The Helen Hayes theatre is a smaller, intimate venue which we enjoyed a lot.  I'd purchased tickets online ahead of time so we were just a few rows from the stage.

After the show we walked over to Rockefeller Center to see the official tree.

While there Spouse & I posed for a photo with the tree in the background.  I posted it on Facebook and got many compliments on the photo, which I agree is one of the best of us.  I typically don't like photos of myself because my smiles don't look natural or my eyes are squinty.  But this photo turned out really well I think.

It was a very nice day in the Big Apple.

New York, New York!!

Today Spouse & I are in NYC for the day with our friend Joey.  

Our local realtor group charters a bus every year, giving us an easy opportunity to get in and out of the city.

Last year we saw the Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall.  This year I'm super-excited that we're going to see Torch Song!

This is based on one of my favorite films Torch Song Trilogy.  If you've never seen the film, find a way!  It was one of the earliest films portraying gay men with both tenderness and strength.  I'm hoping Spouse & Joey enjoy it too.

Bras for a Cause

So the Bras for a Cause event did not disappoint!  This year's theme was Mardi Gras so many of the bras were decorated accordingly, while others not.  This guy's bra was made of orange slices!

No, I was not carrying around this parisol.  The model was, and when we posed for a photo he told me to hold it.
 

Me with Courtney & Ginger

One of the models was my buddy Devon.  I met Devon a couple years ago when he was a bartender at the Blue Moon.  After the bra auction was over he changed into his street clothes and we took this photo.

I tried taking photos of the models during the bra auction but they didn't turn out because they were backlit, which made all my photos dark.

Me and Kaitie

After the event ended a handful of us walked to the bar next door which has a large open air space right on the water.  I really wanted something to eat since the food at the bra event was a bit skimpy so we had food and drinks.

Me and Joey

Again

This group shot was taken just before we all headed home.  From left to right is Kaitie, me, Joey, Brandi, and another of the bra models (Josh?) who had died his beard red to coordinate with his bra and costume.  I love this photo.

Carl & Lisa's visit and holiday weekend recap

My old friends Lisa and Carl arrived on Thurs around 1:00.  We met each other in elementary school and have maintained contact, on and off, over the years.  Within the last 10 years we've made sure to see each other at least once a year at Christmastime.  Last Christmas we decided Lisa would come from NYC and Carl would come from Northern VA and meet here in DE for a few days.

Since it was lunchtime I took them to a local favorite, Arena's.  The weather was nice so we sat at an outdoor table with an umbrella and ordered food and cocktails, because, well... cocktails! Roughly 3 hours later we returned home and sat out on the screened porch and continued talking.  I opened a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, a birthday gift that's been burning a hole in my pocket since receiving it.  Joe came home and gently teased us for being tipsy but we just laughed it off.  Literally.  

He went to his personal trainer appointment and we continued visiting on the porch.  Then the 3 of us went to Cafe Azafran for tapas and cocktails, and then onto the Blue Moon for karaoke.  Since it was the Thurs before a holiday weekend it was super crowded, and we got there late, so we could only put in 1 song.  We decided to turn "I Love the Nightlife" into a trio!

Karaoke selfie

It was really fun, and afterward 3 different people told us what a great job we did!  It was such a pretty night that after karaoke we sat on a bench in front of the Blue Moon and enjoyed the breeze and watched the 'boys' go by in their short shorts and tank tops.

Fri morning we had a continental breakfast and then continued drinking coffee on porch. 

Next we went for a walk through downtown and eventually to the beach, stopping at Dairy Queen.  We sat on a bench facing the water and ate our ice cream, then stopped for a beach cottage tour (a home my team has for sale) on the way back to the house.  Since the Dairy Queen had eliminated our desire for lunch we just had some snacks along with cosmos on the porch.  

Spouse joined us after he got home from work, and then a little later we walked to dinner at Gilligan's waterfront restaurant.  

We spent the rest of the night talking and listening to music on porch.  In fact, we spent the entire day outside!

Sat morning we had a continental breakfast again and then said goodbye to Lisa & Carl.  They were heading to NYC (where Lisa lives) so they could spend a few days in the city, then Carl would head home on Mon.  We had SO MUCH FUN together, and I feel really lucky to have such great friends.

After Carl & Lisa left I met up with a client who wanted to see 5 houses very close by, and then that evening we met Steven & Thad for dinner at Bethany Blues.  It was also mine & Spouse's 22nd anniversary.  But since we'd had Carl & Lisa visiting we really didn't make special anniversary plans, which was fine.  Its not like it was a milestone anniversary or anything.

Sun morning we met up with Steven & Thad and Carolyn & Derwin for breakfast since it was Carolyn's birthday.  

Carolyn and most of the gang

We went to a diner we'd never been to before and which was kind of like stepping back in time, but not in the cool 1950s way.  The food was good and cheap so that was nice. 

Back at home Spouse & I made 2 strawberry/blueberry pies. 

Spouse made the filling and I did the lattice top

Before baking

After baking

A little later we went to a BBQ at Joey & Glenn's house and took 1 of the pies.  That night Spouse & I just ordered a pizza and ate at home.

Mon (Memorial Day) I went on a listing appointment.  The client to whom I'd sold this home 5 years ago was about to go out of town for a week so he asked if I'd come take a look on Mon and advise him about selling.  When done Spouse & I had lunch with Steven & Thad, and then I caught up on some work emails while Spouse made enchilada casserole.  Steven & Thad came over for dinner & pie.  The weather had turned cooler so we ate indoors.

It was a VERY full and VERY fun 5 days!

Cinco de Mayo celebration

So, Sat was Cinco de Mayo, making it the perfect excuse (as if we needed one) for dinner at Dos Locos.  Steven & Thad were away in NJ but I managed to rustle up some buddies to join us.

Joey, Glenn, Vic, Mike

Joe P & my handsome husband

Vic, Mike, and a VERY handsome man in the plaid shirt at the table behind ours

Everyone ordered margaritas because, DUH! its Cinco de Mayo.  But oddly 3 of us ordered the same entree and 4 of us ordered variations of quesadillas.  As usual, the food was delicious and the service was terrific.

You'll notice in the photos that we're all wearing red chili pepper necklaces.  I collected them on Cinco de Mayo 3 years ago at Dos Locos and brought them for our group to wear.  As we stood up to leave a table of women said they liked our pepper necklaces and asked where we'd gotten them.  I explained, and then took off my 2 pepper necklaces and gave them to 2 of the women.  Then Spouse offered his, followed by the rest of the guys.  I jokingly said we were 'paying it forward' by giving them the pepper necklaces, and that next year they should wear them but give them away to someone else before they leave.  They loved that idea.

What did YOU do to celebrate Cinco de Mayo?

Pajamas

Yesterday I was shopping for a cause!

I met many of my fellow Realtors and mortgage folks at WalMart at 7:30 AM, with a thermos of coffee of course.  As in passed years we were there to shop for clothes, shoes, coats, and toys for needy families in our community. This shopping venture was funded by a huge fundraising event last month.

I paired up with my friend Joey and we shopped for a family with 6 kids: two age 16, two age 10, one age 3, and one age 1.  (I can only assume there are 2 sets of twins.)  The brief family profile indicated that the grandmother was granted custody of the children to prevent them from being split up in the foster care system.  "They arrived with just the clothes on their backs" the profile read.  I felt a deep pain in my soul and stopped reading.  God only knows what these kids have been through.  I needn't know the details, I just needed to shop as smartly as possible to get them as much as I could.

We were given the kids' clothing sizes, shoe sizes, and favorite colors to help inform our selections.  We're also given a budget for each kid.  In past years some of the kids asked for specific toys ie: Legos, Barbie doll, etc which is fine.  All 6 of these children asked for pajamas. 

Pajamas!

3 of them asked for coats.

Sigh.

The older kids listed some hobbies (ie: drawing, building things, etc) which we used to pick out things for them.  We did our best to get them pajamas and as many coats, shoes, clothes and toys as possible by stretching the dollars allotted.  It was fun too!

This activity is a vivid reminder of just how 'good' we have it, and gives me extra incentive to find ways to give back to my community.  Food drives, Toys for Tots, and gift cards are both easy and impactful. 

Later this month I'll be sending an end-of-year mailing to more than 150 clients with whom I've worked over the years.  I've decided to include in the mailing an encouragement to give back to the local community in whatever way they feel comfortable.  A little effort and cost to us can make a huge difference in the lives of those less fortunate.

Ooops I did it again

I have not gone bowling since I've known Spouse, so that's over 20 years. 

I belong to a real estate association that decided to host a bowling outing.  They advertised prizes for the highest team score and for the best team outfit.  Initially I scoffed this off, but gave it a 2nd thought when my friend Joey asked me to be on his team of 5.  

It turned out that no one on our team had much experience bowling so we were pretty sure we weren't going to win the highest team score.  But our bowling inexperience would have no effect on our creativity, so we decided to focus on the team outfit.

After a few mediocre ideas for our team name/theme, I remembered an episode of Modern Family where Mitchell & Cameron bowled with or against a team called Britney Spares so I tossed that out to the group.  Imagining the costume possibilities, we immediately adopted Team Britney Spares as our name and outfit theme.

At first we thought each of us would take a different Britney look, but soon realized most of them were too skimpy for our group to be seen wearing in a bowling alley.  So, we decided all 5 of us would wear the same Britney look:

Hats off to Joey's 2 assistants who did all the purchasing of pieces on Amazon and at a local teen girl store.  Here's what we came up with:

Can you find me??

And on the back of our cardigans you can see our team name:

Click the photo to expand it

Yes, we're wearing fake headsets.  We took it that far.

When the person entered our names to display our scores, they entered them as Britney Joey, Britney Mark, etc.  This prompted us to refer to each other by these names all night long.

"Britney Joey - you're up!"

And each time 1 of us got a spare, we'd high-five each other and yell "He got a Britney Spare!!!"

We had our photo taken by lots of our friends and colleagues which added to the fun.

 Needless to say we took the prize for best team outfit, but more importantly we had a super fun time.

Our bowling was okay.  4 out of 5 of us broke 100 points, but again, the intent was to have a good time.

The next day my right hand and forearm were aching, even though I only used an 8 lb ball.  I guess it was a case of using muscles in a different way than usual.  But it was my day off so I didn't have to do much typing.  800 mg of Ibuprofen took care of it for the most part.

Cabin fever

As I mentioned in a couple posts, while I was sick/recuperating from the cellulitis I was at home for 4 weeks, with the exception of 4 days in the hospital.  I couldn't drive and I was unable to go anywhere except the doctor's office, with help.

4 weeks is a long time to be home.  My friend Joey (who graciously visited me in the hospital and called me several times afterward to check in) asked me if I was getting cabin fever.

My answer to him, oddly enough, was "No".

When I started to think about it I found it really interesting that I didn't feel like I had to get out at all.  There have been times when we've had a freak snow storm that left us 'trapped' at home for 2 or 3 days and we couldn't wait to get out.  

I think the difference is that I knew I was physically unable to go out and do anything.  Initially I had a lot of pain, and for even longer I had very little strength or stamina.  Even simple tasks like taking a shower left me exhausted.  So I'm guess that's why I never had the feeling of cabin fever.

So, what did I do at home for 4 weeks?  I watched a lot of TV and movies.  Toward the end of my time at home I resorted to paying for on-demand movies because I'd watched everything of interest on the cable channels and the premium channels we get.

Also, I slept a lot.  I'd go to bed at 10pm and sleep until at least 9am.  

Then there were the occasional mid-day naps.

NYC birthday

Well, my day trip to NYC on my birthday was great!

The bus left at 6:30am and I was greeted by birthday decorations on my seat.

We were dropped off near Radio City Music Hall, but we had plenty of time before the show so we began exploring.  Our 1st stop was St Patrick's Cathedral, which was not a place I wanted to go see necessarily, but it was pretty cool in the sense that its huge and old.  Next week walked to Madame Tussaud's was museum, but after finding out it was $32 to get in, we decided to skip it.  Then my friend Joey and his husband Glenn and I broke off from the pack of women who wanted to go shopping.  We decided to have lunch at a spot that looked interesting called Burger Heaven.  Great burgers! 

Then we went to Radio City Music Hall.  While waiting in line I decided to take a selfie.

Once inside the grand lobby I was struck by the amazing chandelier!

Joey had purchased the tickets online and paid for mine as a birthday gift so I didn't know ahead of time that our seats were going to be so good.  We were in the center orchestra in the 7th row.  We were close enough to see the expressions on the Rockettes' faces!  The show was really fun and the 3 of us really enjoyed it.

After the show we stopped into the MoMa store where Joey & I bought the exact same Christmas tree ornament and the exact same Tiffany glass coasters.  Then we walked over to Rockafeller Plaza and watched the people ice skating.

Then we stopped into a couple stores as we walked to Central Park.  It was getting to be dusk but we enjoyed the winter beauty of the 'park in the middle of the city'.  Here are Joey & Glenn watching more ice skaters with the skyline behind them.

Then we decided to stop for cocktails at the bar inside the legendary Plaza Hotel.  I'd never been inside before but it was just as elegant and fancy as I'd imagined.  Check out the absolutely gorgeous granite bar!

Our cocktails were so delicious we had to have a 2nd round.  Then we walked back toward Radio City Music Hall where the bus was to pick us up.  We stopped and bought cashmere scarves from a street vendor (3 for $25) and then got hot dogs and pretzels from another street vendor.  Joey & Glenn were a bit skeptical but I told them "real New Yorkers eat street vendor food all the time".  Near the food vendor there was this pretty grouping of trees lit with white lights.  I felt compelled to take a photo.

Then we walked back to Rockafeller Plaza again to get a picture of the giant lit tree before getting back on the bus.

The weather was mild and not at all windy so it was the perfect winter day to be in NYC.  It was a really fun way to spend my birthday.

Wedding on the beach

Last Fri I wrote about my friend Joey getting married the next day on the beach, with a reception afterward in a hotel.  I thought I'd share some thoughts and photos.

First off, outdoor weddings are very risky because you never know how the weather will turn out.  It could be cold, rainy, winding, stormy, blazingly hot, crazy humid, or it could be nearly perfect like it was for this wedding.  It was in the mid-80s but the humidity was low and there was a lovely, constant breeze.  They were very, very lucky.

The grooms kindly invited everyone to dress casually (no suits and ties) which made it even more comfortable and enjoyable.

After the short and sweet ceremony Spouse & I paused for a moment to take a selfie.

The reception was held in the penthouse banquet room of the hotel which provided stunningly beautiful views of the ocean, beach, and boardwalk.

The food was served buffet-style and it was really good.  The cake came from Charm City Cakes.  We don't know if teddy bear Duff Goldman actually made or decorated the cake or not, but it was certainly charming and personalized for the couple.

The groom on the left side of the cake is 'dressed' in the outfit he wore in the wedding, and the groom on the right is dressed in a St Patrick's outfit because they met at a St Patrick's day party.  Its difficult to see in this photo but their dog and 3 cats are represented on the middle tier, as well as beer stines, sea shells, and starfish.  

After a few toasts from the 2 maids of honor, the grooms posed for photos and had their first dance as a married couple.  They wore matching ivory colored vests made from 1 of the grooms' mother's wedding gown, and they got married on the other groom's mother's birthday.

Then the DJ pumped up the tempo and the dancing began.  Even Joey's 92 year old aunt joined in and had a dance with both grooms!  

Everyone seemed to have a great time, including Spouse who always imagines the worst in such social situations.  Naturally witnessing the love and contentment of this couple brought back memories of mine and Spouse's wedding, which was probably one of the best times of my life.

Friday fragments

Today's Friday fragments is brought to you by the letter W:

1. Walter - his nickname is "Little One", although he is now taller and longer than Marvin.  Walter turned 1 year old on Mon.  After doing a little reading on when to transition from puppy food to adult food I made the decision to start it last week.  I began by mixing a sprinkle of adult food in with his puppy food.  Over a week's time I gradually adjusted the blend of puppy food and adult food so that on the last day it was just a sprinkle of puppy food.  Now both Marvin & Walter both eat the same food which is more convenient for us.  But its also a reminder that our "Little One" is growing up.  
2. Weight loss - its been several weeks since I've written anything on this topic, mostly because I've still not reached my goal weight.  For over a month now I've been at or near the same weight, which has been disappointing.  Spouse says that's because its the weight I'm supposed to be, but I believe its because I've been 'cheating' just enough to stay at the same weight.  I'm going to a wedding tomorrow night, but after that I'm going to eat clean and hopefully lose the last 4 lbs to meet my goal weight.  
3. Weeds - early this spring Spouse & I spent an hour or so pulling weeds and grass from the beds that line our front porch and the sidewalk to the street.  It was enough at the time, but with the full onset of summer the weeds and grass came back with a vengence.  In addition to the beds that line our front porch and the sidewalk to the street, the beds along the driveway, side of the garage, and the side entrance to the house were starting to look like Jurassic Park.  I decided this was just too much work for 2 lazy, 50+ year old men (1 with bad knees) so I hired a teenager to do it for us.  He said he was saving money to go to wrestling camp, so I asked him how much the camp cost.  Rather than paying him the agreed upon amount, I paid him the cost of the camp.  He was absolutely thrilled and so was I.  Surely that money meant more to him that it did to me.
4. Wedding - tomorrow Spouse & I are going to our very 1st beach wedding.  My good friend Joey is getting married on the beach and then having the reception in a hotel.  Planning a beach wedding in late July is rather risky.  It could be super hot, super humid, or even worse - stormy.  Lucky for them the forecast is great so it should be lovely.  I'm looking forward to my 1st beach wedding!

Visitors, part 2

On Thurs Tornwordo & Serge and I went to Crystal for breakfast, and they got to meet our favorite breakfast server Pau Pau.  Serge agreed to try scrapple for the 1st time and said he liked it.  Scrapple seems to be 1 of those food items you either love or hate.

After breakfast we went for a nice long walk on the boardwalk.  The weather was really nice, as opposed to last year's visit when we had to abort our walk due to the wind and chilly temperature.  Then we ducked into a few beach shops in search of souvenir T-shirts, and Tornwordo got an ice cream cone.  Check out these crazy flavors:

Afterward we did a little 'exploring' near the beach and talked about real estate prices and vacation rental prices, then headed back home.  Again we sat out on the porch with the dogs for a while and talked and looked at facebook.

I organized a small happy hour so Tornwordo & Serge could meet some of our friends.  We met up with Steven, Joe P, Joey, and Spouse (a little later) at Saketumi where we ordered cocktails and various sushi rolls to share.  We had a great time and were there for 3 hours!

Afterward we returned to the screened porch for a final cocktail and lots of good conversations.

The next day my friends from the North packed up their stuff and left after a bit of coffee.  They headed to NJ and I went to work.

We had a great visit and I feel honored to have been included again on their road trip.  Now Spouse & I must come up with a plan to visit Montreal!