Love, your big - little sister

It's fun to go home and see my family - like I did this weekend - and it is especially good to see my littlest sister, Victoria - who can actually rest her chin on the top of my head!   She is a freshman in high school and she is growing up to be a really outstanding, beautiful young lady.  

She is extremely funny and she too has one of the kindest hearts.  When she was little she prayed for a dog every night and I can still see her face when my parents took us to get Misty and she looked up to my Dad and said, "Daddy - can we please take one home?" and he just smiled and said, "Yes - we already have one picked out!"

She is a sucker for a good chick flick and loves to go shopping.  Victoria is very athletic and can bust a move like a true Noonan.  And whether it is doing her hair for a school dance or picking out the right makeup for her - I've tried to help her as she grows up  - but the reality of it is, she is so smart and she is growing up to be a truly phenomenal person.  I am very much looking forward to the future and growing our friendship!  

cracking up

I love you, Toria!

Flipadelphia!

This past weekend I went home and brought my friend Liz with me to meet my family and take care of some things in the 610!

Sadly, I have come to realize that my car has become something that I no longer need.  I never thought when I first got the car as a junior in college that I would move outside of New York City and be living in a city atmosphere where a car is not a necessity to get around.

I do not use my car all that much and the expense of keeping the "Jetta baby" as I have fondly referred to her as for the last two and half years does not seem to be worth it.  So I have begun the process to transfer my lease to someone who needs a car more than I do.

So on Saturday, Liz and I went to the car dealership for an inspection and then went to brunch (Mac Attack came to meet  us!) after the Jetta was given a clean bill of health! Then we ran some more errands and came home to a wonderful dinner made by, of course, Mamma Noons.

Then Liz, Mac and I went on the train into Philadelphia for Susan's (aka my first visitor) birthday party!  First we stopped to show Liz the famous LOVE statue in center city.

Then we went to Ladder 15 on 15th and Samson in Philadelphia and we had a great time!

Susan, Nicole and me

Happy Birthday!!!

Then on Sunday we went to mass and then grocery shopping.  Patrick and Karen came over for lunch - homemade steak and chicken steak sandwiches and macaroni and cheese!  Then it was time to drive back to Hoboken to rest up for the upcoming work week.

It was a great weekend - always great to go back home and be with my family - and it great to show Liz around my hometown!

Just cause...

This is one of my favorite pictures of us.

B&O!

Saturday was my sister-in-law, Karen's birthday - she is one of my loyal readers!  You can check out her blog and read all about her smart fitness posts and fun recipes!  Happy Birthday and hope you had a wonderful birthday weekend! :)

On Saturday, Tom and I drove to Baltimore for the annual Bull & Oyster Roast Alumni event. We stayed at our friend, Jen's, beautiful downtown apartment (thanks again for having us!) 

It was so weird to be back on Loyola's campus, 2 years out now, and see people that we have not seen since last year's event and some even graduation!  Everyone gets really dressed up, the food is really good and there is an open bar for beer and wine all night (they sort of make it too easy since the glasses are filled and lined up, just ready to be taken...yikes!)! 

They have a room full of table games - where I bet some moolaaahh on the roulette table, since well - we have an AC trip planned next month and a Vegas trip planned for March - which you will hear more about soon! :)  But, yes, I wanted to get some practice in because - this may come as a shock to you - I am not really the gambling type. 

The event was a lot of fun and it was really nice to see some friends from school!

On Sunday, Tom and I made the trip back to Hoboken - and watched the Jets vs. Steelers game and unfortunately said R.I.P. to the Jets 2010-2011 season.  We had a lot of fun watching the games this year and look forward to next year. 

Oh, by the way - I could care less who wins the Super Bowl this year because the two teams that made it beat the two teams that I wanted to see in it - soooo I guess I will be more interested in the commericals and preparing party food than the game itself!

"How do people make it through life without a sister?

That was one of the quotes I found about sisters - and luckily for me - I have 2 sisters, a sister-in-law and a puppy that have made my life so much more enjoyable.

Today is Regina's 20th birthday and from a special request - here is a recap of the past 19 years:

From family pictures to house chores - Regina always found a way to get things to go her way...

"Regina, put the bow in your hair - it will look nice in the picture. " - the parents
(no response or attempt to put the bow in her hair)
"Okay, if you put the bow in your hair, we will go to Dairy Queen to get a blizzard after dinner..."
DONE AND DONE - bow in the hair, smiling like a bandit...

"Okay, we want to get the downstairs cleaned - everyone take a job." - Mom
"Kath, you do the dusting and I will vacuum when your done." -Regina
"Okay, fine but seriously you have to do it this time." - me
"I will! Now, listen to this story..." -Regina
(She would then tell me story after story, cracking me up, talking a mile a minute... then it comes time to vacuum...)
"Kath, it is really heavy to push around - can you just do?  I'll be right here and will talk to you the whole time...pplllleeeaasssseeee?"
"Okay but I'm not kidding, you do it next time..."

(The next week the exact same thing would happen...!)

Regina loves a great lunch made for her and swears that the sandwiches I make are way better than the ones she makes, so clearly, I have been recruited to make countless sandwiches for us over the years!

You might say Regina is the epitome of a beach bum and we love going to the beach around 9 in the morning, have lunch (made and packed by yours truly of course) and then leave around 5 at night.

She loves a sporting event - well - she loves the fact that she can people watch, try some great food and bring out dance moves that are so great that well - she gets up on the jumbo screen (yep, we were in the last row in the highest deck of the Phillies stadium and low-and-behold, the cameras somehow found my sister and she was on the screen cutting some rug on the screen in center field!!!)

Her knowledge of sports is incredible - she has renamed the area where the pitchers warm up and wait to go into the game as "the pig pen."  She wore her Irish Phillies hat on campus on opening day of the Phillies (because it looked better with the outfit and had no clue it was opening day...) and was getting high fives all across campus - she called me wondering what was up....

Regina is incredibly athletic.  She was an Irish dancer and won tons and tons of medals.  She played soccer throughout high school and even picked up lacrosse one spring - just because she wanted to try it!

My sister is one of the most kind-hearted people I know.  Her humor has gotten our family through the worst of times and there is never a day that goes by that I don't think about how lucky I am to have a sister like her.

Happy Birthday!  

Love,

Kath

Do you believe in miracles?

If you ask any New York Jets fan - I would say they all would answer with a resounding YES to that question.

After winning a tough game against the Colts last weekend, the Jets sure had their work cut out for them this week against the favored, first-place New England Patriots.  And with Sunday's game, much truth was brought to the famous quote of "on any given Sunday" - as the New York Jets beat the Patriots and have now moved onto the AFC Championship game against the Steelers next Sunday.

I have been a fan of sports my whole life.  As a kid, I loved softball and soccer.  Why, you ask?  Well because my brother, Patrick, played baseball and soccer. So, of course, anything he did I wanted to do too...well, make that anything he does, I want to do (some things won't ever change). 

ANYWAY - as I got older, I went to football games during my 8th grade year (first year my grade school had a football team...and they were pretty awesome! hah), then some football and hockey games in high school as well. Then in college, Loyola was big in basketball and lacrosse - so I went to some of those games too. 

Now, in my "adult life," I have been to 2 Penn State football games, 3 NFL football games, about 6 NHL hockey games, countlessssss Phillies games (spring training begins February 26th!! - which I went to two years ago and it was awesome!), and a Yankee game with Tom since he won box seats from work.

Being at the games live are so much fun.  I am always impressed by the athletic talent that is displayed on the field/court/ice and really enjoy watching teams battle for the win. 

What Hoboken has brought me (aside from a perfect view of the NYC skyline, a baker that people still line up around the corner to get in despite the freezing cold, restaurants and bars, and an apartment with new roommates...to name a few) is weekends filled with friends watching sports.  Sundays have been full of football, chips and dips, cheers for victory and frustration from defeats.  Tailgating  is always a great time but being in the comfort of an apartment - out of the cold and on a couch with a blanket- with a bunch of friends...is a perfect ending to the weekends!

We have had a great time watching the games and playing up city rivalries.  But at the end of the day, it's all about having fun...and of course remembering:

Ya Gotta Believe!

In the midst of all this snow...

Is it fair to say that I wish I was here again:

This was taken on one of the Aran Islands of the coast of my beloved Eire.  The island is called Inis Meain and it was certainly quite an experience to stay there for a few days.  If I close my eyes, I can still see the waves crashing against the cliffs.

The Aran Islands are made up of three islands: Inishmore, Inis Meain and Inisheer.   Inis Meain is the middle island and is known as "Bachelor's Island" where mostly men who are not married live.  Nearly all of the men who live there speak Gaelic.  There is only one pub on the island - which of course we went to! :)

There were beautiful stone walls across the entire island and there was even a cute puppy that kept following us around during our stay...

Look at the stone wall behind me and my new friend.  Aren't they just incredible!?!

This trip was one of the most memorable - we stayed at a B&B and the owners made us fresh food for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I remember one morning the man who owned the house asked us if we all liked cod.  Little did we know, he went out and caught enough cod for each of us for dinner.  I had never had cod before and to have it freshly made by in a situation like this - there would be no way I could have not liked it!

Ireland has given me memories that will legitimately last for the rest of my life.  Not a day goes by that I don't remember how wonderful the Emerald Isle was during my 4 month stay and how thankful I am to have been lucky enough (no pun intended - hah) to have called Ireland my home.   

Okay - back to reality 

Gang Green!

And This past weekend was very relaxing compared to all the hustle and bustle of the December weekends.

Friday night my roommate, Molly, and I made dinner.  I had been watching the Food Network a little while back and saw a salmon recipe that looked absolutely amazing.  Since Friday was a snowy day and it was a long work week, we thought it would be great to stay in Friday night and make dinner.

Let me tell you, it was delicious!  I should have taken a picture of it 'cause it looked like professional chefs had made it!  But we were so hungry and it smelled so good - we just dove right in!  We switched the mushrooms for green beans and have thought of ways we could make it vegetarian next time so Jess can enjoy it too!  But it was really simple so - if you're feeling like whipping up something yummy - try this!

After the wonderful dinner - I was ready for bed!  So it was a nice, low key Friday night - which is very welcomed every once in a while!

On Saturday, I cleaned my room, changed my sheets and separated my laundry.  Then after a workout and a wonderfully long shower - I watched nearly the whole first season of Modern Family!  It legitimately is one of the best shows on TV!

Saturday night I went to Anthony's apartment for the Jets game.  There was a good number of Loyola kids there and it was such an exciting game.  The Jets pulled out in the end and won 17-16 over the Colts!  It was so much fun to watch!  Then - we went out to celebrate at a bar down the street!  Great Saturday night!

On Sunday Tom and I watched the Ravens vs. Chiefs game and made pizza for lunch!  Then we watched the rip-your-heart-right-out-of-your-chest Eagles lose to the Packers.  Thank God for the Phillies...

After that terrible loss, I needed something to make me laugh - so we watched two episodes of Modern Family to round out the last day of the weekend.

So, all in all - it was a great, relaxing weekend that was very much welcome after craziness of the holidays!

And just because I miss them so much - a picture of my Dad and my Uncle Michael.  

"Wherever there is a Mike, there is a Pat."
Ocean City

Whoa, time flies.

I can't belive the holidays have already come and gone and we are already ino the New Year!  I apologize again for the lack of posts!  With Christmas, a snow storm, work, and New Years - time has not been on my side for writing a quality post!  But I have been thinking of you, my dear readers - and I sincerely hope you had a wonderful holiday season and wish you a Happy New Year!

Christmas was very different in our house this year.  My brother, Sean, had to serve the 7:30am mass on Christmas day.  Normally our family goes to the 8:00 Christmas Eve mass - so to wake up on Christmas morning and not go downstairs and immediately open presents was quite strange. 

My brother Patrick, and his wife, Karen spent Christmas day at Karen's parents' house in Virginia.  So that was a little weird too - as this was the first time Patrick was not with us on Christmas day.

And of course, Christmas was my Dad's absolute favorite holiday and we miss him most during this time of the year.  He could have easily played the role as Clark Griswold in "Christmas Vacation." He loved putting up decorations, hanging lights, buying presents and most importantly having his family together for the "hap-hap-happiest Christmas!"  (One time my parents even booked a limo ride for our family to go look at Christmas lights one year.  And my Dad cracked jokes about how he needed his sunglasses on streets that literally did not even have an inside house light on...so I guess you could argue Clark Griswold had nothing on Pat Noonan.) 

Anyway, Christmas morning was different this year but my Mom, sisters and brother (and Misty) made it as nice as possible.  We opened presents after mass and of course, after changing back into our pajamas!

Sean was beyond excited to get a cell phone - which Santa tricked him by putting it in a JC Penny box...

And Victoria was so pumped to get an iTouch....

Then we went to my Mom's brother, Johnny's, house for Christmas dinner.  Almost my Mom's entire side of the family was there, and we all brought various dishes which made it really nice!  My specialty is baking - so I brought a tray of cookies!  Sean, Regina and my Mom helped me make them - and I think they were a hit!

Then on the way home from Christmas dinner, we were listening to the radio and of course they were predicting a blizzard to hit - beginning very early the next morning.  Since I had driven home I had no choice but to drive back to the 'bokes at 10:30 on Christmas night.  It was so upsetting.  I had to pack up all of my presents, clothes, etc in my car and hurry back to my apartment.  The next day we were supposed to celebrate Christmas with Patrick and Karen - so I didn't even get to see them for the holidays.

Nevertheless, I made it back safely and braced myself for the 20+ inches of snow that hit the greater New York area.

That week I worked from home quite a bit since Hoboken was hardly dug out, even as of Tuesday!  

Then on Thursday night, Regina came up for the weekend and for a New Years Eve party with my college friends.  We ordered in dinner and just watched some shows and caught up with everything going on in our lives on Thursday night.  On Friday we hung around a lot of the day and then got ready to go to Stamford for the NYE house party.  

We took two pictures of us in our dresses and we hated both of them and deleted them.   AND we forgot to get another one before the night was over...so I am very sad to say that we don't have a picture from NYE... :(

Regina was the photographer of this group shot... wish she would have been in it...

And this picture is from right after the turn of the New Year!

The next day, Tom, Regina and I went to Tom's parents' house on Long Island.  It is tradition in his family to make homemade gnocchi every January 1.  So Regina was invited this year and she met all of Tom's Dad's side of the family!  We had a great time and it was so nice for them to meet my sister!

Sunday, Regina and I watched almost all of Season 1 of Modern Family.  We were so tired for all the hustle and bustle of the weekend - it was nice to just lay around!  Then on Sunday night I brought Regina back into NYC to hop on a train back home.  I loved having her up for the weekend and hope that she can come back on summer break! :)

Oh, and as far as New Year's Resolutions - well - I would like to be as carefree as the people on public transportation who are so into the music on their iPods that they are singing and dancing to it and could care less that they are with total strangers...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!