365

My wedding is in 365 days!  I cannot believe it!  While we have chosen the date, church and venue - there are loads of things to do and I am looking forward to all the planning that is to come!

As I read through wedding magazines and checklists of things to do, I think the most important part of planning a wedding is to remember that it is about us. When it comes down to it, I can be put in any white dress, hold any types of flowers and put any kind of centerpiece in the middle of the table - but as long as we have fun and enjoy the most special day of our lives together, I would say it amounted to the most perfect wedding day!

So polish your dancing shoes, family and friends - November 9, 2013 will be a day to remember!

An overdue update

It is hard to believe how fast time goes by and how days come and go without much time to write blog posts!

While most days, before I got engaged, I would spend train rides blogging; lately I have been spending train rides looking through wedding magazines, reading about invitations, looking over favorite reception songs, picking out items for our registry and everything else you could possibly think of regarding wedding planning.

At night, I have spent time trying out new recipes and who would have guessed it - looking up things for our wedding!

I have been giving a few soups a try and have had great results!  I make a sweet potato and carrot soup, a white bean and broccoli soup and a fire-roasted tomato soup!  It is always nice to look forward to a warm soup when you come home from work on a brisk fall day.










I have also been trying a few dessert recipes and found a great recipe for homemade caramel icing.  It went so well with the vanilla cupcakes I made and I even put a chocolate caramel candy in the center of cake to give it an extra something special!  I think the attendees of the flower class really enjoyed them!  

Wine and appetizers - how classy!

The weekends are seeming to come and go so quickly as well!  Two weekends ago, I went to see Regina up at Penn State.  She and her roommates made me feel so welcome and it was a great weekend.  They had even planned a mini bachelorette party for me with wine and appetizers!  It was a perfect start to a fun night!

Celebrating my engagement!
"To Kathryn!"

This past weekend, Tom and I celebrated Halloween with friends at a few parties in Hoboken!  It is always fun to see how creative people get with their costumes!

And now, we are in the midst of Hurricane Sandy.  New York City is pretty much shut down and all modes of public transportation are suspended.  Hoboken doesn't do well with rain and flooding, so we are hoping for the best in the next few days.  We are safe, have plenty of food and water and enough board games to keep us beyond entertained!  

Here's to staying safe and to more frequent updates, I promise!

Hoboken bake sale

I was asked to donate some baked goods to the Hoboken bake sale by one of my first Good Afternoonan clients. I was happy to help and hope this will be a great business opportunity for me!

I decided with the start of October, it would be fun to make something with Halloween themed decorations. I also wanted to make sure I had a crowd pleaser so I thought I would do a spin on the chocolate peanut butter cakes I made for Jason's birthday. With many suggestions from those who tried them, I was told that maybe melted peanut butter chips would have been better to ensure that every bite had peanut butter in it! And instead of making cake balls, I made regular cupcakes for the bake sale.

Then I had purchased cupcakes liners and picks with Halloween images like bats, witches, ghosts and pumpkins.

Here is the finished product! I am pleased how they turned out and hope the bake-sale-goers love them!

Bread baking!

Last night Tom's Aunt Janet and Uncle Bruce treated us and Tom's newlywed cousins, Kristen and Joe to a bread baking class  at Le Pain Quotidien in New York City! We learned all kinds of techniques and made countless loaves of bread - it was such a fun night!

Aunt Janet and Uncle Bruce making their pizzas

We started by learning the ten step process of baking bread but skipped a few steps ahead since bread baking can be an all day affair! We made baguettes and small rolls as well as fruit and nut rolls and pizza dough! After we formed the small rolls, we filled them with butter and chocolate - and sampled a few pieces of chocolate along the way!

Joe and Kristen

Once most of the dough was in the oven, we made pizza for dinner! They were so delicious!

After pizza, we packaged up all of the bread to take home! Both Tom and I have freezers full of awesome artisan bread that we will be able to enjoy for quite a long time!

Tom and I with the pizza, the chocolate mini rolls, the baguettes, the fruit and nut rolls and a baked pizza!

The whole bread making group :)

We are thinking we might even sign up for the scone making class to further our baking knowledge! I highly recommend taking the class as it was definitely informative but more importantly, a really fun time with family!

Venue shopping

This weekend went so quickly! On Friday night, Tom and I watched a movie and ordered Chinese food with a few of our friends. We wanted to keep a low key night since we were headed to PA early the next morning to see my family and look at potential venues for our wedding!

On Saturday morning, Tom picked me up at my apartment in an awesome convertible that we rented for the weekend! Even though it was a little bit chilly, we rode half of the way home with the top down! It's funny how the topics of our conversation have changed - on the drive down this weekend we were talking about possible honeymoon locations! I mean we have thought of the idea of that before and talked about it - but now that it something that actually will be happening in about a year, it had become so real!

Once we got to my house, we picked my Mom up and went to the Radnor Hotel to view the grounds for a reception. I used to be a hostess at the restaurant there and I was pleasantly surprised that a lot of my old co-workers still worked there and gave me, Tom and my Mom such a warm welcome!

We enjoyed learning about the wedding package and after our appointment we sat for lunch to think through the options presented to us.

On Saturday night, my Mom invited some family and friends over for cake and to share in the excitement of our engagement. The love, support and genuine happiness we have experienced in these last few weeks has been wonderful!

On Sunday we went to view another venue and then went to Sean's soccer game. He played really well and it was fun to watch him play! Then we went to TJ Maxx and Home Goods and then to Patrick and Karen's house for dinner. After dinner and talking about the venues we went to see, Tom and I hopped back in the car to head back to Hoboken.

It was another wonderful weekend and I am so glad we got to celebrate with our family this weekend!

Flower class flavor

I was too busy getting engaged over the weekend (forgive me) to know that last Saturday was the first day of Fall.  I heard it on the news earlier this week and took it as inspiration for this week's flower class desserts.

I made a simple butter cookie in the shapes of leaves and apples and decorated them with fall-colored sprinkles to celebrate the first week of Fall.

Then I placed the cookies into little clear bags and tied with a gold and red bow!

I hope the attendees enjoy the cookies and think of Good Afternoonan the next time they need food "made with a little bit of love."

In case you were wondering

This is what cloud 9 looks like...

I am still on cloud 9.  I often look down at my left hand and think - I can't believe this is happening!  And with all of the calls, text messages, emails and well wishes on Facebook, it seems that not a minute has gone by that I do not think about all of the excitement that is to come!  I am overwhelmed at how many people are truly happy for Tom and me - it sincerely warms my heart to know just how many people love us!

Even though I've only been engaged for a few days, I am looking forward to all of the planning and seem to have already gotten a head start!  My friend Alicia from work got me the Martha Stewart Fall Weddings magazine to look through and we have been having fun looking at Pinterest for ideas as well!  Another friend from work Ryoko passed along her wedding guest spreadsheet template that will surely be helpful as we develop our guest list!

Luckily, there are plenty of checklists to follow and websites for wedding planning so I know we will remain on track for a perfect wedding day!  And I am lucky enough to have Karen, my sister-in-law and Jackie, my sister-in-law-to-be, who both planned beautiful weddings in the past few years and will surely be able to pass along their advice as well!

My first priority of planning is to simply enjoy each part of it and I know the rest will fall into place!

I will always...

Remember the 21st night of September.

The day began with me thinking of my Dad and being happy that it was an annual Earth, Wind and Fire celebration.  I was playing his song over and over again at work and so excited for what I thought was going to be a great dinner in the city and going out to celebrate a friend's great news.

What I did not know was that this dinner in the city with Tom was just the beginning of a weekend of wonderful surprises!

Tom and I went to Ayza in Midtown for dinner.  They are known for their wines and chocolate so after dinner we decided to taste three dessert wines and 6 truffles.  They were outstanding!

Then we headed to Hoboken to go to the bar to hear what our friend, Manny's, great news was.  I thought he got promoted and was prepared to wish him the best of luck in his new role when we got to the bar.  Tom called Manny when we got off the PATH to see if everyone was there and he said not yet and to take our time.  So Tom asked me if I wanted to go for a walk by the Hudson River.  I love to do that so I jumped at the chance!

We walked for a little and then stopped to look at the Freedom Towers being built and were talking about how it must have been for those who lived in Hoboken on that day to see what had occurred.  Then we continued with regular talking and then all of the sudden Tom said, "Ok, so I have a confession to make."  Now, usually when he starts off saying something like that, it usually means he bought something - like more things on eBay or Amazon.  So I was getting myself ready for something like "oh, how much did you spend?"

He continued on, "So when I told you last week that I went to Philadelphia for work, I didn't.  I went to go see someone."  I was in like shock, thinking to myself - we just had this wonderful dinner and he is telling me he went to go see someone!?!

Then he said, "Yeah, so I went to see your Mom and Patrick."  And in that moment, I knew exactly what he meant.  I think I screamed "Oh my God" about 5 times and he was on one knee with a ring box in hand, opened to display the most beautiful diamond engagement ring.  He said, "Okay, my knees are still hurting from our dodgeball game, is that a yes? And can I get up now?"

Of course it was a yes!  We walked a little further and went to the gazebo where Manny had left 21 roses and a bottle of champagne from Patrick with two glasses.

The night of celebration was just beginning as we called our families to tell them the wonderful news and then went to meet our friends at the bar who were waiting for us.  I was just on cloud 9 and could not believe all of the love and happiness around us.  We were met with balloons and champagne and a cake along with about 15 friends!  It was just the most exciting night!

 Then on Saturday, I had already planned to meet my Aunt Nancy and cousin, Colleen at Penn Station for lunch about a week ago.  I was so excited to tell them our wonderful news. We got to the restaurant and to our surprise, our Moms were there!  I thought I was going to have a heart attack!

We celebrated this amazing event with another champagne toast and delicious lunch! "How can I be so lucky?!" was all I kept thinking!


Then we headed to Long Island to wish Tom's cousin, Robbie, good luck as he is getting deployed next month and to share our good news with his side of the family.  This upcoming weekend, we will go to my house to see my family and potentially even look at some venues!

I cannot believe this happened - on my most favorite day of the year - and I am so happy that I will be spending the rest of my life with my best friend!

Thank you to everyone for all of your well wishes, smiles, love and support.  We are so lucky to have such wonderful family and friends!

Love,
The Soon-to-Be Mrs. Tom Gervasio (AH!!!)

Do you remember...

The 21st night of September?

This song by Earth, Wind and Fire was my Dad's favorite song and used to blast it every weekend, especially on Sundays before Church.  I am constantly reminded of him when I go to weddings and when we are out at a bar and here this song.  It brings back so many wonderful memories of him.

I miss everyday but many things allow me to know that he is still with us - and this song is at the top of the list.

Not in the Face

Last night we played our first dodgeball game for the Hoboken Rec league. Well, it actually was a scrimmage because the organizers of the league had some scheduling issues so last night's series of games did not count against our record.

We have about 15 people on our team which comprises of both Loyola friends and Jets friends. But together, we are known as team Not in the Face.

The rules are pretty simple - try to hit people on the other team and try not to let the ball hit the ground - or you - for your team. You can use a ball to block a ball and if you catch a ball thrown at you, the person who threw it is out and a person who got out on your team is able to come back in. There can be a max of 6 players on each side playing at once and for this league, there must be at least 2 girls at the start of the round.

Let's just say we are glad last night was only a scrimmage - we played a team who has played over the last four seasons so they were quite good and seemed to be very strategic. We took some notes and are ready for our next game in a week or so.

Walking to the bar after our defeat...

It will be a fun way to spend some fall nights and hopefully we will do well and even win - which will help our charity of choice, iMentor.

So maybe my mantra over the next fews should be "dodge, dip, duck, dive and dodge."

PATH praises and problems

Riding the PATH pretty much everyday for the last two years certainly has its ups and downs. It's a relatively short ride making getting into the city pretty easy and the time on the train allows for ample book-reading (or blogging!).

But there are a few things I would change if I could:

1. The amount of seats - I wish there were about 4 times the amount of seats than what the trains currently have. I am not a particularly pushy person so getting a seat is not always in my cards on my morning commute. Luckily, Tom is better at getting to the front of the doors and usually holds a seat for me if I get lost in the shuffle. On the rare occasion that I commute alone, I usually accept the fact that finding a seat will be less than likely.
2. From the lack of seats, there is a cut throat mentality of the passengers and that is something I wish would change. I mean pushing past people and nearly fighting for a seat can really change your mood for your day. It is surprising to me how many pregnant ladies are standing before someone will offer their seat to them. Recently on the PATH, they put up a poster that no joke I think was taken from a kindergarten classroom about the etiquette of riding the train. Lessons like "offer your seat to those who need it - with pictures of an elderly person, pregnant lady and person who is on crutches" as well as "speak in conversational tones" so that everyone and their brother doesn't hear about your raging weekend. There are about 4-5 other lessons to be learned and I couldn't help but laugh when I saw the poster. Really - adults need to be reminded of how to show common courtesy?

All-in-all, I enjoy my time on the train because it is a solid 30-40 minutes of the day where you do not have the ability to connect to the internet (though it seems like more and more platforms are becoming cell-phone friendly), check email and social sites.  I have enjoyed many books in my 2 years of living in Hoboken and know I owe a lot of that to the good ole' PATH train.

Do you have any book recommendations for my rides?

A bag of thanks

After Debby, I mean Fort Lauderdale, Regina and I have a ton of laughs and memories despite the terrible weather. A few months following our trip, my Mom, Victoria and Sean came to Hoboken for the weekend and brought a present for me from Regina with them.

Regina bought me a "thanks for the trip" present that came with the most hilarious card that featured a recap of our trip via stickers that we used to use when we had school projects or while we did scrapbooks. From a palm tree with countless water droplets to represent that tropical storm to a hippo laying on its side, holding its stomach with a talk bubble that said "too much margaritas!" the card was certainly enough of a thanks.

I opened the present and inside was an awesome fall bag that I have already used three times! The colors are perfect for this season and I even love the inside pattern!

Thanks Regina - I love it!

I am really looking forward to the next sister trip we go on and am sure that more fun and memories will happen, rain (God willing not) or shine!

Monday morning commute

This morning, I decided to take a small detour and walk through Bryant Park (rather than just around it).  I am thinking of starting a series on Mondays of photos from New York and Hoboken - after all, this area is not my hometown and even after two years of living here, many of these "attractions" are still exciting for me!  

What do you see on your way to work in the morning?

Flower class flavor

Tonight there is another flower class in Hoboken.  I decided I wanted to try a new cookie recipe and after scanning through my recipe books, I found a chocolate hazelnut cookie that sounded really good!  And the technique to make the cookies was something I had never done before, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to give it a shot.

I started by rolling the cookie dough into long rectangles, layering them on top of one another and then rolling the dough into logs.  Then I took a sharp knife and cut each cookie from the log.

Here is the finished product after about 13 minutes in a 375 degree oven:

I think I will name these cookies Chocolatey Hazelnut Pinwheels!

I hope the attendees at the class enjoy them tonight!  

Do you have any baking techniques that you have mastered?

What is...

...the most perfect mini bite of chocolate, peanut butter and cake?

These little guys:

I made these for my friend Jason for his birthday!  He loves anything chocolate and peanut butter so I was trying to get creative and came up with this:

• Vanilla cake
• Reese's peanut butter chips
• Chocolate chips
• Melted chocolate icing 

I recently bought a cake pop pan but to be perfectly honest, cake pops are a little challenging to ice!  So I made a game-time decision and put the cake pops in mini cup-cake liners and iced them with the melted chocolate and topped them with one more peanut butter chip!

What would be your pick for your birthday dessert?

Always remember

On this 11th anniversary of September 11, 2001 - may we all pause to remember the victims, those who bravely risked their lives to save another's and those who mourn the loss of their loved ones.

Taken at the Jets vs. Cowboys game, September 11, 2011

May God bless America.

A year ago today...

Tom and I were on our way to One Happy Island.  It is certainly nice to look back on such a wonderful week in Aruba and I wish we could go back every year!

Where is your dream vacation spot?

Fashions for fall

I've been reading a lot of articles about taking pieces from your summer wardrobe and transitioning them for fall outfits. It makes perfect sense to keep some of your favorite pieces from summer and switch them up in the cooler months. I know I really love some of my summer clothes but around the middle of August, I start to get a little bored of them and wish I could add a scarf or blazer to change the look a little bit but the heat would never allow it!

This past weekend when I went shopping with Tom's Mom, I found two pairs of capri pants at Ann Taylor Loft (for $14.98 each!) that will certainly add to my wardrobe! One of the pairs is orange that I think will add a great pop of color and can be worn with flats on a warmer fall day and with boots when it gets to be a little chillier!

Do you have any summer pieces you are looking forward to enhancing your fall outfits with?

Labor Day Weekend 2012

This Labor Day Weekend was pretty relaxing though it is hard to believe that it is already September!

Tom and I went to Long Island to spend the weekend with his parents and to see his sister's sweet new baby girl. On Friday night when we arrived, we headed straight outside to sit by the pool and hang out on his dock. Tom and his Dad were fishing off the dock while his Mom and I watched, talked and drank delicious margaritas! It was a great start to the long holiday weekend!

Then on Saturday we went to see the new baby - she is so cute and little! It will be so fun to watch her grow up!

On Sunday, we went to church and then Tom went golfing with his Dad while I went shopping with his Mom.
Then we sat by the pool for most of the afternoon and left for an early dinner at the local sushi restaurant then headed back to Hoboken on the train.

Waking up at 10am on a Monday was probably one of the best parts of the weekend for me. Tom, Jason and I went to a pancake restaurant called Stacks where you can order pretty much any kind of pancake you want. I ordered pancakes with berries and Jason ordered pancakes with chocolate, peanut butter and bananas and Tom got pancakes and eggs. We were stuffed but ready for our ride to our friend, Schoenbart's house for a BBQ. Unfortunately it was cloudy day so we were not able to use the pool but we all had a great time!

It was certainly an enjoyable weekend and while I am sad to see summer go I am looking forward to the fall as well!

Flower class flavor

I am excited to report that I have signed on to cater the Hoboken flower classes just about every other Thursday night this fall!  I will be bringing desserts for the class attendees to enjoy while they learn how to arrange flowers.

Last night was my first time back since the Spring classes and I brought shortbread cookies and salted caramel pretzel bark.

I followed this recipe for the salted caramel pretzel bark though I used much smaller pretzels than what was pictured and used this recipe for the shortbread cookies.

As you can see above, I used my new "fashionista" cookie cutters for the cookies:

and I would love to help any brides-to-be and their bridal parties plan their special events around their big day!  Do you know any brides looking for scrumptious favors?  Send them my way and I will sure to bake them treats "made with a little bit of love."

Have any delectable dessert recipes for me to try this fall for the flower classes?  Send me some ideas in the comments!

Beer garden basics

Last night we went to celebrate our friend, Theresa's (fondly known as T) birthday at the Hoboken Beer Garden - more correctly written - the Pilsener Haus & Beirgarten.

I have been to the beer garden in the city a few times but this was my first time at the Hoboken one.  The idea of long tables, gigantic German beers and a selection of traditional German food has really become popular in Hoboken and in NYC and on normal nights, all of the beer gardens are packed. Scoring a table is like finding a diamond in the rough.

Luckily, it was not crowded inside last night and we were able to fill two tables with everyone who had met up to celebrate Theresa's birthday!  You can order 1/2 liter beers or full liter beers and the array of choices seems endless.  I got a light wheat beer and the boys opted for darker beer.  We also ordered some food and I chose a chicken and garlic sausage, Haus Sausage as it appears on the menu, and Tom chose a traditional German sausage. Both were served with really good fries and mine even came with a big slice of bread! We tried a few of the traditional mustard options and decided the Bavarian mustard was the best!

It was definitely a fun place to go to and I will certainly be heading back as the weather gets even nicer as the season changes to Fall - though I will need a good strategy for securing an outside table :)

On wealth

I subscribe to a really great daily newsletter called The Little Pink Book that touches upon a variety of topics in a short email to begin each day.

From office attire, to highlighting influential women in business and offering tips on how to make intelligent financial decisions - The Little Pink Book is a great read and I highly recommend it!

Today's email was about wealth - and the line the stood out to me most was "Wealth means you have options."  It made me start to think about the financial choices I have made so far and has made me think of new ways to approach my personal finances as I grow older.

I was fortunate enough that my parents established a credit union account for me when I was a child.  For most of the big events in my life (ie, First Communion, Confirmation, graduations, etc.)  my parents always insisted that  most of the monetary gifts I received would go straight into that account.  While I did not understand the value of saving money then as a young adult, I am so thankful my parents had that "rule."  Having a savings has provided me the opportunity for options in my life.

The first big purchase I ever made was my Jetta.  Looking back on it now, it was a great decision and at the same time, it was a not-so-good decision.  I have very positive memories from leasing my car because my Dad and I went together to pick it out.  I loved that car (as did he!) and all its bells and whistles (the sun roof and heated seats most especially) but in the financial realm, it was a little expensive for a soon-to-be college grad and perhaps if I had known that I was one day going to move to New York, I would not have purchased it - but you live and you learn, right!?

While they are not purchases exactly, renting apartments over the last two years has been the next largest chunk of where my money goes these days.  Finding enough "bang for my buck" has been a little challenging but in the end, I would say I have done pretty well so far and am pleased with my choices.  And of course, with apartments comes new furniture.  With stores like Ikea and Target, I have gotten some great pieces without denting my wallet too much so that has been a plus as well!

And of course, I am trying to take advantage of being in New York so I go to dinners, happy hours and shows - but all within moderation and never going beyond my means.

Therefore, if having wealth means having options, I think I am on my way to being a "wealthy person" thanks to the guidance of my parents who taught me both the value of a dollar as well as the importance of saving from a very young age!

Weekend wrap-up

Hope you had a great weekend!

Friday night was an easy-going night - made sauce and chicken meatballs for Tom and he made the garlic bread - very yummy dinner if I do say so myself!  Then just hung out and watched TV and had ice cream with my roommates.  I went to bed pretty early because on Saturday morning we went to Philadelphia to see my family for the weekend to be with my Mom on her birthday!

This was unlike any other trip to Philly because Tom and I drove.  In a rental car (thank you Larry!!!!).  With a backseat.  And we only had to walk two blocks to pick up the car.

Now, why is this such a big deal?  Well, when you no longer have your own car - the idea of a backseat is like the greatest thing ever.  You don't have to pack only what you can carry and you don't have to bring back only what you brought.  When you no longer have your own car, you are at the mercy of timetables - trains, buses, etc.  And therefore, you can't leave when you want to - you leave when you have to.  When you no longer have a car, you must travel to the public transportation before actually beginning the trip to your final destination.

So - our good friend Larry was able to score us a rental car for the weekend and we loved it!  We brought whatever bags we wanted and brought back so much delicious food that my Mom cooked for us (and didn't have to say no to any of it because we had enough room to in the car to transport it). We even went to a few stores while we were at my house and were able to transport all of it back!  Additionally, we left after a great birthday dinner for my Mom at my brother's house and Tom dropped me off at my apartment before taking the rental car back to the lot.  As you can gather, door-to-door service is nearly unfathomable for me nowadays.  I forget what it is like to have a garage and the freedom to go as I please without having to walk blocks to get there or stop multiple times on a train before my desired destination.

So - can't thank Larry enough for helping us get a taste of freedom and providing us the opportunity to celebrate my Mom's birthday yesterday.  It was so great to be with her and my brothers and sisters for a few days and as always it was really nice to spend time at my house, take my dog for a nice walk and be back home.  

Here's to the greatest Mom in the world - you're the best and I love you very much!  Wishing you 55 more years of health, love and happiness!

One of my favorite pictures from back in the day - at our favorite place.
Ocean City, NJ 2006

Eire

It is hard to believe that 5 years ago today I was leaving for my study abroad trip to Ireland.  It feels like yesterday that I was packing my suitcases, having my last home-cooked dinner for four months, getting in the car with my parents to Newark airport and beginning what turned out to be one of the best decisions I have made - studying abroad in Cork, Ireland!

The excitement of being on my own in a new country (arguably the best country in the world as one of my t-shirts aptly puts it) was mixed with apprehension as I had never been abroad before.  But - I knew that with great risk comes great reward and Ireland was truly life-changing for me.

Above is the view from my bedroom window in Cork.  That city taught me how much I love to walk around - whether it was to the grocery or clothing store or to restaurants and bars - the idea of walking wherever I wanted to go is something I truly value.  Being away from home taught me how much I really loved my home.  Sometimes it takes leaving a place to realize how much you miss it.  Lastly, one of the biggest lessons I learned in Ireland was to appreciate...everything.  For example, a beautiful day.  Though Ireland is notoriously rainy, we were lucky enough to have a rather dry few months and the Irish enjoyed each day of sun.  Or another example, a kind deed or gesture.  And even more so, friends and family.  The Irish make people - whether they know them or not - feel valued, loved and important.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of my time abroad -

- kissing the Blarney Stone, hanging out with my bud, Mac and taking a day trip to Cobh with the girls in our program.

I can only hope that I will make it back to Ireland sooner than later and get to re-live the thousands of shades of green, the kind Irish lads and lasses and all that the Misty Isle has to offer.

Coffee Klatch

When I first moved to New York, I was expecting to encounter a lot of the New York stereotypes and wasn't sure how well I would be able to adapt.  The fast walking, the quick talking, encountering people who  are - shall we say - a little rough around the edges, the need for a great slice of pizza and the love of bagels and coffee.

For the most part, I took to all of the above rather nicely and have learned to either pick up the pace or stay as far to the right side of the street as possible when walking, to talk a little faster than I used to when speaking to certain people, disregarding (OR if I am feeling brave standing up to) a rude comment or person and have enjoyed many slices of great pizza or a hot bagel on a weekend morning.  The one thing, at first, that I did not seem to give in to was the coffee addition of New York.

However, over the past few months, I have really started to enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning.  I did not understand the breadth of choices of coffee, flavors and ways to make it and I have been becoming more willing to try various kinds.  I am by no means a coffee connoisseur but I am starting to really know the difference between a great cup of coffee and one that is sub-par.

My favorite flavors of coffee are toasted almond, blueberry, raspberry and hazelnut and I would definitely say I am more of a Dunkin' Donuts girl than a Starbucks girl.  McDonald's has great coffee and they are running a deal for $1 any-size hot coffees - which is a definite plus compared to some of the sky-high barista prices in the city.  Lastly, there is a place by Tom's work that has $.99 medium iced coffees which has helped start some of the stifling hot summer days recently.

I like my coffee with extra skim milk and occasionally some sugar and if it is a Saturday in Hoboken, I'll take a pumpernickel bagel with a smidge of light veggie cheese.

Though I am happy I am adjusting pretty well, I will always be a Philadelphia girl at heart and would take a fresh Philly pretzel over anything any day!

Debby...

As mentioned, I turned 25 this year and Regina turned 21.  I thought it would be a fun tradition to start with my sisters that for every big birthday - we plan a trip and celebrate together.  As kids, Regina and I were very close and always loved to go to the beach.  We would wake up - be at the beach by 9 (with lunches packed by yours truly) and stay until 5.

So - in the spirit of wanting to re-live our beach days - I planned a 5 day trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  I looked up all kinds of things to do before we departed and was very excited to get away for a few days with her.

Regina arrived in New York and we got all of our bags together to leave for what we were expecting to be days and days of lounging in the sun and going out to dinner and drinks.  Our car picked us up to go to the airport and we were on our way!

Our flight down was pretty delayed but we made the best of it.  "Peanuts, pretzels, cookies?" asked the flight attendant to every person on the plane.  Whatever they answered it was a resounding "OKAY."  We were like okay lady, enough, just get us to sunny Florida!

Anyway - we made it to Florida - found a cab and were taken to our hotel.

We were greeted by a very nice bellhop who assured us that we would have a great time, the weather was going to be great and the ocean temperature was lovely.  Why thank you, kind sir, that is exactly what we were hoping you would say.

After getting our room keys and dropping off our bags, we went to the hotel restaurant, Dos Caminos, and ordered margaritas, chips and salsa and a quesadilla (and in Noonan form, picked away at the cheese).  We were excited - and even heard our Dad's favorite song by Earth, Wind and Fire!  This was going to be awesome.

It was a long day of traveling, so we finished up our food and went to rest up in order to wake up early to get to the beach.

The next morning, we woke up.  To. This.

Oh. Is that the beginning of tropical storm Debby you ask?

Ding, ding, ding.

Okay - we thought - this will be just a passing storm and we will go to the beach tomorrow.  No problem - let's lounge in our room and order a movie - we could use a day of relaxation.  We decided to go out to dinner and drinks despite the monsoon outside.  We ended up having a great time at a bar that had live music and we were just remaining positive that this was just a one-day-thing.

Then we woke up the next morning:

That is correct - Regina - up against the window watching the rain fall again.  Welp - okay.  Not a passing storm.  What do we do?  Order room service.  Order another movie on our room TV.

After the movie - I lost it.  I admit it - straight up cried.  How did this happen?  The one place I did not want to be was inside.  We both bought new bathing suits to wear during the day, new clothes to wear at night - how was this happening!

So we decided - these bathing suits aren't going to waste - we have a bathtub.  We are getting in.

And this is what you might call our rock bottom.

Then, after we surfed for a little bit, we just decided - you know what - we are going out.  That's it.  Got dressed and went out to brave Debby.

The best medicine for a tropical storm?

Margaritas bigger than our heads.  And they were two for one - so we had to.

This was followed by a walk around town and dinner at an Italian restaurant.  We went back to the apartment praying that we might see the sun - just once.

I woke up to what I thought was a glimmer of sunlight so I ran over the the window and by the grace of God - the sun was out.  I screamed to Regina to wake up and I think in about 6 seconds flat, she was in her bathing suit and we were out on the beach.

 We soaked in as many rays as possible and went inside to get ready for dinner on our last night.

So - all in all - it was a trip that we will never forget and is much easier to look back and smile at it now than when we were there.

To give you perspective, Regina interned at a PR firm this summer and when we got back, she was looking up articles for work and this is what she found:

While much of the country was bone dry, Florida had its wettest June on record. The Sunshine State was more than six inches above average precipitation, much of it caused by Tropical Storm Debby. 

As you can imagine, the name Debby still makes me cringe and the only request that I have to Victoria  is that she has a good 5 years to say prayers that wherever we go for her 21st birthday, we are not surfing in the bathtub and ordering $16 movies on the TV for 5 days straight.

How can...

8 months go by so quickly that last time I posted was back in December!?

The answer: time flies!

And here is a rundown of what has kept me busy enough to make yesterday feel like it was just before Christmas!

Christmas time is always busy and this year was no exception - buying and wrapping presents (which this year consisted of buying online and sending to my house since I no longer have my Jetta Baby), going home for all of the festivities and spending time with my family - days mold together and all of the sudden it is time to head back to Hoboken for New Year's Eve!

Then - after the New Year, Patrick, Karen, Tom and I made the trip to Penn State to celebrate Regina's 21st birthday!  It was so much fun and we all had a great time pretending we were in college again!

As we moved into February - my roommates and I literally moved around the corner to a new building.  Let's just leave at instances like this and guests like these got a pretty old and we had to make a move.  We now comfortably live in a great building with a doorman (loved by Mama Noons), a gym and sun deck!

At the end of the month, I turned the big 2-5 and my life as we know it - got better.  I love birthdays and this year has been going well so far!

March included a trip home to Philadelphia and a trip to California for work.  Then it was time for our Housewarming Party as we were settling into our new apartment nicely.

With April came Easter in Philadelphia, Tom's 25th birthday, my grandparents' anniversary and last but not not least, a trip to Orlando, Florida with Tom, his brother and a few friends!  It was so much fun - from Sea World to Hollywood Studios, EPCOT and days by the pool - the five of us enjoyed every minute!

May flew by with one of my first paid Good Afternoonan catering gigs - a Mother's Day lunch! followed by a weekend with my family in Hoboken!  Then it was time for a friend of mine at work to get married over the Memorial Day Weekend!  It was a beautiful wedding with great food, tons of dancing and excitement for the newly weds!

30th birthday parties, my brother Sean's graduation from 8th grade, and a trip to Fort Lauderdale with Regina made June seem to come and go with a blink of an eye.  More details and photos about the Fort Lauderdale trip to come as it has provided memories for a lifetime.

As if June couldn't have moved any faster - July was moving at warp speed as well!  Tom's sister had her baby shower at the beginning of the month, followed by a family wedding mid-month, a trip to the beach with my family right after the wedding, a trip to Atlantic City another weekend followed by our first college friends' wedding in Newport, RI.  Throw in both of my brothers' birthdays in July as well and what do you know - it is already August.

And at the mid-mark of this month - I can report that the first weekend in August was the first one I spent in Hoboken since Memorial Day (it was so glorious to wake up at whatever time I wanted on a Saturday!!) and then last weekend my Mom, Victoria and Sean visited Hoboken!  We went out to dinner and saw Mary Poppins on Broadway - it was awesome!  Then - to our surprise, Tom's sister had her baby on Saturday night and we went out to Long Island to meet little Kylie on Sunday afternoon!  She is so tiny and perfect and we love her so much already!

I look forward to regular updates again and be sure to check back soon!