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!