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!
Monday, August 20, 2012
Friday, August 17, 2012
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:
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.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
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!
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!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Jingle Bells or Not
There are many things that I miss in my life now that I live in Hoboken.
At the top of my list is my family and being able to sit down to regular dinners with them, watch weeknight tv shows, hearing my brother and sister tell stories about their school days - the list could go on and on.
Next would be taking my dog for walks. You would think I told Misty she won $10 million with the way she responds to "Hey Misty, wanna go for a walk?" She runs around and can't get to the door fast enough. And it's amazing how much thinking you can do in a 15 minute walk and how easy it is to "talk" to a dog and then some how Misty makes it all better by the time you get back to the driveway...
And what sparked my thought for this post was driving in my car and singing along to the radio. Now that it is Christmas time, I have been listening to Christmas music at work. A few of my favorites have come on and I want to belt them out - but I can't. Well, I mean, I could but then I would look like a crazy person and disrupt productivity. So it got me thinking about how much I miss being in a car and singing my favorite jams.
So - I will continue Skype home to talk to my family (and yell to Misty to come to the screen even though she has no desire to move from her spot on the couch) and just hum along to O Holy Night and Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays...
At the top of my list is my family and being able to sit down to regular dinners with them, watch weeknight tv shows, hearing my brother and sister tell stories about their school days - the list could go on and on.
Next would be taking my dog for walks. You would think I told Misty she won $10 million with the way she responds to "Hey Misty, wanna go for a walk?" She runs around and can't get to the door fast enough. And it's amazing how much thinking you can do in a 15 minute walk and how easy it is to "talk" to a dog and then some how Misty makes it all better by the time you get back to the driveway...
And what sparked my thought for this post was driving in my car and singing along to the radio. Now that it is Christmas time, I have been listening to Christmas music at work. A few of my favorites have come on and I want to belt them out - but I can't. Well, I mean, I could but then I would look like a crazy person and disrupt productivity. So it got me thinking about how much I miss being in a car and singing my favorite jams.
So - I will continue Skype home to talk to my family (and yell to Misty to come to the screen even though she has no desire to move from her spot on the couch) and just hum along to O Holy Night and Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays...
Sunday, December 11, 2011
It's a beaut, Clark.
My first Christmas tree in Hoboken! It is so nice to come home to the smell of the tree and light it up each night as we watch TV, make dinner and hang out.
Jen, Drew and I also decorated a gingerbread house which came out pretty cute!
This weekend we attended an ugly sweater party and Tom found us matching t-shirts that had a pattern of a typical Christmas sweater!
It's certainly beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Hoboken!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
A interesting article
For those in their mid-20s...
Perhaps this could be a new years resolution guide of sorts as next year I will be turning the big 2-5.
Perhaps this could be a new years resolution guide of sorts as next year I will be turning the big 2-5.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
A whole lot...
In one post.
I have been severely lacking in the posts throughout the last month or so - allow me to catch you up to speed...
Victoria turned 16 and we had a wonderful time celebrating and dancing with her friends!
Soon after her party, it was time to celebrate Halloween. With most of our friends choosing superheroes - I felt I was left no other choice than to be Mighty Mouse - in hopes of ridding our apartment once and for all of mice by making a joke of it...
The costume was a success (though ridding the apartment of mice hasn't proven as successful...). Nevertheless, Halloween was a good time this year - despite the random snow storm! Here are a few shots from the night:
I have had two clients so far - and hopefully will have more to come in the next few months! Here are the trays I put together for one of the clients:
Know anyone interested in sampling some of Good Afternoonan Catering's food at their next event? Send them my way - goodafternoonancatering@gmail.com !
In the spirit of Thanksgiving (and to rival my local Hoboken competition - the Cake Boss) - I gave it a shot at trying to make a turkey cake. With a little help from some trusty toothpicks, we got Tommy the Turkey to stand and here he is:
Now - if that doesn't get you excited about Good Afternoonan Catering - well, I don't know what will!
Ah, scratch that - I will be posting pictures of my Christmas cookies soon - in case you have any further doubts!
So - stayed tuned for pictures of my first Christmas tree, a gingerbread house fit for a king (currently stored in the refrigerator so it is not home to a mouse) and Christmas treats galore!
I have been severely lacking in the posts throughout the last month or so - allow me to catch you up to speed...
Victoria turned 16 and we had a wonderful time celebrating and dancing with her friends!
Soon after her party, it was time to celebrate Halloween. With most of our friends choosing superheroes - I felt I was left no other choice than to be Mighty Mouse - in hopes of ridding our apartment once and for all of mice by making a joke of it...
The costume was a success (though ridding the apartment of mice hasn't proven as successful...). Nevertheless, Halloween was a good time this year - despite the random snow storm! Here are a few shots from the night:
As November began, I started the think more and more about working on "opening" a catering company of sorts. I love to cook and bake, I enjoy preparing food for friends and family and think that with a solid client base, I could really start something!
So - Good Afternoonan Catering has been established, I created a business card, am working on trying as many recipes as I can and slowly but surely am getting the word out there that this is something I really would like to try.
Here are a few "tah-dah" shots of some of the food I have been making:
Spaghetti squash with homemade sauce and chicken/spinach/onions meatballs
Side of garlic bread (naturally)
Homemade spring rolls
Pumpkin apple muffins
Oatmeal cookie sandwiches
 |
| Spinach dip in a bread bowl with veggies and bread |
 |
| Assorted cookie tray featuring Italian cookies, Oreo truffles, sugar cookies, oatmeal cookies, and pumpkin bites |
In the spirit of Thanksgiving (and to rival my local Hoboken competition - the Cake Boss) - I gave it a shot at trying to make a turkey cake. With a little help from some trusty toothpicks, we got Tommy the Turkey to stand and here he is:
Now - if that doesn't get you excited about Good Afternoonan Catering - well, I don't know what will!
Ah, scratch that - I will be posting pictures of my Christmas cookies soon - in case you have any further doubts!
So - stayed tuned for pictures of my first Christmas tree, a gingerbread house fit for a king (currently stored in the refrigerator so it is not home to a mouse) and Christmas treats galore!
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