New England Style Winter

I feel as if we're living in Maine, not so much New York City. The ground has been snow covered since Christmas and with the amount of snow we have and the height of the piles...it doesn't look like it's going anywhere till April. This isn't a New York City winter...it's a New England winter, right???!

I don't want to complain too much because it is beautiful hanging on the trees and it's fun for Cole to romp through the deep drifts. My complaints really stem from cleaning off the car, digging out a parking spot, walking through slush and foot deep puddles at the end of the sidewalk, and having to clean off cole after every walk. There. done. complaining.

Here's the snow record for those of you who care:
Dec. 26th 20 inches
Jan. 11th 9 inches
Jan. 17th - 25th 8 inches fell intermittently
Jan 26-27th 19 inches

Total Snowfall for Winter 2010-2011...56 inches.

We now live in a small igloo like the one below. Just kidding, our apartment might be small, but it has heat! Speaking of winter style...there are some definite fashion trends in the city during this weather. Puffer jackets with fur lined hoods, hunter rain boots, leggings, and fur hats.



The East Coast snowstorm from a satellite image


typical snow pile


Winter Styles...

Once a librarian...

Here is a glimpse of what I have been up to over the past couple of days...
 They make me happy.

The Guptas Go South....Deep South.

That's right...we left the cold, snowy northeast and headed down to the sunny south...to visit Casey and Matt in FL!! On this trip we saw Milton, FL, Pensacola, Alabama, Mississippi, and New Orleans...a true southern tour!

Luckily our travel was smooth both ways...I always hate connecting flights and Atlanta is not a very reliable airport, but we had great flights! We've been wanting to visit Casey and Matt for a while and it was a perfect long weekend on Martin Luther King weekend!

We got a great tour of Milton, FL...love seeing where they work and live! Friday night we went to a "winging party"...a party to celebrate all the flight school students who just got their "wings"...aka became official pilots! We got to meet some of Casey and Matt's friends...people are from all over and have different reasons for being in flight school. The next morning we went to the Pensacola base to see the helicopters Matt has been flying and hear him use all his flight jargon - he's learned a lot!

Then Matt went off to study for his flight on Sunday and Nick, Casey and I headed to the Big Easy...road trip to New Orleans! We crossed through Alabama, Mississippi, and finally into Louisiana. As we drove over Lake Pontchartrain (which is HUGE...you care barely see the coasts) we could see the Ninth Ward and some destruction still left from Katrina...really sad. Before we knew it we were on Bourbon St!! We walked up and down and picked a restaurant with some Louisiana creole cooking...and had a table on the balcony! Great view. The rest of the night was filled with Hurricanes, Hand Grenades and bar hopping along Bourbon St. Of course we went to Pat O'Briens which was a go-to for the Virginia Tech Sugar Bowl...once again it was a great time.

Sunday we lost a little money at Harrah's casino, walked around the French Quarter, saw Cafe du Monde, Mothers restaurant, got a few tourist items and ate some more creole food before hitting the road back to FL. That night Matt was back and we hung out over pizza, beers and games...perfect way to spend the night with our friends.

Monday we did some sightseeing in Pensacola and saw the infamous FloraBama bar, which was cool to visit even if it wasn't open....plus we got to the beach...I went home to the snow with a little sand between my toes :)

Although it's hard sometimes not to see your best friend for a while...it makes for really quality visits. Casey and I talk all the time, but it's really cool to visit each other in new places. I can't wait to hear in 2 weeks where they will be headed next...cross your fingers for San Diego! But even if it's Hawaii or Japan we'll make it there somehow!

Pilot Swartz


feeling cool...

Pat O'Briens


First Hurricane of the night...but not the last!

New Orleans balcony! (our dinner spot)


We survived Bourbon Street...barely.


sharing the border


Flora-Bama

Ringing in 2011

Yes we were in NYC during New Years Eve, but no, we didn't go to times square to see the ball drop...in fact we made a point not to go anywhere near midtown! haha.

We did however have a great New Years just the two of us. We went to the Natural Museum of History and acted like tourists seeing all the dinosaurs...fossils are fascinating! Then we made dinner reservations at Nobu in Tribeca which is a famous Japanese with locations all over the world....Budapest and Melbourne even! We had some amazingly unique food and melt in your mouth sushi. We love sushi and have had some good sushi in the city...but this was REALLY DELICIOUS! Almost comparable to the best sushi we've ever had...in Hawaii :)

I definitely recommend that if you're ever here in NY or in London, Melbourne, Budapest, Miami, Dallas, Las Vegas, or San Diego (Casey...) you should eat at Nobu!

Then we headed to a little dive mexican bar down the street from our apartment to make friends with the rest of the people there, watch the ball drop, and cheers to 2011!

2010 was been a year full of life changing events that have brought me love, lots of laughter, and an expanded view on this journey. 2011 is all about settling in and making the most of those changes!


Triceratops


me and T-Rex


New Years dinner at Nobu!

Tortilla Flats - cheers to 2011!

The Lucky One

Sometimes I forget how lucky I am – and then BAM – four of your girlfriends book tickets to come down and see you. Lucky! Lauren, Tammy, Candace, and Diana flew down from Virginia on Friday evening and spent the whole weekend in Florida.
 

We fit more than you can imagine into two days – Irish Wakes, outlet shopping, The Game of Things (my absolute favorite group game), pottery painting, engagement celebrations, birthday celebrations, coffee shops, manicures/pedicures, monkey bread, and the kind of laughter that makes tears fall from your eyes (it says NOT not HOT). Even though the actual traveling part was a bit of a nightmare – 2 rescheduled flights, 6 trips to the airport in 2 days, and Candace being stuck in Atlanta for 3 days (thank you, random southern snow and ice storm) – the trip was fabulous. It was exactly what a weekend with four girlfriends should be. 

 

Best friends are the best, especially those willing to travelJ

 

Self explanatory

Destin - nothing like scarves and boots on the beach

I heart Irish wakes.

What you can't see are the dolphins swimming in the background. Beautiful.

What artists...

Before one of the many trips to the airport

Speaking of best friends that are willing to travel, Leslie and Nick should be down here on Friday. YEA!!!!!! I’m keeping an eye on you, weather. Do not even think about messing with our weekend!

Not too much longer!

Happy 2011!

Matt and I celebrated New Year's Eve at my brother's place in Columbia, SC. He was out of town, so we had the place to ourselves. We loved Columbia, which is a cute southern college town with lots of fun bars and restaurants. We went to dinner in the downtown Vista area. Sadly, we were so exhausted that we only made it out until 10:30 and then went home to celebrate over beers and board games. We made it until midnight and were asleep within the next 5 minutes. Sad, but true. Regardless, great New Year's for an exciting year ahead of us!

 

Happy 2011, readers!

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Can't wait for 2011!

Holiday Road Trip

I love road trips. Everything from the early morning coffee runs to the play lists to the multiple fast food stops. Nothing beats the anticipation of a good road trip. And this Christmas we had a good one planned. We went from Pensacola, Florida to Columbia, South Carolina to Hertford, North Carolina to Woodbury, New Jersey all in a matter of a week. Spending the holidays with family was well worth all of the spilled sodas and the shady gas station stops along the way. Here is a snapshot of our Holiday:

• Miles driven: 2500
• Time spent in car: 45 hours
• Times Sadie threw up in the car: 1
• Fast food stops: 10 (yes, 10)
• Times Matt and I beat Mom and Dad in Pitch: 2
• Times Matt and I lost in Pitch: 7
• Puzzles completed: 1
• Christmas toys that Sadie destroyed before we even left to go home: 3
• Inches of snow in Hertford, NC: 9
• Holiday engagements: 2 (Congrats, Kristen and Nick and Diana and Matt!!!)
• Weight gained: 3 pounds (I’m guessing this has to do with the 10 fast food stops and cookies for breakfast mentality

Overall, it was such an awesome Christmas. It was the first of many Christmases where my entire family was together. Is it sad that I’m already looking forward to next year? Only 353 more days to go…

 

Here are some pictures from the week.

 

Packed and waiting for Matt to get home...

Sadie's spot

Traditional Christmas shot

We finally got one!!! Thanks, Mom!

We are going to have to beat Leslie and Nick in this game next weekend.

Is that Cole on the front?

One of the trillion toys Sadie got (and destroyed)

Deep-frying the turkey. Before the snow...

Finally, snow! A LOT of snow!

I think that I won this one;)

I love my family!

Congratulations, Nick and Kristen. Welcome to the family, Nick!

TV Show Rankings

Ok, so it's been fall/winter...the time for great tv. Before you judge me on the amount of tv I watch, just know that I've always been a "tuber" as my mom would say. Also that I have a DVR, so sometimes these shows stack up till I have time to watch them AND they are not all on at the same time of year AND we haven't had HBO for the past year so I haven't even watched those recently. Although, I must say I'm better than ever at keeping up with my shows this year....this will most likely change with my new job.

Here are my rankings:

16. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)
15. The Office (NBC)
14. Glee (FOX)
13. Jersey Shore (MTV)
12. True Blood (HBO)
11. Greys Anatomy (ABC)
10 30 Rock (NBC)
9. The League (FX)
8. Entourage (HBO)
7. Top Chef (Bravo)
6. Private Practice (ABC)
5. Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
4. Friday Night Lights...not on a network right now but NBC will air final season.
3. Parenthood (NBC)
2. How I met Your Mother (CBS)
1. Modern Family (ABC)

Notes of this list....

I laugh at It's Always Sunny and then I find myself trying to laugh....it's just too much sometimes. I know that's the point, but apparently I'm not as dark humored as I thought.




True Blood on HBO took a while for me to get into, I'm not into Vampires, but it's pretty addicting once you've been bitten....ho. ho. ho.



The League is a new show and about some men and one guy's wife in a fantasy football league ...since we are in a fantasy football league (with casey and matt nonetheless) nick and i find it hilarious...it's a must try.



Friday Night Lights....LOVE IT. if you've never watched this show, start watching the seasons from the past and then watch the last season coming up soon! It's football and Americana at it's best.



Parenthood...heartwarming and funny, Dax Sheppard makes the show and I just love the little boy with Asperger Syndrome. I heard rumors that it might be cancelled...i really hope not!



How I Met Your Mother & Modern Family tie for first really....they are equally HILARIOUS. how i met is even more hilarious b/c it's about friends living in nyc and nick and i can relate. Modern family is just ridiculously hilarious...the timing of all the jokes is just perfect and the dad, phil, and the couple, cam & mitchell, have the most classic comments.

Orange you glad you're a Hokie!

I just couldn't pass up the "Orange" joke! Yes, I am THAT cheesy.

I have been away from the blog way too long and have many updates for you. I promise to write this week and share lots of pictures from our road-trip holiday season.

Here is a teaser...

You know how in "A Christmas Story" (best Christmas movie EVER, by the way) the two little kids fall asleep with their blimp and Red Ryder BB gun. That was our spoiled Sadie with her gift from Uncle Chris. Promise, we did not put the toy there.

But right now we have more important things to do, like head down the street to cheer on the Hokies at our Virginia Tech-themed house party.

Here is our contribution...

Corn dip in the orange bowl. The oranges behind were just a lucky coincidence. This recipe is awesome, unless you don't like corn (and then you have your own issues.) People love it! I have eaten it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! If you want the recipe, let me know.

Hokie jello jigglers (can't see too well, but they are orange and red). Bill Cosby would be proud!

GO HOKIES!!!!!!!!