I look forward to the flower show each year. It always makes me think of spring. The beautiful flowers are a tease of what is to come and a reminder of what I will never ever accomplish in my own garden and I’m ok with that :).
This year’s theme was ‘Once Upon A Springtime’ and it definitely had the fairytale look down with a storybook entrance, dragon and villain throne lol. I especially loved the detail on the throne and overall loved the lovely flowers. Here were my favs.
In February, I was lucky enough to visit the museum twice, once with my Mom and another time, on Valentine’s Day <3, with Andrew.
Mom and I focused on seeing the exhibits that were closing. I especially wanted her to see the Michelangelo one because she is quite religious. Here are my favorite shots (one not of the exhibit!).
We also got to see the Rodin exhibit, which was displayed in a single corridor. These sculptures were amazing. Mom and I spent the most time here, taking in all the beauty and laughing at some of the more interesting ones. Here are our favs!
Our last stop was the Japanese Bamboo exhibit and the Chinese Courtyard. They had one huge bamboo sculpture, which I believe was specifically made for the room, but I could be wrong. It was pretty interesting. It reminded me of the bamboo exhibit many years ago on the rooftop. That was one of my favorite rooftop exhibits at The Met. Mom LOVED the Chinese Courtyard; I took a lot of solo shots of her in here.
On Valentine’s Day, Andrew and I got to explore the museum after hours. It was pretty cool, less of a crowd and they had curators in various locations to give you more information. The whole museum wasn’t open, only certain sections but we still got to enjoy the beautiful paintings at the Thomas Cole exhibit, the Frank Lloyd Wright room in the American Wing and our favorite, Temple of Dendur. It’s usually crowded in the room, so it was pretty sweet that we got to see it so up close and personal. Andrew and I ended our night of exploring in the Dining Room at The Met where we had a very romantic dinner =).
One of my goals for this year is to spend more time with my parents. In January, I took them to watch Shen Yun, a Chinese dance and music performance, at Lincoln Center. It was amazing! Full of color and culture.
The show had a great combination of old school and modern elements, with traditional Chinese dances and clothes that were breathtaking, and more modern elements that included crafty ways of using video and projection. Each dance or performance told a different story. My personal favorites were the more traditional ones that featured the females in elegant over the top dresses of the time period. One focused on these long sleeves that the women used sort of like ribbons when they danced. The other one focused on these huge platform shoes that they mastered at the time to make beautiful movement. Kudos to the women of the past who made these outfits and styles work, and work well, at the time of their lives!
Could not capture any photos or videos of the performances but both my parents enjoyed themselves :). This is an annual performance in NY, so I look forward to next year!
Last year was full of surprises for me, good and bad, but the best and happiest had to be Andrew proposing to me on our cross country adventure (more about that trip in another post!)
He proposed on June 23, 2017, while we were on the California Zephyr train heading to San Francisco. I was hoping that it would happen on this trip, but I had no idea, and it was perfect. He did a good job tricking me, and best of all, he got me on camera. We enjoyed the rest of our trip on a newly engaged high.
We’ll be getting married this year, on June 23rd =), and my goal for myself is to enjoy this crazy time, no matter what. There is a lot of planning to do, a lot of family craziness in store but I need to appreciate this time and take it all in. It will be a year of celebrating us and our love, and I embrace it.
Here is a collage of the two of us on the train, we used it as our engagement announcement pic. Andrew is not great at taking serious photos, so I had to get creative!
As an only child, it’s my responsibility to take care of my parents the older they get. Last year, I got a little taste of what that would be like. Both my parents ended up staying with me, separately and together, for some time in my small two bedroom apartment. My father got sick and was afraid to be by himself, and my mother’s living situation was no longer habitable (it still isn’t). My parents have been legally separated since I was three so it was a packed (and awkward) apartment in Astoria!
It was a bit rough, but it had its beautiful moments. I was lucky enough to be unemployed at the time, concentrating on Grad School, and was able to be home to look after them. I never lived with my Dad, so I had to get used to his quirky ways. I also had to get used to cooking for four and abiding by everyone’s food preferences. Trying to respect everyone’s personal space and routines was hard, but we made it work.
One of the positive things that came out of it, looking back, was that I had the tough talks with my parents and got the 411 on wills, health proxies and power of attorney. I witnessed how vulnerable they could be. We generally look at our parents as the strong ones, the people we go to when we are weak. It was hard for me to see them that way but it was also eye-opening. I had to be the strong one this time, and I will have to be in the future.
Another positive thing was that I started helping them improve their living situations. None of us are great at keeping things neat, but both my parents are hoarders. My mom is the worse of the two! Last year, I helped my dad clean out his place and get new furniture. I also did a major clean-up job in my mom’s kitchen. It’s wasn’t enough, and there was so much to do that I convinced her to move in with my dad until we get everything sorted. So now my parents are living together. After them living separately for 33 years, I’m so proud of them for making it work.
One of my main goals for 2018 is to clean up my place, continue cleaning my Dad’s and cleaning my Mom’s place. I want us to live clutter free. It is true when they say clutter causes stress! I also want to begin collecting all the important financial documents and having access to everything I need just in case. This means continuing to have those tough, awkward talks. Most importantly I want to spend more quality time with my parents. I def. take them for granted.
Here is a pic of my lovely parents <3!
2017 was very good to me. However, I’m excited about what is in store for 2018!
This upcoming week, I’ll be reflecting on some of my most memorable moments last year that will hopefully flourish into this year.
-M
…for so much this year especially for my family, friends, health and home.
