Cruising the MSC Meraviglia – Fall 2024

Posted on August 22, 2025 by mlenoach

Two more days until our Disney Cruise! I’m revisiting some of our past cruise vacations to get us pumped and ready to go.

In October 2024, we enjoyed a 7-day Caribbean cruise on the MSC Meraviglia to celebrate my birthday this time. We learned a lot from our first cruise in February! For our NCL cruise, we waited to book everything on the ship. Frequent cruisers know that booking packages in advance is the way to go; it’s cheaper, and you have more options. So we bought everything in advance! We got the drink and wifi package (worth it to us), we got the specialty dining package, and enjoyed four amazing restaurants. I prebooked excursions, spa treatments, and little goodies throughout our cruise. I even booked a little photo shoot for us. It was all worth it!

We had the best time! Learning from our February cruise, we took advantage of every amenity we could. Our daughter participated in the kids club this time, while my husband and I enjoyed the spa and the nighttime entertainment. We also got to enjoy some shows with our daughter. She slept through one show (lol), but she enjoyed the acrobatic one, in the carousel lounge. My daughter was better potty-trained this time, so we got to take advantage of the pools more. The one negative we experienced was the weather. It definitely wasn’t on our side, and we only made one of our ports, but we made the best of it on the ship. The ship had tons of activities to participate in. We plan on going on another MSC cruise in February 2026!

Cruising on the NCL Getaway Winter- 2024

Posted on August 20, 2025 by mlenoach

Next week, my family and I are going on our first Disney cruise. We are so excited and are counting the days (4 more to go!). In the meantime, I’m revisiting some of our past cruise vacations to get us ready.

In February 2024, we enjoyed a 10-day Caribbean cruise on the Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) to celebrate my husband’s birthday. It was also extra special because it was the first cruise with our daughter.

We had a fantastic time! The boat was gorgeous, and the food was amazing. One regret I did have was that we didn’t take advantage of all the amenities on the ship. We didn’t make it to many of the shows and did not end up using the kids’ club services. We took advantage of excursions during our port days, but some of the ones we were looking forward to got canceled due to the weather. However, we still had a blast and ended up hooked on cruising!

Indoor Play Areas in Queens and Brooklyn

Posted on August 13, 2025 by mlenoach

Here are some indoor play areas/activities that are fun to try when you want to beat the heat (or cold), when it rains, or just for fun.

Twinkle Playspace in Williamburg

PLAYDAY in Long Island City – heavy on art classes vs playground. We attended a birthday party, but they have so many cool offerings: bookmarking, cartooning, collage creations, fashion design, painting and drawing, and printmaking.

Dream City in Forest Hill

Puzzles in Astoria – have seasonal special events, snapology, STEM based and sensory activities.

2025 Summer Bucket List

Posted on July 6, 2025 by mlenoach

I had so much fun creating a bucket list last year that I knew I wanted to do it again this year. Aiming for a blackout, let’s go summer!

Memorial Day

Posted on May 26, 2025 by mlenoach

Lunch with Marc Happel

Posted on January 30, 2025 by mlenoach

At the beginning of January, I had the pleasure of attending a luncheon featuring Marc Happel, the Costume Director for the New York City Ballet at the New York Junior League.

Marc discussed his process of creating costumes for new ballets and his visually stunning book NEW YORK CITY BALLET: CHOREOGRAPHY & COUTURE.

I had an amazing time, enjoying lunch by Liz King of Kings Carriage House, and meeting new friends at the League.

Here are pictures from the event.

Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.

Posted on January 27, 2025 by mlenoach

Last week, I participated in two service projects in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Last Monday, I created cards for Senior Citizens with my daughter. We decorated them with hearts for Valentine’s Day and we made 20 of them.

Last Wednesday, I helped create HomeNow kits for families moving from shelters into permanent housing with the NYJL’s Women of Color Affinity Group and DIAD-OD committee. These kits include home essentials like cookware, bed sheets, and cleaning supplies. We unboxed boxes, sorted supplies and put the kit together. We were able to put together approx. 40 kits.

My 2025 Vision Board

Posted on January 9, 2025 by mlenoach

What I’m manifesting this year.

My 2025 goals

Posted on January 2, 2025 by mlenoach

I had so much fun with my Summer bingo card last year that I made one for my goals this year. Let the games begin!

Outstanding Volunteer

Posted on December 3, 2024 by mlenoach

On November 22nd, I was officially announced as one of five Outstanding Volunteers for the New York Junior League. The League is a women-powered volunteer organization that focuses on improving the health and well-being of women, children, and families in NYC. Each year, the nonprofit chooses five members and honors them as Outstanding Volunteers, and I am honored to be part of this year’s Outstanding class.

The soiree was a fun, memorable night, and I’m so proud to be part of such an impactful organization. Here are pictures of the night!