Tag Archives: Celebration

Reviewing my 2023

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I’m late as usual, but I wanted to take some time out to truly reflect on last year. I definitely had some amazing moments.

In January, I participated in ShawshankD, an immersive speakeasy cocktail experience, for my friend’s birthday. It’s loosely based on the movie and was a blast.
In February, I had a surprise dinner for my husband’s birthday at The Boil in Astoria. Surprising him was hard but I managed to do it and had a few of his friends there as well.
We stayed with friends in the Poconos in March. We had special visitors (the deer) each day. My daughter was heavily invested in their movements.
I planned an egg hunt at the New York Junior League (NYJL) in April. We had approx 60 kids participate. It was a lot of fun, and my daughter had an awesome time.
In May, I helped plan a Career Day at the NYJL. The event is designed to help high-achieving female students from underserved communities navigate their options after high school. Over 80 girls participated in the event.
We visited my family’s beach house for a week in June. It was still cold, but it was great to get out of the city.
In July, we joined friends and explored the American Museum of Natural History. They have a fantastic butterfly exhibit. Maxine made a cute friend.
My family rented a house in Monticello, New York, for a week in August. We like to do this every year. The house had an outdoor pool, a jacuzzi, a game room, and plenty of space. It was great to connect with family.
In September, I officially started my role as Affiliation Council Head at the NYJl. I oversee two committees, Membership Engagement Events and Greeting and Outreach. Both committees are tasked to keep members engaged and provide experiences and opportunities to enhance membership.
In October, I spent some time in Myrtle Beach for my birthday. The weather was great, and the town wasn’t too crowded. I had an amazing time with Andrew and Maxine. It was also my daughter’s first time on an airplane.
My daughter and I got to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade live at my friends house. I’m so use to watching it on tv. It was a totally different experience watching it live and I was lucky I got to share it with Maxine.
December was all about enjoying time with family. We enjoyed our tree. I made personal ornaments with pictures. My Mom and Maxine also crafted some ornaments. Andrew and I enjoyed the Wall Street Journal wine advent calendar. Maxine had a Play-Doh one and a nativity scene one that she shared with my Mom.

Overall, 2023 was pretty kind to us. Looking forward to all the amazing moments that I know will happen in 2024.

Visiting Watermark at Pier 15

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Last week, I had a Mom’s night out and celebrated my good friend Louanna’s 42nd, I mean 24th😉, birthday at Watermark at Pier 15.

It’s an outdoor restaurant right by the water with a killer view.

I chose the messiest foods on the menu 🤣, but it was all yummy. I had corn, steak tacos, and a seafood platter with oysters and lobster.

The restaurant was a vibe, with a DJ and a lively crowd. The best part of the night was randomly catching a drone show celebrating Hip Hop. Second best, some drinks came in pouches!

I will say the only downside is the bathroom situation. There are no restrooms in the restaurant area; you have to leave and use public bathrooms with only a few stalls, or you can use the public porta potties.

Overall, a fun night and I would recommend it for a good time.

Celebrating Mother’s Day

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I had a fabulous Mother’s Day last week.

Here is my mom and my little munchkin.

I greeted all the extraordinary women in my life and got plants for my mother, mother-in-law, aunt, and sister-in-law.

Mother’s Day gifts

I treated my mom and myself to a seafood feast!

Shrimp
Snow crab legs!
Clams
Banana pudding
Beignets!

My husband bought me flowers and I made beautiful arrangements with them.

Overall, a great day!

Celebrating Easter

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I’m a bit late, but I want to share my Easter this year. It was extra special because I helped organize an egg hunt at the New York Junior League (NYJL), and I had family from California visit.

We had approx 70 kids participate in the egg hunt at the (NYJL). The kids decorated their egg-hunting bags, bunnies and chicks, and photo frames. It was a huge hit.

Here are pictures of my family enjoying the event.

Maxine creating her bag
Savvy and Maxi
Eggs with Tita!
❤️
Family Pic

For Easter, I did most of the cooking. I wanted to cook ham but couldn’t find any, so chicken it is!

With my family from California.

This year, I went a little light with the Easter baskets. Less is more!

Maxi’s basket
My nephew’s basket. Went with a board game.
Got a dot activity book for my niece.

For family activities, we did cookie decorating and classic egg coloring.

Nothing better than spending quality time with the family.

Proudest Moments of 2022

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I know March is approaching, but I haven’t genuinely parted ways with 2022 yet. On my quest to look back and build my goals for this year, I wanted to call out some of my proudest moments of last year.

My proudest food adventure last year was making these dumplings from scratch for Lunar New Year. What makes them even more special is that they are my redemption dumplings. I screwed up the first time but didn’t give up and made a kick-ass bunch.
My proudest date night with my husband was Sushi on Me. We had so much fun that night. The food was AMAZING, the restaurant had a cool speakeasy vibe, and we had free saki all night.
My proudest mom moment was Maxine’s first day of school. She didn’t start until December 1st because she was turning two that month, so it was a regular day for everyone else but her first. She wasn’t scared, and she went right in. I was a mess but so proud.
My proudest family moment was attending my cousin’s dance recital. My cousin Marcus (wearing the ‘Senior’ shirt) had a solo and was one of the only guys in this dance troupe. We were all so proud, yelling for him. He did a fantastic job. It was great to see him perform, but it was also great to see many of my family members.
My proudest moment with my parents was when I got them to go on a family vacation with me, and they went swimming and enjoyed themselves. My parents are not into activities, but I try to involve them in as many things as possible. It was great to see them let loose and enjoy themselves.
My proudest personal achievement last year was that I took the time to learn how to play Mah Jongg. I always wanted to play, and I was able to make it happen in the Fall.
My proudest professional moment was being asked to speak about my experience with the New York Junior League. I’ve volunteered with the organization for many years and built a lot of strong skill sets here. It was such an honor to talk to young professionals looking to join the organization.

Celebrating Valentine’s Day

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This Valentine’s Day, I wanted to do something special for my daughter, husband, and parents.

I bought flowers for Mom.
I got these beautiful flowers from my husband.
I found these cute food-related Valentine’s Day cards and had my daughter draw on them and give them to family members and her teachers.
I bought these cute cards for Maxine’s classmates. I had to nix the strawberry-scented erasers because they were a little small for the kids.
My daughter’s new favorite show is Octonauts, so I bought her a set of figurines and a dish set.
Chocolates were a must for my parents and my husband.
The way to my heart, and my family’s heart, is through seafood. 😆
I bought 10 lbs of crawfish from the Louisiana Crawfish Company. They came alive and kicking! I gave them a good wash and then cooked them. It was an amazing meal and a great ending to the night.