First date night of the year was at Grand Central Oyster Bar and Restaurant. We participated in a Billion Oyster Social. The Billion Oyster Project is a fabulous organization that collects old oyster shells and returns them to the New York Harbor to restore oyster reefs. We enjoyed a three-course tasting menu with cocktail pairings. Everything was yummy 😋!
After the social, we stayed and had more oysters and dinner.
We are starting the new year by trying new things and learning! Every first Saturday of the month, Home Depot holds a free workshop for kids. This month, the workshop focused on building a tow truck. Staff provide you with everything you need to make it, including all the tools.
I wasn’t sure if my daughter would enjoy this activity, but she absolutely loved it. The instructions are easy to follow, and upon completion, they leave you with a sense of accomplishment. Each packet also includes a certificate of achievement and a pin to collect. The activity goes from 9 am – 12 pm while supplies last. I arrived around 9:10 am, and the area was already packed.
Next month, the project will be making a penguin mailbox.
It’s that time of year when I like to take an inventory of all the fun stuff I did. A few things I enjoyed were reading and cooking with my daughter. In ‘The Calendar Kids’ series, I got to do both. There are 12 books, one for each month, and each book focuses on one kid (named after the month) as they explore seasons, holidays, and memorable moments with friends and family. Each book has a cooking recipe that is tied to the story, and it’s been fun reading the book each month and trying all the recipes.
More to come in part two.
I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays. I’m currently curled up on the couch with my favorite people and reminiscing about the past year.
I picked up a new hobby this year, collecting pins. It all started during my birthday trip to Disney World (more on that next week).
I bought pins after riding Toy Story Mania in Hollywood Studios and Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom. I don’t know what compelled me to start buying them, but these stores had a great selection of pins, and I just picked the ones that spoke to me. I did not choose the Ursula pin, though. I actually hate her, but my husband and daughter decided it would be a hoot to buy it for me as a surprise.
I also randomly got three mystery pin boxes, Up, The Incredibles, and I picked up a Star Wars one in another shop. Little did I know that this would be the beginning of my pin journey.
I have since bought more mystery boxes (mostly Disney-related) and I’ve been enjoying opening them with my daughter. I’ll share more another time.
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and I’m really grateful I got to do some amazing things to celebrate this year.
I visited the Morgan Library & Museum to see the Jane Austin exhibit before it closed. It was packed and crowded, but doing something different with my family was great. The day’s highlights included afternoon tea at the cafe and enjoying the small garden.
Last week, I had an impromptu lunch with my mom and daughter. We ate at Anassa Taverna in Astoria. Everything was yummy.
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!
Today is my Dad’s 83rd birthday!
We went to London Lennies, one of our favorite restaurants, to celebrate.
This past Saturday, I joined the New York Junior League’s Travel & Culture affinity Group and explored North Fork’s beautiful wine country. We had curated tastings led by a professional sommelier at Jamesport Vineyards and Sparkling Pointe. We also stopped at the famous Briermere Farm Stand.
The weather was crappy, but I had an amazing time and met some new friends. Would definitely like to make another trip to Sparkling Pointe.
The Casual Explorer 