Our time in Shirley, Long Island

Posted on July 6, 2023 by mlenoach

I’m incredibly grateful my family has a beach house in Shirley, Long Island. Two weeks ago, my husband had off, so we took advantage. The weather wasn’t great, but we had a great time regardless.

My daughter, Maxine, was obsessed with counting how many mermaids were in one of the rooms.

We took advantage of the time we had outside as much as possible.

Maxine loved walking and running on the grass.

My Uncle was nice enough to take us out on his boat. Maxine was not a fan of the boat going fast, but she was all smiles after awhile.

The beach is about a 10-15 min walk from the house. It was so windy, and no one was around because it was cold. It was extremely peaceful, regardless. Maxine did not care for the beach. I think it was too windy for her.

While we were out east, we enjoyed the Animal Farm Petting Zoo in Manorville.

They also had really cool playground areas within the zoo.

We also enjoyed some yummy food from the area. On our first night, we ordered from Fratelli’s Restaurant and Pizza.

Best chicken marsala with linguine I ever had.

The linguine with alfredo sauce was also very yummy.

One night, we steamed some clams my Aunt and Uncle caught; they were so tasty!

We also stopped by Varney’s in Brookhaven. They are known for their muscles, which were delicious (the red and white sauces were both good). I also couldn’t resist the lobster roll.

We also got ice cream and shakes at Carla Marlas Ice Cream Parlor and Candy Shoppe in Bellport. So good!

Hopefully, we will be back soon to create more amazing memories.

Playing Tourist Part 2

Posted on June 3, 2023 by mlenoach

I got to play tourist again but in a different capacity.

I volunteer with the New York Junior League, an organization of women whose mission is to advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration, and training.

I’ve been a volunteer for nine years and have had many roles.

This year, I’ve had the pleasure of being part of the Personal Advancement and Leadership Committee (PAL), which focuses on mentoring young women (ages 14-18) on continuing education opportunities, broad career aspirations, and life skills.

One of the workshops was a tour of Radio City Music Hall. We were able to tour the whole venue and got to meet a Radio City Rockette. It was an excellent opportunity for the young women to see the space and hear from various employees on how they got their jobs and what their roles and responsibilities are.

It was an inspiring and fun workshop. Here are some pictures of the tour.

Hidden within the carpet are 6 instruments

The room that really makes the magic happen

Playing tourist in my own city

Posted on May 30, 2023 by mlenoach

In April, I had family from California visit. They explored NYC for many days, and I was able to spend some time with them and enjoy some sites I hadn’t been to before or hadn’t been to in a while.

I have been wanting to check out Little Island for a while now, so we went there first. It’s a great little park with lovely views.

From Little Island, we went straight to the High Line. I haven’t been in years! The High Line is a public park built on a freight rail line elevated above the streets of Manhattan’s West Side. The park is from 14th Street to 34th Street and has impressive views and great artwork along the path.

The High Line goes directly into Hudson Yards. We enjoyed the mall there and some yummy food.

Overall, it was a great relaxing day, enjoying the city.

Taking a look back at 2022

Posted on January 1, 2023 by mlenoach

As the clock turns 12, I wanted to celebrate and look back at 2022.

I started the new year with a challenge, the January Pantry Challenge. The idea was to cook things I already had at home to save money. I ate a lot of soup and finally ate stuff in my freezer. Some of my favs were the shrimp stir fry, red beans, sausage and rice, and dumplings.

In February, I did some fun activities with my parents. We took part in a virtual chocolate tasting and a chocolate-making class.

In March, I did a bit of a staycation and enjoyed the TWA hotel at JFK. It was a lot of fun. It had a fantastic 60s vibe with great food and ambiance. One of the best features is that they remade one of the planes into a cocktail bar/lounge.

For Easter this year, I decorated eggs and did a few egg hunts with Maxine and my family. It was fun to make the eggs with mom, and even better to see Maxine’s face while she was looking for eggs.

I don’t see my friends as often as I would like these days, but it’s always a blast when we do get to see each other. In May, we had brunch at Lucky Chengs and enjoyed a fun drag show.

In June, I was a panelist for a new membership event at the New York Junior League. I have been volunteering for the league for about eight years now and I was honored to be asked to speak.

Dad turned 80 in July! I wanted to throw him a huge party, but that is not my dad’s style. We had an amazing dinner at a Greek restaurant in Astoria instead.

We rented out a beautiful house in the Poconos in August and had a kickass family trip. The place was amazing; it had an indoor pool, a game room, and a movie theater. We also did some hiking and saw some beautiful waterfalls, and did some canoeing as well.

September was all about soaking up the last bit of beautiful weather and enjoying the parks and water sprinklers.

I turned 41 this year and spent my birthday with my family in Atlantic City. We stayed at Caesar’s Palace. I haven’t been to AC in years! I gambled with my parents, and Andrew won big at the roulette table. I ate excellent food and enjoyed the beach, as the weather was nice. Andrew and I even got to have a little date night on my birthday and explored AC at night.

I kicked off the holiday season by attending the New York Junior League’s Golden Tree event. It’s a holiday market where a percentage of the proceeds go to the league. The event also had a great auction where you could bid on various items, including holiday wreaths. I participated in the auction for the first time and won these two beauties.

Maxine turned two in December! Last year, we kept it simple and celebrated at a buffet so this year, I wanted to go all out. I rented a small venue and we had a bouncy house, face painter and balloon artist. Of course it had to be CoComelon themed.

2022, thanks for the memories!

Trying out Hug Esan in Elmhurst Queens

Posted on May 14, 2022 by mlenoach

Two weeks ago, I attended my first ‘Eat Something New in Queens’ meet-up at Hug Esan, a Thai restaurant in Elmhurst.

I had such a great time. It was a date night/food adventure/reunion kind of night. An old friend from high school, small world, planned the event, and Andrew and I got to venture out, try new things, and meet new people.

Everything was amazing! Here is what we ate.

Tom Zabb- spicy and sour soup with spare ribs and various mushrooms *my favorite

Moo Num Tok- sliced pork salad with rice powder

Larb Pla- fried fish with herbs in a sweet and spicy sauce *the most exciting dish

Until the next time!

Eat Something New In Queens Challenge

Posted on May 14, 2022 by mlenoach

In March, I took part in the ‘Eat Something New in Queens’ Challenge. The purpose was to step out of your comfort zone, try new restaurants and food, and support local restaurants around Queens. Although I took a little staycation during the challenge, I still tried to participate. All the food I tried was excellent!

Here are the restaurants I tried.

Nneji is a West African spot in Astoria. It’s more a pickup type of place but has fantastic food. Don’t feel shy and ask the owner for recommendations on what to eat.

Spicy Goat Stew with Okra and Tomato – was definitely spicy!

Coco Malaysian Cuisine in Elmhurst.

I’m half Filipino, so Filipino food is life, but I did find a new dish I had never had before at Kabayan Authentic Filipino Cuisine in Woodside.

Binagoongan Rice (Fried rice with shrimp paste, mango, and scallions)

My family stayed at the TWA Hotel in JFK, in Jamaica, during the challenge (more on the hotel in another post), but we still tried some great food.

Yardie Bistro was in the food court area of the hotel.

Splurged a little at the Paris Cafe by Jean-Georges. It was well worth it!

I had a blast trying all the food. The challenge has an awesome Facebook group page that offers food ideas and recommendations year round. If you love food and live in Queens, or don’t mind traveling to the borough, join the group!

Earth Day- All about the Sea Turtles

Posted on April 22, 2022 by mlenoach

I randomly came across the company Fahlo. Which partners with non-profit organizations to create bracelets that come with an animal to track. Some wildlife organizations they work with are the Sea Turtle Conservancy, Save The Elephants, Polar Bears International, and Saving the Blue.

For Earth Day this year, I decided to support the Sea Turtle Conservancy, so I bought the sea turtle bracelet.

I love it and I wear it all the time. The best part is that the bracelet comes with a QR code to track an actual sea turtle. I’m currently tracking Pop Tart.

It’s a really cool concept and something I enjoy and feel good about supporting.

My next goal is to have my own small edible garden. Let’s see if I can make it happen this Spring!

Cunningham Park

Posted on April 22, 2022 by mlenoach

It’s only fitting that on Earth Day, I would give a shout-out to my go-to park, Cunningham Park.

I have been going to Cunningham since I was a kid. Now my husband and I bring our daughter here all the time. The park has a great playground, space for sports, a path for running/walking, exercise equipment, and even a dog park.

The park also apparently has some walking/biking trails that I never knew about! I haven’t had a chance to explore those yet, but when I do, I’ll share my thoughts.

Here are some shots of little Maxine over the last few weeks.

Maxine’s Zhua Zhou First Birthday Ceremony

Posted on March 3, 2022 by mlenoach

My daughter Maxine celebrated her first birthday on December 19. She is growing up so fast. I really can’t believe it! My cousin’s girlfriend told me about a fun Chinese ceremony when a baby turns one. It’s called the zhua zhou ceremony, where symbolic objects are laid out in front of a baby to grab. Whatever the baby reaches for and plays with can indicate future employment prospects or interests.

We are a little late, but I thought it would be fun to do! I researched and found more information and potential objects to use via Gathered Gifts’ blog story.

Here is a list of some objects and meanings.

I substituted the following:

Abacus to Cash; Paint Brush to Hair Brush; Calculator to Whiteout; Chicken leg to Bamboo; Lego to Puzzle Piece; Microphone to Fan; Stethoscope to Thermometer; Sword to Shield

Moment of truth. Maxine’s top three…

1. Shallot = Intelligence

2. Measuring tape = Designer/Architect

3. Shield = Law enforcement

Rounding out top 5…

4. Cell phone = Tech Entrepreneur

5. Celery = Industrious

Not bad! LOL. I can’t wait till she is older to see what she likes and is passionate about.

So long 2021

Posted on December 31, 2021 by mlenoach

My 2021 wasn’t terrible. I became a Mom, and I celebrated and enjoyed life as much as possible. I explored and pushed myself to try new things. I got creative with ways to motivate myself, and I continue to move forward. It sucks that I’m spending the last day taking care of a sick baby, but such is life.

Below is my picture recap of the year. I choose one picture to sum up each month.