We got to spend some quality time in New Orleans before and after our cruise in February. Most of the time was spent walking around and/or eating (which is not a bad thing 😜). This was also not my first time in New Orleans; it will not be the last. Next time, I want to take a Ghost or Voodoo tour and enjoy more nighttime stuff.
Last week, I attended Holly and Ivy at the NYJL. This annual event includes a festive lunch and a shopping experience. It’s so popular at the League that tickets are hard to get, and I’m glad I got to snag one.
I had a great time with friends and got some cute things for Christmas.
As Thanksgiving weekend closes, I want to take the opportunity to share what I’m thankful for.
My family
My friends
My teams
My hobbies
My adventures
I’ve always wanted to check out this restaurant. I finally got the opportunity earlier this month having lunch with a good friend.
My friend had the mofongo with chicharron and loved it. I had the bistec with onions and rice and I brought home the pernil and rice. My bistec was okay but the pernil was amazing.
The restaurant has a very cozy vibe, and I look forward to coming back with my family.
Early last month, I had a pretty awesome ladies’ night out at Pearl & The Beast.
You pick a muscle, open it up, collect the pearls, clean them, and decide what to do with them. I got a good haul of pearls, so I got two rings and two earrings done. They had someone onsite who put together the jewelry. Bonus; I actually got the earrings for free because they were doing a promotion at the time.
It was hands-on, informative, and fun! I highly recommend checking it out.
We headed over to the Poconos to watch the eclipse. Although we knew we wouldn’t be able to see the full eclipse, it was fun to visit our friend’s house, have some space, and enjoy nature.
It was a bit cloudy, but we still got to see some cool eclipse stuff with and without the glasses.
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.
As the clock turns 12, I wanted to celebrate and look back at 2022.
2022, thanks for the memories!
Recapping my year is a must, but first I want to share how I spent my holidays. This year looked and felt different, but I was determined to make the most of it.
Tree watching:
I kept it local and virtual. I watched the tree lightings virtually for Athens Square Park and Astoria Park.
Astoria decorations:
I honestly didn’t venture around the neighborhood as much as I wanted, but I still got to see some beautiful decorations.
Home decorations:
I didn’t do much this year. I confess I didn’t even open up my Christmas boxes. I went with simple and familiar. Each year, I do a tree of Christmas cards, and for a tree, I got a tiny one this year so that we could enjoy the stuffed toys from my daughter’s advent calendar.
Christmas parties:
I’m fortunate that I could celebrate with my groups of girls. Both parties weren’t fancy, but I had a great time, and most importantly, everyone got to meet my daughter, Maxine.
Family activities:
A big hit this year was the gingerbread houses! Two were made with my husband’s niece and nephew, and one was made with my parents.
The advent calendars were also an obvious favorite. We all enjoyed our own. Andrew had a whiskey one, Maxine had a stuffed toy one, PJ and BB shared a fancy feast one, and my parents and I had a chocolate one.
I had low-key family parties with great food, but I’m pretty proud of my Christmas Eve dishes. I went all out with a seven-fishes-themed spread. We had raw oysters, crab, salmon slices, mussels and clams in a white wine, fried shrimp, and baked fish. We also had steak, brussel sprouts, and mashed potatoes. For dessert, I made brownies.
Christmas outfits:
I was so excited to dress Maxine up this year for parties and PJs. I couldn’t help myself.
Christmas cards and gifts:
I went with both personal cards and virtual cards. I sent many of my older family members cards with personal notes and sent a virtual card with pictures to all my online family members.
I gave many food-related gifts and personal touch gifts this year. Below are some of my favorites.
Overall I had a great holiday, and I hope you did as well.
It’s officially Fall, but I’m still reminiscing about summertime. This year I got to enjoy the Catskills twice. The first time, I went camping with friends, and the second time, I stayed in a house with family.
Camping was fun, even with a seven-month baby! We stayed at a Tentrr campsite. Tentrr locations are unique because they provide all the camping material for you, and everything is already set up ready to go. We had a huge canvas tent, chairs, an area for campfires, and an area for eating. Another bonus of Tentrr locations is that they are pretty private. The place we chose is part of an abandoned zoo, and it was great because we were able to explore the area if we wanted to, and even though we were camping, we were able to use some bathroom facilities it had.
Here are some pictures of us camping.
While in the area, we enjoyed the local Farmer’s market and ice cream shop, hiked Kaaterskill Falls, and did a tasting at the Rip Van Winkle Brewing Company.
In late August, Andrew and I, with his family, rented a house via Airbnb. The house was by Hunter Mountain. It was simple, but it had plenty of room for us and had a pool and jacuzzi; we didn’t need anything else!
Here are some of my favorite shots.
The Casual Explorer 