July 2014: Clay & Gina Visit NYC

We really enjoyed our weekend with Clay and Gina.  On Thursday Big Clay, Gina, and I shared lunch at the world-famous Carnegie Deli.  Their sandwiches are so large the three of us only shared ONE $28 Reuben and one slice of strawberry cheesecake.

  

That Thursday evening after work Clay and Gina met us at our apartment and had a chance to meet Mr. Duke and see our little piece of the Big City.  We then enjoyed dinner at Atlantic Seafood Grill with a Scottish server which got us even more excited about our trip to Scotland next month.

On Friday while I was at work Clay took Clay and Gina to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.  They shared lunch with Parker at Bryant Park and met me at our UES (Upper East Side) train stop to head to the Yankees Stadium.  

One of H. Bruce’s friends, William, works at the Yankee corporate office and took us on a tour we’ll never forget.  First we got to see the private suite level before meeting the curator of the Yankee’s museum and receiving a private museum tour from him.  He explained in depth the current exhibits and how he was able to put them together.  Near the end of the tour he asked the museum staff to hold off on letting fans in so that our group could be alone in the room.  He asked us to put on white cotton gloves and we ended up holding autographed bats of Mickey Mantle's and Babe Ruth's (his was used during 1922-1923 and had baseball stitch marks indented into it!)  

photo taken from one of Party City's suites

Rachael wearing 2009 World Series Ring

Mickey Mantle's bat

Babe Ruth's Bat

2009 World Series Trophy

our seats were in the Delta Sky Lounge area

Saturday we met Clay and Gina for a breakfast of New York bagels before heading to the High Line.  We began at the north end of the High Line at Hudson Yards, stopping to check out Chelsea Piers Driving Range along the Hudson River, before finishing the High Line and walking through Chelsea Market.  We headed back to the UES for lunch at Penrose, one of our favorite weekend haunts, then we spent the next few hours resting.  We met back at the 77^th St train stop to head to SoHo where we walked through Little Italy and Chinatown before dinner at Peasant, an authentic Italian restaurant where they only cook by burning wood and charcoal.

on the High Line

Chelsea Market

on the bus

Sunday we took Clay and Gina to Hillsong NYC before eating brunch at Uva, an UES Italian restaurant where we’ve also taken Joanie and Da.  After brunch Clay and Gina headed to the airport.

What a great weekend!!!

July 2014: Weekends full of family and friends

The Fourth of July in New York (Friday) was an overcast day due to a passing hurricane and Clay and I spent the entire day inside reorganizing, purging, and deep cleaning.  Saturday morning we met up with Joanie and shared breakfast at the Standard Hotel’s Grill before walking north on the High Line then walking back down to Chelsea Market (the former Nabisco factory turned food hall) at street level before having lunch at The Gansevoort Hotel.  Joanie then went back to her hotel to meet up with Mary while we went back to Chelsea Market to see 2 couples (+1 new baby) from Sydney!  We then joined Joanie and Mary for an Italian dinner at Amaranth Restaurant in the Upper East Side near their hotel.  The next day I was able to attend the last running of 'The Realistic Joneses' (play featuring Toni Collette) with Joanie, Mary, and Da.

The weekend of August 11th Clay was in East Hampton with Joanie, Mary, and Da walking on the beach, eating seafood, and trying out our new inflatable kayak.  Meanwhile I was in the City with my college girlfriend from 705, Lauren.  Friday I showed her my office and the Hudson Yards room, then we walked Mr. Duke to Gracie Mansion (NYC's official mayor's residence) and had dinner at Candle Cafe, my favorite vegan restaurant, before grabbing some 16 Handles FroYo (frozen yogurt) and staying up late watching National Geographic documentaries 'The '90's The Last Great Decade.'  On Saturday Mr. Duke Pug and I showed Lauren the 82nd Street NYC Greenmarket where I compost our weekly food scrapes before watching more documentaries on decades.  That evening we walked the High Line and grabbed a taco and ice cream in Chelsea Market before having dinner at La Bottega in Meatpacking and heading to my favorite UES local bar, Penrose, to catch up with a Winthrop University friend for late drinks.  On Sunday we slept in and watched some more tv before shopping summer sales in Rockefeller Center and walking the Brooklyn Bridge which included stopping at  the only full West Elm Market before she caught an Uber to the airport.  

Right after Lauren left I raced to Broadway at Times Square to see a friend from our Hillsong NYC Connect Group star as the leading female in 'Holler if you Hear Me,' a musical based on the music of Tupac.

The next Saturday Clay and I met with others from Hillsong NYC to volunteer at The Father’s Heart, a charity that helps New Yorkers with a food pantry, soup kitchen, food stamps, legal help, GED and ESL classes, etc.  Their motto is “To declare and demonstrate God’s love through practical expressions of compassion.” This ministry is very well organized, in the morning volunteers are split into groups and given the smallest of tasks so minimal training is needing and you can just start cranking out work when the doors open.  Within an hour and a half we served 732 individuals.  Guests who would like breakfast sit down and are served a hot meal of pancakes, bacon, fried eggs, and coffee and juice; they are continuously served plates until they want no more.  Then they go through a line to receive their bags of food that contain 9 meals.  Clay was in the kitchen helping fry eggs and I was at the door greeting and saying goodbye to people while also registering those that were new to the food pantry and needed id cards made.  A number of people were deformed or had disorders, many who I tried to register had no identification and no permanent address other than the homeless shelter where they were staying.  It was a very grounding and incredible experience and we felt just as blessed as those who walked through the doors.  Afterwards I had a Ladies Lunch with the women of our married couples Connect Group  and that night Clay went out with the husbands to a bar with vintage arcade games.

The last weekend of July Clay and Gina visited but they get their own post!

May 2014 & Cece's Memorial Day Weekend in NYC

April snows and showers certainly brought out May flowers in our local park where I walk Mr. Duke every Saturday morning:

The first Saturday in May we visited the Conservatory Garden in Central Park and walked home through Spanish Harlem finding a great lunch spot along the way:

Clay made an awesome Cinco de Seis dinner:

The third weekend in May we went to East Hampton, a great place for rest and relaxation:

Another meal highlight was this fish dinner with The Best Tomato White Wine Sauce:

Clay also started perfecting his short rib recipe this month:

Cece was supposed to arrive Thursday evening of Memorial Day Weekend but her flight was delayed then cancelled due to the weather.  She unfortunately missed an amazing surf'n'turf dinner:

Friday of Memorial Day weekend we visited the 9/11 Memorial, it was really hard being there but the memorial itself was nicely done.  The Freedom Tower, spire included, is 1,776 feet tall which is the year the Declaration of Independence was signed.  We took the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty before swinging by the Financial District to see The Bull, stock exchange, and Federation Hall on the way home.

Saturday of Memorial Day weekend we rented a car and drove out to spend a day in the Hudson River Valley.  We did the Walkway over the Hudson which is the longest (and tallest?) elevated pedestrian bridge in the world, drove through the beautiful mountains of West Point's training areas, ate authentic Texas BBQ and had some great homemade ice cream in Cold Spring.

Sunday of Memorial Day weekend after attending Hillsong Cece and Rachael took the Circle Line boat tour around the entire island of Manhattan.  The photos below are of the Intrepid, Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, and Battery Park.

It was a gorgeous day to be out on the water:

On Memorial Day we spent a few hours walking through Central Park's Ramble, 38 acres of woodland hiking around 79th Street.  Cece flew home on Tuesday-- it was a great weekend with beautiful weather and we were so happy to spend everyday outside.

The last Friday in May we attended the American Symphony Orchestra's "Forged from Fire" at Carnegie Hall which was based on Germany's occupation of other countries around WWI.

The last Saturday in May we visited the Museum of Modern Art and saw works from van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso, Dali, and Warhol.  

What a great month!  We hope to visit a few more parks, memorials, and museums this summer while the weather is nice for being outside.  Our entire month of June weekends is already filled but please stay tuned!

April 2014

April was a great month to see different members of Clay's family!  The first week in April we had dinner with Parker, Helen, and Craig at Lure Fishbar down in SoHo which is located mostly below ground and decorated to look like the cabin of a yacht.

The next week we joined Big Clay, Gina, Brooke, Harrison, and Baby H in Hilton Head, South Carolina for a little over three and a half days!  We're already looking forward to our May 2015 trip!

The next weekend for Easter Clay and I headed to East Hampton and then spent Easter Sunday with Mary and Da in New Jersey for church and lunch.

THEN the next weekend Joanie, Brooke, and Baby H came up to New Jersey to attend a celebration in honor of Dorrell.

Definitely makes us interested in moving South to be closer to family!  We love you!

Hilton Head: April 9th-12th, 2014

Clay and I were able to join Big Clay,  Gina, Harrison, Brooke, and Sir Bubs the morning of Wednesday, April 9th until the afternoon of Saturday, April 12th in Hilton Head, South Carolina.  Big Clay rented a house with an amazing location in an area cut off from the main beach by a jetty creating a private beach.

Wednesday Clay and I had an early flight and made it to the house around 10:30 am.  We hung out on the back porch before going out to lunch.  Clay and Harrison bought fishing poles which we messed around with that afternoon before we went to dinner.

Thursday morning we went as a family on a two hour fishing boat ride where Clay caught a red fish, Gina caught a shark, and a few of us caught waiting fish.  When we came back ashore our captain gutted and filleted the fish and Harrison and Clay cooked it on our beach and we had it for lunch!  The guys continued fishing while Big Clay, Gina, Brooke, Sir Bubs, and I walked up and down the main beach.  When we returned we ordered Thai and watched the dolphins feeding in the bay from our back porch.

Friday morning the guys went golfing so Brooke, Sir Bubs, and I went on a beach walk while Gina did yoga on the back porch before we took Sir Bubs to a friend's pool to play.  We then went to Salty Dog Cafe for lunch.  Afterwards we returned to the house and Big Clay, Gina, Brooke,  and Sir Bubs went on a beach walk while I read on the back porch and the boys fished.   They caught a few more whiting fish and Harrison caught two mating horseshoe crabs.  We ordered pizza and again enjoy watching the dolphins and sunset from our back patio.

Saturday morning we had to vacate the house by 10:00 am but on the way out of the neighborhood Clay and Gina booked the same house for the family vacation next year starting on May 2nd!  We are all looking forward to this special time next week!  We then hung out around the marina and ate at Salty Dog's again so enjoy our last few hours before we were dropped off at the airport.

Just hanging around the house was fun enough because of our great location and the amazing wildlife!  Next year we're looking forward to additionally possibly renting kayaks, paddleboard, and bikes as well as visiting the petting zoo and nature preserve.

Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas!

On Friday, December 13th my ladies Bible study shared a Christmas dinner and Secret Santa gift exchange at Galli, an Italian restaurant in SoHo.

The next day was an incredibly magical snowy day and I attended a potluck brunch/Love Actually viewing party at a friend's who lives in the Financial District.  My favorite dish there was these sour cream pancakes, we couldn't get over them!

New York Stock Exchange

That night I rented a car with 3 friends and we headed to Brooklyn's Dyker Heights Christmas Lights.  We had all seen this neighborhood's Christmas lights on the Travel Channel Christmas specials growing up.  Of course it was so cold we just drove around the neighborhood and only jumped out to take the middle photo below.

On Saturday, December 21st Clay and I hosted our Hillsong's Connect Group's Christmas Party at our apartment.  Another potluck style party where we exchanged Secret Santa gifts and played Taboo, the ladies won!

Mom returned to New York City to celebrate Christmas with us.  On Christmas Eve we watched Saving Mr. Banks and attended Hillsong's Christmas Eve Service.  Christmas day we spent at Da's house with Mary, Annie, and Tom!

Hillsong's Christmas Eve Service