HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUNTER

Today my nephew, Hunter, turns 1.  Happy Birthday little man.  Sending you our love!

WORK FROM HOME DAY

About a year ago, Senior Management decided that morale was low in the office, so they decided to offer employees one "work from home day" a month.  Since returning from maternity leave I have been strategically planning my days to fall on Wednesdays, when my mom's group meets in the late afternoon.  Without the commute from the office, I am easily able to catch the second half.  Today was one such Wednesday that worked out just beautifully.  The weather was in the 70's so we took the playgroup outdoors to the river.  I didn't make it to mom's group last month, so I had not seen the babes in almost two months.  What a difference two months makes!  Babies were crawling, walking, clapping, and babbling about.  Annabelle was loving playing barefoot in the grass and loved trying to eat the grass even more.  It was so refreshing to catch up with my friends, visit with the kiddos and chat in the sunshine.  Looking forward to my next "work from home day."

Capri, Finn, & Annabelle - All 11 months

HAPPY EASTER

Hope everyone had a lovely Easter.  We ended up having gorgeous weather for the first time this spring and spent the majority of the day out-and-about enjoying the sunshine.  Check out the tulips in Abingdon Square.  Amazing.

TWO DAYS

two amazing days with an amazing girl.

that's what you get when your best lady comes to visit.

i cherish our time together...

long morning walks and talks over coffee on the river.

so much to catch up on.

a killer yoga class that left me laughing, yet oh so sore.

annabelle learning to scoot with her auntie d.

a long late lunch and with afternoon wine.

a trip to see the cherry blossoms.

a bike ride downtown to ride the "secret, super-fast slide."

all wrapped up with double dinner date with the guys. 

thank you for making the trip.  it meant so much to me.

hope your flight home was safe and sound.

xo

HAPPY FRIDAY

Seen on 100 Layer Cake

RETIRED OR RE-TIRED

After a brutal winter, spring has officially arrived and bike riding season is once again upon us.  Bike riding will be all the more fun this year, now that Annabelle is old enough to come along.  We are thrilled to have her join us with her new bike helmet and co-pilot baby seat.  This leaves me pondering whether it is time to re-tire my bike (as in get new tires), or actually retire it (for good). 

Nathan gave me my cruiser for my 23rd birthday in '00, the first year we lived in Newport.  A decade later I am riding the same bike, though it is definitely showing it years.  Through 7 years of beach living and then 3 New York winters, my poor bike has taken a beating.  Both fenders have rusted off and we joke that I need a tetanus shot just to ride it.  The basket is permanently bent and the seat has a series of cracks that soak up the rain giving me a wet tooshie every time I ride (hence the plastic bag covering).  Nathan says it has "street cred," meaning it looks tough, and that it is a "city sleeper," meaning no one will want to steal it, which is the understatement of the year.  It is locked up at the bus stop in front of our house and people often mistake it for a trashcan, tossing their papers, dirty Kleenex's, and empty beverages in its sad basket.  This infuriates me, but I realize I need to let it go.  What about a bike basket, do people think is a trashcan!  Ugghh!  Especially when there is a real trashcan not three feet away!  Despite its poor condition, however, I would be sad to see it go.  I have many fond memories on that bike.  It is carried me back-and-forth on the Newport boardwalk thousands of times between my house and Nathan's before we lived together.  I used to ride it to work when I was a waitress at Duke's.  It is on that bike that I perfected my bike tricks and that I made the annual ride from Long Beach to Newps for Nathan's birthday.  When we moved to New York it was one of the first items loaded into the moving van.  It wasn't long after arriving here, that we realized biking was the fastest way to get around town on the weekends.  While New Yorkers were stuck in cabs in gridlock traffic we would wiz around with the wind in our hair.  My bike has taken me on endless trips over the bridges to Booklyn and even around the entire perimeter of the island of Manhattan when I was three months preggers with Annabelle. 

That said, when I first laid eyes on my latest bike obsession, the Linus Dutchie, all fond memories just about went out the window. The Dutchie is a beaut - a true classy gal, with a smooth manner.  I know because I took her for a test drive.  Unfortunately, she lacks "street cred" and is far from being a "city sleeper", also meaning she needs to live indoors.  We do not have the space in our apartment for the Dutchie, and the landlord said "absolutely not" to using the side yard attached to the basement or the vacant space under the stairwell.  Bummer.  It seems that the Dutchie will have to wait.  For this bike riding season expect to see me on old faithful...however with new tires, a new saddle seat and a baby.

Newport 2006

EARLY BLOOMER

TEN MONTHS TODAY!