Dumbo Smorgasburg, Maelee Sitting, Sunday Fundays, Keeping Busy

Checked off one of the many things I have been wanting to do from my Bucket List that seems to continue to grow with every day we live in NYC. In early September, we went to the DUMBO Smorgasburg (spelled intentionally with the "burg" for Williamsburg) with Scott & Katie.  It consists of a fabulous selection of food from local vendors and takes place every Sunday in Brooklyn Bridge Park on the waterfront.  Check out this view, we were right between the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge.  We went around the Smorgasburg once before deciding what to eat, so we could check out all of the selections.

Gorgeous shot of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Grabbed the Maple and Bacon piece of "Jack's Chedbred".  It was that perfect balance between savory and sweet!

This is a great shot of one corner of the Smorgasburg.  You can see the Manhattan Bridge in the background.

After selecting our food, we scoped out a great spot along the water, and enjoyed the great weather and delicious lunch!

That Thursday, we had Barry & Brandon over for dinner.  Barry gave us that dining room table after he lived with us for a couple of weeks because he wouldn't be needing it anymore.  It's perfect because when it's just me and Robby, we have a small square table, but when we have friends over it expands to a larger rectangle.  Thanks Barry!

Friday night, we spent the evening with this lovely little lady, Maelee!  We spent the evening reading books to her in silly voices and making puzzles.

Rob, Maelee and Parker

Saturday Night we went to a performance of Jane Austen's Persuasion, performed by the Chicago Chamber Orchestra.  A friend of mine that I have known since the 9th grade was in the performance. It was such a treat to go see her perform!  In the picture above, she is seated at the piano.

Rob and me with Gretel after her performance.

The next morning, after church, we walked home along Lexington, which had been converted into a Street Fair.  Love these!! It went on for about 20 blocks!  We were joined by Richard & Jessa who we hadn't seen since before their anniversary trip to Europe!  We enjoyed having them come over for a homemade brunch of Hickson Breakfast Potatoes, Eggs, Fruit Mimosas, coffee and Cinnamon Roll Waffles.  Yes, you read that correctly, Cinnamon Roll Waffles!! They were delicious and so easy to make!! Here's what you do: 

Just grab a package of cinnamon rolls from Pillsbury and cook them on a waffle iron for a couple of minutes.  

Once they're ready, top them with a drizzle of the icing that comes in the package, and voila!  

I can't say enough about this easy, delicious meal.

Me, Bess & Jessa

Rob, Bess and Rich.  

In addition to our delicious brunch, we watched a lot of football... and so started the wonderful tradition of Sunday Funday!  What is Sunday Funday, you may be asking yourself?  An open door of awesome friends, coming over, hanging out and watching football at our place.  I absolutely love getting to have the apartment filled with friends every week after church. 

Later that night, we got to visit a little bit more with Gretel.  We stopped by the Wrap Party after their final NYC performance of Persuasion.

Meanwhile.... our families were having a Sunday Funday of their own in Miami!! I absolutely loved getting these pics from our families as both my side and Rob's side got together for dinner at La Carreta.  It was like a min-reuninon from our trip to Puerto Rico.  (Eli and our niece Addi in the pic above.)  

Abuelo, Bob, Addi, Donna, Eli, Mom, Mark, Tio Gerald (visiting from PR), Mark, Crystal and Titi Michi (also visiting from PR).

Later the next week, I went all the way out to Northern Long Island... trust me it was far... for a client call for work.  It took about two and half hours to get there, but lunch was so worth it... we went to the Cheesecake Factory.  Y'all, there are no Cheesecake Factory's in Manhattan.  I typically only get to enjoy a meal at one when we go back to Florida.  Take a look!  Yuummmmm!

After another two and a half hour commute back, the night was topped off with a wonderful reunion for me. I had a ladies night with Leilani and Vane.  Lani was visiting from Florida for a convention.  We have all known each other since the 9th grade as well.  Spending the evening catching up with them was just perfect.  I am so excited for Lani as she and another friend of ours, Lisa embark on opening a fashion boutique in Miami.  For as long as I have known Lani, this has been her dream!  I also can't wait to celebrate with Vane, who is getting married next March in Miami.  So many things to be thankful for in the lives of these dear friends!

After dinner, we met up with Carlos for a bit.

We also made some more progress unpacking that week.  Bessy enjoyed a nap in the sunshine in our living room.

We bought some gorgeous mirrors that had been made from repurposed windows.  You can see the latch and hinges still.  They are a great, unique touch for our bedrooms and match really well with the dressers we have already!

Bess helped as I organized all the books.  Katie and Erin inspired me to color coordinate the books on our shelves.  The finished product is so nice, can't wait to show you soon!!

September starts off right

Rob surprised me and asked for a Saturday shift to be covered for him on Labor Day weekend.  This was so helpful because we got to paint the ENTIRE apartment.  My wonderfully talented friend, Katie is an interior designer.  She helped us pick out the perfect neutral cool color: Benjamin Moore, Feather Gray.  The night before we painted, we spent the evening with Katie and Scott while Scott's parents were in town.  Scott's mom, Pat gave us great advice for painting the trim, she said to get a small angled brush.  She was so right, it really helped!  

So after a fun morning in the park with Bess getting to play off leash, and brunch at the Barking Dog, we set to work.  We spent all day painting and the result is so great!  We painted every wall except the section around the mantle.  It's a nice, crisp accent wall.  

We did take one break on Saturday.  We had a delicious and filling dinner at Dos Caminos in SoHo with our new friends from Colorado, Angie and Mike.  We followed that up with ice cream courtesy of Mister Softee!  Can't believe this was our first time grabbing this delicious soft serve ice cream this summer.

The next morning, we went up to the Hudson Valley for a fun day trip.  My coworker, Erin lives in Cold Spring and had invited us to come up and visit her and her boyfriend Ed.

Me and Robby by the Hudson River in Cold Spring.

Ed made us delicious "Migas" for dinner.

Then we took a turn playing a game by Legos, called Creationary!  Think Pictionary, but you build things with Legos instead of drawing.  I think my Awesome-in-law, Mark would have fun with this!

Another wonderfully talented friend of mine, Erin, invited Katie and me to a Girl's Night Out in Nolita.  I felt so "New York" getting to go to a private party at the Linhardt Design jewelry gallery.  (Erin is a designer, she makes accessories and invitations for weddings, and pretty much anything else you can think of.  Check out her website Erin Braun Design.)

Something that was a big prayer request as we searched for an apartment, was that we would find a place large enough for hosting.  I am so grateful that we have pretty much been able to do that right from the start.  Barry was able to live with us for about 3 weeks, and since then we get to have him over for dinner almost every week.  It's great that now we actually have room so that friends and family can stay with us during their visits.  The same weekend as the Girl's Night Out, a great friend of mine, Phil, from back when I was in Youth Group at Calvary Chapel Ft. Lauderdale stayed with us.  He and his wife were in town for about 10 days celebrating their anniversary and needed a place to stay for one night.  I'm bummed I didn't get any pictures of them while they were here, but still it was so cool.  

Our first apartment in the City was charming, but it was teeny tiny and on the fifth floor of a walk up.  We enjoyed the neighborhood so much, and missed it while we were living in New Rochelle, but 5K didn't exactly scream hospitality... we couldn't even have more than about 2-3 friends over at once. Are you coming to the Big Apple for a visit?  Let us know if you need a place to stay and hopefully we can have you stay at our place.  (To our NYC friends, come over any time!)

Around this same time, my Abuelo fainted and spent a couple of days in the hospital.  Thankfully he is feeling much better, but please keep him, my Mom and my Sis, Eli in your prayers.  Rob's parents went to visit Abuelo, and Eli snapped this great picture of him smiling as he looked at pictures of my niece, Addi. I love it so much!

Dinner Parties, Salsa, Rooftops and More Dinners

We started rotating hosting dinner every month with our friends the Thomases and the Birds.  Our first Dinner Party was at the Birds and it was delishhh!

The ladies: me, Jess & Meghan... in height order, ha!

The guys decided to play PIG, minus the basketball and court, with a pingpong ball and glass vase instead!  Not sure what was going on in the picture below, but it was part of the game.

The appetizer was courtesy of Jessa, and Oh Em Geeeeee it was delicious.  She has been cooking through the book, Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist.  I have been reaping the benefits of her quest as she has shared many delicious recipes with me, and these Bacon Wrapped Dates did not disappoint.  Needless to say, after having this delicious appetizer, I added the book to my Amazon wish list.  (See what I did there? Easy link to the list for Donna and Mom, haha!)

Meghan made a risotto, with steamed veggies and goat cheese and we ended the night with home made ice cream (also on my wish list now as a result of this dinner - I have no shame!).

As you know, we love dancing Salsa, and it was so fun to give our friends Nate and Lauren a little intro lesson.  They caught on quick!!  (Sorry for the blurry shot!)

Kara, who was my roommate for three years in College lives in Brooklyn and is a Doctor at SUNY Downstate.  She has a busy busy schedule, so it's always great to see her.  On this particular Saturday morning, we enjoyed a Rooftop brunch at 230 Fifth as we celebrated our friend Alana's birthday.  One of my favorite things about living in the City is that we get to have regular visitors and it was so nice to see Alana who was visiting from Florida.

Kara and a sweet shot of the Empire State building behind us.

Me and the birthday girl!

AKA for life! (Alana, Kara, Andrea!)  The palm trees on the rooftop are from Florida, which was such a nice touch, since we all met in Miami.

Later that night, we volunteered at Ronald McDonald House and made dinner for the families.

Brett and Robby... where's Erin? Hah!

Oh, there she is...  Couldn't see that lovely smile.

Me and Erin

Robby and Ali!  Going to miss this Southern Belle when she moves to ATL this month.

After church the next day, the guys did their annual Fantasy Football Draft.  So I thought it would be fun for the ladies to get brunch.  We went to Yorkville Creperie, which had such a great ambiance and delicious, filling crepes!

Mmmm! Nutella filled crepe with strawberries and bananas.

After Barry moved downtown, we have kept our tradition of weekly "family dinners" going strong.  We get to see him every Thursday.  What a fun surprise that he brought cupcakes from Two Little Red Hens. 

They are definitely as good as they look here (Brooklyn Blackout, Peanut Butter Fudge Swirl and Boston Cream).  We all decided that Brooklyn Blackout was the winner.  After our dinners, we usually meet up with everyone at Biddy's Pub for trivia night. (So fun!)  We've won a couple of times so far!

Maverick, The Intrepid and Pickle Backs

Can you believe this event was free? We had the great opportunity to go to a Summer Movie Night on the U.S.S. Intrepid!  Not just any movie, TOP GUN!  I think this is one of the absolute coolest things we have done!

Rob had fun with the Nikon, capturing some amazing shots.

Me and Kelly

Later that week we had the chance to catch up with some dear friends from the first CG we were a part of at Apostles.  We went to Slide in the Village.

Chris, Rafael, Dan, Robby

Ashley, Linda, me and LaVon

The next morning we had brunch at Sarabeth's on Madison Ave with Che and Kelly.  Che lives in Miami and volunteers with Athletes in Action, the ministry I worked for after college.  Kelly is one of the University of Miami students that participated in our bible studies and that I would meet with one on one!  She is now living in NYC and Che was here for a visit.

We all walked Robby to work after brunch and got this great group picture at lululemon athletica.

Later that night we went out with friends from church to Whiskey Town.  This is a fun bar that has a DJ playing music from the 80's on up to popular songs today and it is just a blast.

Rob, adopted little sis Christy, me, Maggie.  When we were in the Hamptons, we had a lot of fun dancing with Maggie and her hubby Jonathan.  They have got some moves!! So we knew we had to plan a fun dance night with them, and it was a success.

Token blurry shot of the night.  Jessa, Christy, me, Maggie, Kelly, Amy.

Grabbed Artichoke Pizza with the Thomases after Whiskey Town.

The Artichoke Pizza is made with Artichoke Hearts, Spinach, Cream Sauce, Mozzarella and Pecorino Romano Cheese.  It was our first time having it, but certainly not our last!

Summer Streets and lot's of Sports

I don't know if this has always been a "thing" in the City, but in early August, Robby and I enjoyed taking part in our first Summer Streets NYC.  The main attraction to us was the Voice Tunnel.  This was an art installation in the Park Avenue Tunnel.  The City opened the tunnel to pedestrians for the first time since the 1930's and turned it into an interactive art show.

The tunnel would go dark and then from the middle the lights would turn on and make their way out to both ends of the tunnel at the same time.  You could just stand and wait for the light to catch up to you and it would look and sound like a rush of wind coming toward you.  The lights were linked to short voice recordings provided by those who wanted to participate.  You could stand in line and wait to record your voice, then it would loop around tunnel at the same time as other voice recordings.  All at once it just sounded like voices, but if you walked close to each light, you could hear what each person recorded.  One little girl excitedly squealed, "I love Pokemon" into the recording!

Rob taking a picture as we left the tunnel

When we got out of the tunnel, we realized that it was not just this area of Park Avenue that had been shut down.  The City shut down all of Park Ave, from Brooklyn Bridge up to the 70's.  We took advantage and walked up Park for a bit until it started to drizzle.

The following day was the first day of the NFL Preseason, and it was a game between the Miami Dolphins and the Dallas Cowboys!  Rob and Rich came to church supporting their respective teams.  We thought it was funny that Jessa and I were kind of on the same wave length too, in our maxi dresses and denim shirts.

Later that night we all made our way to East End Tavern to celebrate the start of Football Season.

Jessa, Erin, me

Rich, Andrew, Brandon, Barry, Brett, Ryan, Robby

And to continue the Sport's theme... we enjoyed a night cheering on the Detroit Tigers at Yankees Stadium.

Me, Lauren, Erin

Jessa, Katie, me

Erin, me, Katie, Jessa & Lauren.  The guys were all there too, I promise!  Just didn't get a good pic.  The game went into extra innings, but sadly the Tigers lost.

The next morning I got to participate in a Habitat for Humanity project all the way in Staten Island.  It was  long day, especially after the late night at the game.  I helped sweep the floors and then sanded and "polished" walls which I enjoyed. 

After the long day, we went to dinner with a couple that just moved here from Colorado, Angie & Mike.  We finished the evening at momfuku's Milk Bar, home of the famous Crack Pie and it was SO good!

If you live here and have never tried this, don't wait as long as we did!  And if you don't live here, come visit us and we will take you there!

Getting Settled

It's been about two months since we moved back into the City.  We have been so grateful to be back, and we are slowly but surely getting settled.  I wanted to share some moments from our first days in the new apartment.  We couldn't be happier with the apartment we found (and I would definitely recommend Rent Direct if you are searching for No Fee Apartments in NYC.)

Our Mantle - The card features a great, personalized rendition of the Friends theme song, courtesy of Rich and Jessa!

Barry was our Roomie for about 3 weeks while he hunted for an apartment. 

So many great friends helped us with our move!  They're not even all pictured here!

Lauren and Meghan

Scott, Barry and Rich

Just "Knockin' Around" as Grandpa and Grandma Phillips would say.

Katie, Erin, Scott and Brett

Ryan and Jessa

"Brerin" and Bessy!! (Check out the great little fan in the background! It kept everyone cool since we didn't have a window AC yet.  It used to belong to Grandma Hickson and is still going strong.)

And now for a little (messy) tour

Our Living Room, which leads into the Dining Room.

View of the Kitchen from the Dining Room entrance

NYC sized Bathroom

Our Bedroom

And we had some visitors!!

Jossie - who I have known since the 3rd grade in Puerto Rico, was in town studying for her Boards!  She took a small break from her studies to catch up with me for a little bit.  It was so nice to see her!!

Quality time with our Roomie, Barry!

Christy, and the Beltrez crew came to visit and get a look at our new place too.

Thanks everyone for your prayers as we searched for weeks and weeks to find an apartment. Your prayers helped us keep strong in our faith and helped us remain confident that we would find something soon. While we prayed earnestly to find an apartment, we could also sense that we were learning to have more patience, faith and trust in God and there was growth in our lives. This verse captures it well. When you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience. (James 1:2-3) It's not fun to go through trials, but I can understand what it means to be full of joy even in the midst of it. In this instance, I didn't experience a joy that came with laughter and cheerfulness, but it was a joy that ran deep and brought peace and relief. We can't thank you enough for coming along side us in this time!

XOXO

Lovin' Summer

These past few months have been incredible and challenging at the same time.  There have been so many wonderful get togethers and trips that have taken place, that I just feel so filled with gratitude for these amazing relationships.  The support has been much needed, especially during those moments of uncertainty while Robby applied for one job after another and while we hunted for an apartment in the City the last month.  This morning my devotional was on Psalm 77, and it captured perfectly how I have been feeling.

1 I cry out to God; yes, I shout.

    Oh, that God would listen to me!

2 When I was in deep trouble,

    I searched for the Lord.

All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven,

    but my soul was not comforted.

3 I think of God, and I moan,

    overwhelmed with longing for his help. Interlude

4 You don’t let me sleep.

    I am too distressed even to pray!

5 I think of the good old days,

    long since ended,

6 when my nights were filled with joyful songs.

    I search my soul and ponder the difference now.

7 Has the Lord rejected me forever?

    Will he never again be kind to me?

8 Is his unfailing love gone forever?

    Have his promises permanently failed?

9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?

    Has he slammed the door on his compassion? Interlude

10 And I said, “This is my fate;

    the Most High has turned his hand against me.”

11 But then I recall all you have done, O Lord;

    I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.

12 They are constantly in my thoughts.

    I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.

(Psalm 77 1-11, NLT)

I am glad for the challenges we have gone through, and all the more glad for God answering our prayers.  It was not easy going through them, of course, and I had many weak moments to be sure!  But now, I don't want to forget what He has done, and how He has answered.  I want to remember how great His will has been so that I can stand firm in faith and hope because I know in life, there will always be challenges.

I wanted to share the many wonderful things we had the chance to take part in over the last two months.  We kicked off the summer by inviting friends over to our apartment for a Cookout and pool day!!  Well, the weather did not cooperate, it was in the 50's and rainy, so we had a Cook In!

View of the pool from our Apartment

Our neighbor, Barry, with the limes!! Pre-cut! He was so prepared.

We took the party upstairs to the lounge.

Jessa, Christy, Katie, Maggie, Kelly and me

Barry & Jonathan

Richard, Jonathan, Scott, Barry & Robby

Well Stocked mini-fridge for the Cook In

The gentlemen at the grill.

Brett, Scott, Robby & Richard.

Little did we know, only 2 additional guest were allowed in the lounge with residents... we were over that capacity by about 15 people, so we took the party to our apartment.

Thankfully, everyone fit, and Bess was a happy camper! (Bess with Uncle Scott)

The next evening the guys had a Whiskey & Cigar night.  So naturally, the ladies made Breakfast for dinner and enjoyed some Mimosas!

Katie!

Pancakes on the Griddle!

Erin & Katie (Erin sporting some lululemon apparel)

And the next day, we all met up again in Carl Shurz Park to celebrate Leo's 1st birthday!

Me & Katie.

Steve & Maelee

My hunk!

The Nielsen's! Miss them so much!! Laura, Zach & Leo.

The ladies!!

Notice how nice and sunny it is!! This was just two days after our Cook-In.  This was on Memorial Day, summer had finally arrived!!

Just about a week later we made another dinner at the Ronald McDonald House, and then did some fun crafts in the activity room!  Robby showing off some art :)

After RMH we had a movie night at Kelly's, she knew we'd love Strictly Ballroom! Robby, Lauren, Nate, Kelly.

Greeting at Church, UES CG all coordinated with stripes!! Robby, me, Katie & Lauren.

We had a short but sweet visit with Lani and had a Family dinner at Spice with Vane & Brandon.

The next weekend, we celebrated the marriage of one of my coworkers Sharon!  Sharon & Dan, Mr. & Mrs. Baldessari!

Robby & Me <3 p="">

We met up with the CG after the wedding.  Me, Christy, Jessa & Kelly

Ryan, Robby & Richard

Our little niece, Addi, turned one!! This is a pic of her enjoying the gift we sent her for her birthday!

We also enjoyed another short, but sweet visit from Stela and Nicolle! (Robby & Nicolle)

Me and Stela (notice the little boy copying me, lol).  We had breakfast at a French bakery in Korea Town.  Yep, you read that right... only in NYC!

Followed that breakfast up with a lunch at The Meatball Shop with Anthony & Judy!

Me and Judy

Annnd topped the day off with dessert at the Thomases.  Brett, Robby & Richard.

Jessa, me and Erin.

Then... oh yes!!! I got to see HANSON in concert. TWO NIGHTS in a row!!! (Middle School Drea's dreams came true!!!)

Me & Vane

Hanson

Just two days later, Robby and headed off to a wonderful Family trip in PR.  I just uploaded a ton of pics to FB, here are some highlights. (Big Apple sculpture, by Miami based artist, Britto... full circle!)

Me & Robby & JFK

Donna, me & Crystal

Bobbo, Addi & Robby

Uncle Robby and Addi!

Eli, Mom, Robby and me

The whole gang!!  That was one of the best Family vacations ever!! Can't wait for the next one!

Bess missed us though, she was happy to have us back home.

We got back just before Robby's 30th birthday, and the next night we went to a Dave Matthew's Concert at Jones Beach, NY.  As always, we enjoyed every minute of it!!  Can't believe the last time we saw Dave was three years ago at Citi Field.

The next evening our friends got together at Shake Shack to wish Robby a happy 30th!

Annnnd, the next day, we got up bright and early to wait in line for tickets to see A Comedy of Errors at Shakespeare in the Park.

Katie, Yanessa, Erin & me

Dave, Scott, Brett & Robby

We waited about 5 hours for tickets, but had lot's of fun in the process.

My talented husband captured this moment as we made our way back into Central Park to watch the play.  Getting to spend almost an entire Saturday in Central Park is not half bad!

Katie, Scott, Nate, Lauren, Dave, Brett, Erin, Yanessa, Nick, me & Robby

4th of July Terrace BBQ in the City. (The Gents)

The Ladies

The View

Christy modeling the highly requested, "Sneaky Beach" summer cocktail.

We headed back to New Rochelle, and to our surprise, got to see the Fireworks from our own window!!

And, most recently we spent a weekend in The Hamptons with our CG.

We celebrated FOUR birthdays!!

Jonathan (7/9), Jessa (7/17), Katie (7/18) and me (7/14)

We made a mad dash into the cold water!  Please notice that Mr. Florida had absolutely no desire of getting in the water! LOL!

And we ended the weekend spontaneously enjoying Grimaldi's Pizza from Brooklyn Bridge Park at Sunset.  We just happened to get these open tables right on the water, with views of the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan!!

Now we are prepping to schlepp all our possessions to our new apartment on the Upper East Side next weekend.  Really excited for what's to come!

Happy Niagarayugaversary! And then some.

We have a quirky tradition, instead of sending out Christmas Cards in December, we send out a card in May around the time of our anniversary.  It never ceases to amaze us about how quickly the time goes by.  We wanted to share the letter that we send out with you and also a bunch of pictures from the past two months.  We'd love to hear from you too, how are things?  How can we pray for you?

May 2013 ~Our 6^th year!~

Hello Family and Friends!

As you know, we have our (now, long standing) tradition of sending out these letters every May because in our first year of marriage we didn’t get a Christmas card out in time.  It is amazing to see how God has blessed us and grown us together, and to see how each year has had its own share of celebrations and challenges.  Having the opportunity to jot a few of them down in the form of a letter to be shared with you has provided a way for us to tell the story that God is so purposefully working out in our lives.

At the end of our last letter we shared our prayer requests with you about Robby’s job and about finding a new apartment.  Shortly after that letter went out, Robby got a call from the head coach at Monroe College in New Rochelle, NY asking him if he’d be interested in interviewing for a four month coaching job.  As you know, Robby got the job, and we moved up to New Rochelle.  The coaching staff was incredible and supportive, and the hours were so much more manageable than what we had grown used to.  It was the school’s inaugural football season.  So, although they didn’t have a winning season, it was still a lot of fun. 

Just before that contract started we had the opportunity to celebrate our 5 year anniversary in Rincon, PR thanks to Tio Gerald & Titi Michi! We had such a great time and talked about it so much to our families, that we will be going there again, all together this June!  We flew from PR to Orlando and went to Disney World with our family.   After that, we drove down from Orlando to Miami and got to meet our sweet niece, Addison Grace and instantly fell in love.  Her 1^st birthday is already coming up on June 1^st.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ADDI! 

Over Labor Day weekend we got to celebrate our friends, Brett and Erin, getting married in the gorgeous Hudson River Valley.  Their wedding was so memorable; they had delicious food, fun dancing (flash mob style) and incredible views.  It was so wonderful to share that special day with them.  The rest of fall was filled with a few game nights, some sewing projects on my part, football games and apple picking (Finally got to check that off the NY bucket list. Apple cider donuts rock!).  We also went through some tough moments during that time too.  At the end of October, NY was slammed by Super Storm Sandy and although our area suffered very minimal damage, Brooklyn, Staten Island and New Jersey got hit hard and there are communities that are STILL in recovery.  The second week of November, my Godfather passed away.  I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to fly down to Miami to be with family during that time, to say goodbye and to celebrate his full, happy life.

As the end of the coaching contract neared for Robby, he continued to pursue an opportunity with the NFL, through relationships he built over the summer thanks to our friend, Jonathan.  A seasonal position opened up and there was only a one week period between the end of his coaching job at Monroe and the start of his position with the NFL. Praise God!  It goes without saying that the job at the NFL has been a dream come true for Robby!

Just before heading down to Florida for Christmas, we had the fun privilege of getting to capture our friends, Vanessa and Brandon, becoming engaged.  I was the lookout; Robby and Carlos were the cameramen.  We called it, Operation: Let it Snow.  Brandon proposed to Vane in Bryant Park on a chilly December evening with the Empire State Building behind them and a huge festive Christmas Tree lit up in front of them.  The plan went off without a hitch, and tons of photos were taken to capture the moment.

We have been trying to do a much better job of keeping up with our blog, so you should check it out!  We have lots of posts with updates and pictures to chronicle what we have been up to.  Here’s a preview of some of the goodies that you can read more about from the last few months…

We enjoyed the Miami Winter Wonderland with our families and friends for the holidays, we hosted a super bowl party, and ice skated in Central Park (another item off the bucket list).  We hosted our very own Cookie Night (inspired by the best cookie baker in the world, Donna!) and went on an EPIC, spontaneous trip to Virginia (thanks Peggy, Mark, Crystal and Natalie for inviting us!).  Robby went on the Men’s Retreat at Lake Champion in Upstate NY (even though he was sick for most of it, he was glad to go).  He worked the New York/New Jersey NFL Regional Combine and also worked the NFL Draft.  Didn’t I say it was a dream come true? The NFL Draft is one of Robby’s favorite football events, he even has a song about it set to the tune of It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, if you haven’t heard it, you are missing out!  He was even on TV a few times during the event; we also got to stay in the Marquis Hotel in Times Square for a night since he had pretty crazy hours that week.  Bob and Donna (B&D) came to visit NYC and enjoyed the spring ambiance.  We got to explore a lot of places with them in the City that we hadn’t even been to yet, like the NYC Public Library, The Meatball Shop and The Highline (an above ground railroad track that has been converted into a park).  Then I went on the Women’s Retreat, also at Lake Champion; I never feel the “need” to get away from the City but it was so refreshing to go and have nothing else to do for a short period of time except to enjoy nature and meet with the Lord.  Being outdoors is something we definitely took for granted when we lived in South Florida, so when spring and summer arrive, we, along with all the other New Yorkers, really enjoy being outside.  The sidewalks become lined with tables from restaurants for outdoor seating, and friends host rooftop parties, in fact we have already had the privilege of going to two in the last two weeks!  Most recently we also celebrated our anniversary by going to see Niagara Falls followed by a quick tour of the Cayuga Wine Trail in Finger Lakes, NY (more items from the bucket list).  What a year! We are so thankful for these awesome memories.   Like I said, check out the blog, we have lots of pictures posted.

This year we have really come full circle and are praying once again that God will provide a full-time job for Robby as the seasonal position with the NFL ends May 31^st.  We are also praying to find a new apartment because we would like to live closer to our church community.  As we pray, God continues to sustain us and His Word is such a source of peace when things get stressful.  We wanted to share some verses that have been very comforting throughout the past year.  The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.  Exodus 14:14; Hear my prayer… In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness. Psalm 143:1; And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? Luke 11:9-12; Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12. 

We’re so glad to have you in our lives, praying along side of us as we look forward to what God has in store for year 7!

Blessings,

Rob & Drea

www.hicksonhuddle.blogspot.com

Love 146 Benefit Concert hosted by our good friend, Becky Mason.

B&D in NYC

THE DRAFT!

Lake Champion, Retreat

1st Rooftop BBQ in May!  (Happy Birthday, Brett)

Beans & Killer Bunnies! Flo strikes again.

80's night (Happy Birthday, Kel)

Kelly's rooftop

Retro trains

PEGGY!

Peggy, Janna, Aaron & Drea

Essentially Ellington

There's always money in the Banana Stand

Cuzzie visit!

Celebrating our Anniversary.  We coined the term:  Niagarayugaversary (Niagara Falls + Cayuga Wine Trail + Anniversary)

Niagara on the Lake at Sunset

Niagara Falls at Sunrise

Cayuga Wine Trail, Finger Lakes, NY

Watkins Glen Gorge Trail

Stonecat Cafe Jazz Brunch

Frozen, but lovin' it

Okay, maybe not LOVIN' IT, but we have definitely been enjoying ourselves.  In the past month and a half we have found many ways to enjoy the great indoors (and out).  An ongoing theme has been spending time with friends and having delicious food!  I must confess though I am hoping that this long lasting winter will bring about a vibrant and beautiful Spring.  

Early in Feb we had a snow day and although we did have some fun roaming around in New Rochelle taking pics, the Metro North was down so, sadly we missed out on being able to participate in the Ronald McDonald House dinner.

View of the Long Island Sound from the top of our building.

It didn't take long for the snow to melt away, and the trains were back up and running in no time.

Flatiron Building, Manhattan

Robby, Scott, Katie and I spent Presidents day at Eataly.  Eataly is a market in Manhattan that sells Italian food, and throughout the market there are specialty restaurants where you can eat.  Before we decided on which restaurant to have lunch at, we went enjoyed a glass of wine and browsed all around the market.  

We decided to eat at the pasta restaurant, and ordered family style, so we shared everything.

I would highly recommend going!  After this delicious meal, we made our way back through the market and had espresso and gelato.

After a long work week we had an impromptu meet up with our extremely talented friend Carlos.

With all of our back and forth travels to and from the City for work and during the weekends, we have come to really admire the Grand Central Terminal.  I think it is one of my favorite buildings in Manhattan.  This year is Grand Central is celebrating its 100 year anniversary and they are hosting exhibits all year long.  There is a small exhibit in Vanderbilt Hall as you make your way in the the Grand Hall.

One of the many highlights back home is when Donna hosts Cookie Night.  I really wanted to share this experience with our friends up in NY, so we planned a Cookie Night up here.  We invited our friends over to our apartment and everyone brought cookies to share.  There were sea-Salt Nutella stuffed sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, cookies from Insomnia Cookies, and even peanut-butter-chocolate- chip-bacon Cookies (made by Scott)!

Vane, me and Jessa

Scott, Brandon, our neighbor Barry, Rich, Robby

The following week, Robby was able to work at the NY/NJ Regional Combine for the weekend. And then without much planning on our part, we were blessed with a great weekend getaway to Virginia.  We got to spend time with our church family from back in Miami and see Crystal, Mark and Addi too!

Bess loved roaming around the Ranch.

Waiting for everyone to arrive after we made the 7 hour drive down.

Mark and Addi!

Addi and Uncle Robby

Me and Crystal

Sweet, happy, Addi!

Robby, Josh, me, Lisel, David and Bess!

Addi and Uncle Robby making funny faces.

Addi and I have the same feeling about snow, it's fun for just a little while, then I'm ready to move on!  As much as we love NY, this time away from the hustle and bustle was so refreshing.  Thank you Granada College Group for letting us crash the first day of Break Away, it meant so much to us!  Our church in NYC, Apostles, had a Men's Retreat the following week, and although Robby was under the weather, the view made up for it some.  I am looking forward to going in April for the Women's Retreat.

That Saturday after doing plenty of errands, I went and got my hair done and then had a night out on the town with the ladies.

Me, Amy, Katie, Jessa and Maggie.  Deb met up with us too.

The next weekend we went had an epic evening at Mole and Game Night with the great Scatie (Scott + Katie) and Brerin (Brett + Erin)

Throughout the month of March I also had the really fun experience of getting to prep for Easter by being in the Easter Choir at church!  I haven't been in a Choir since 5th grade, so I was a bit rusty but it I eventually got the hang of it though.  

Choir Rehearsal for Easter Service. I'm kinda bummed it's already over, I really had a blast!

Just wanted to share a quick prayer request from us too.  Robby's contract at the NFL will be ending at the start of May.  We are filled with hope and faith that God has a full-time job opportunity ready for Robby.  Please pray that we would know soon what that job will be!  

Thanks!  How can we be praying for you?

Winter Wonderland: Miami & NYC (Dec-Jan)

Wow, can't believe over a month ago, we were in Sunny South Florida for Christmas and New Year's. It was so refreshing getting to spend time with our families!  Believe it or not, we took over THIRTEEN HUNDRED... that's 1-3-0-0 pictures!  I have a few here, and posted about 100 on to FaceBook.  We were able to spend the first week in Broward with my mom, and then the second week in Miami with B&D!!  We cherished every minute of our time while we were there and took advantage  of hanging out with our families and friends as much as possible!

This first picture is of me, Eli and my two cousins Stephan and Andrew.  We're a silly bunch!  We had dinner at a Cuban restaurant to get that Miami cuisine that we so often crave up here in NY.  Don't get me wrong, there are tons of restaurants up here with delicious food, but there is just something about a Cuban meal! Yum, yum, yum!

Our first weekend in Florida, The Winters from our old home church Granada Presbyterian hosted a Pot Luck Christmas Dinner.  We took the whole crew (Mom, Eli and Grandpa) down so that we could surprise B&D and get some bonus Crystal, Mark and Addi time!

Christmas day was extra special and filled with family time.  We opened presents at my mom's then headed down to Miami where Donna hosted a French Toast Brunch!  After opening presents, Mark gave us the best gift ever.  Nerf guns!  Donna got the biggest gun of all!  Then we headed to Grandma and Grandpa Phillips' for Dinner.  

Throughout our trip we got to spend time with some of our best friends.  Marty and Jen treated us to a great breakfast and we got to play with Katie and Hannah!

Later Matt and Jess hosted us for dinner and we got to love on sweet baby Madison!

We also got to meet up with Mr. Billy Browning himself at Cracker Barrel, along with Robby's bestie Todd, and my favorite Travis Boy, Matt.

Dinner with Sharonsita, Seymour, my mom and sis! Can't believe it had been two years since we had seen them!!

Cookie Night at Donna's!  Had to try at least one of each, but Chocolate Chip has to be my all time favorite.  Robby's favorite is... well, all of them really. LOL!

We brought in the New Year at Crystal & Mark's.  Happy 2013 everyone!

Honestly, most of our memorable moments on this trip also centered around food.  One such time was when Mark treated  us to a phenomenal Chicago Style pizza.  So full of flavor!

Although it was extremely difficult to head back to NY after such an incredible trip, we were happy to spend dinner at Blockheads being served by Luz for the last time!  Joaquin the bartender also joined in on the picture.

Shortly after heading down to Florida, Megan, Chris and Sophia made their long-awaited trip North and we got to spend a Saturday enjoying Mid-Town with them.  We went to Sarabeth's for Brunch, then spent the afternoon in the Central Park Zoo! 

Now that we are settling back, we have really been attempting to make the most of NY by venturing to see and do things that we haven't done before.  It seems as though every time we check something off the NY Bucket List, we add about 5 more things to it, but we are getting there!

Thankful this November

November started just after Hurricane Sandy made its way through New York and the Northeast.  As I mentioned before we were very fortunate and sustained almost no damage in our area.  We had a scare during the windiest part of the storm when a window flew open and we thought it had broken, but thankfully it just needed to be locked and it stayed put the rest of the storm.  It's hard to believe that it's been over a month since the storm and yet there are still areas where the damage is so complete that people have had to leave there homes.  Many of you have gone through hurricanes before, but to then be followed by a cold winter makes it even tougher!  Please continue to pray for the recovery efforts! 

The first weekend in November we had another fun and successful dinner at the Ronald McDonald House, we served a Mexican Fiesta themed dinner.

Robby jammed out on the drums in the Activity Room while one of the older kids that is staying in the house played the bass.

Right after the RMH dinner, we went celebrated two of our friend's birthdays at a mustache themed party.  Check out the cupcakes!

On Sunday, we took some non-perishables to a local restaurant that was arranging deliveries to the Rockaways.  Check out all the boxes!  They had sections for canned goods, toiletries, clothes, baby supplies, blankets and more! It was so moving to see all of these people giving to those who are in such great need. 

We had our first snow storm the next week.  I worked from home, and Bess helped!

Robby had to go in to the office, but thankfully it was only a 5 minute walk.

In a bitter sweet turn of events, I got to go to Florida to be with family to remember my Godfather, Orlando, who passed away from a heart attack.  He was always the life of the party, so he will be missed immensely.  I am so grateful that I was able to be with family during that time and that B & D, Mark, Crystal and Toots came by as well!

Back in New York, the City began preparing for the upcoming Holidays! One of the subway trains was even decorated inside and out for the MACY's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Robby, hanging out with Papa Smurf!

We decorated our apartment for Christmas as well!  No tree this year though, since we will not really be spending much time in New York in December.

During the days we had off from work, I got around to (finally) making the cushions for our chairs.

We had to cut the cushion to match the size of the seat.

Here are some of the supplies we used.

Check out this action shot of Rob!

I had already sewn the fabric together several weeks ago, so they were all set to staple into place.

Danger: Drea with a staple gun!

Ta DA! We are so happy with how they turned out!

In addition to cushion making, we also ventured into Pie Making!!

Yummy pie crust, courtesy of Fresh Direct!

All in all, we made FOUR pies (two traditional pumpkin pies, and two pumpkin cheesecake pies.  We also made Cornbread Casserole, Green Bean Casserole and Baked Mac and Cheese.  (So. Good.)  That weekend we also got to spend time having lunch at Serendipity with the Milian's who were visiting from Florida!  Needless to say, we are eating extremely healthy foods in preparation for the Christmas festivities!

November 27th, Robby began his 6 month seasonal position with the NFL.  What a huge answer to prayer!  Thank you everyone for joining us in praying for Robby to get this opportunity.  We still can't believe it! We are hoping that this can lead to a full-time opportunity if it's God's will.

Rob was excited to expand his wardrobe beyond his school related coaching gear, check out his Tie-tying skills! Whattup!  This pretty much sums up our month of November, and we continue to be so thankful for all that God has been doing in our lives.  This year so far we have spent two different seasons wondering what job Robby would have next, and both times, God has provided in His perfect timing!  It has been hard for us to trust God in the times of waiting, but it has been really faith-building as well.

This last "Do-it-Yourself" project is from the first weekend in December, but I wanted to share it now anyway, because I know the December update will be jam-packed with lot's of good stuff. I made Euro Sham covers for the pillows on our bed.  Above you can see the Mauve colored fabric, those were our old covers.  So I went about cutting and measuring the fabric. 

Then I ironed the seams... I have found that ironing the fabric is actually one of the easiest ways to quickly make a sewing job look a little bit more professional.  So it takes a little extra time, but it's worth it!

Then after pinning the fabric together and sewing everything up, voila!

Here's the completed view of the bed with the new Euro Shams!  Another success!

Love to you all, Drea and Rob

Tourists and Apples and Hurricanes, Oh My!!

October ushers in the wonderful fall weather and gorgeous coloring leaves.  This October also ushered in great visits from Agu and Eli, a weekend of "Apple Picking" and Super Storm Sandy.

This is picture is of the birthday girl, Agu in Central Park.  We walked through the Park from 86th and Lexington to 53rd and 5th Avenue.  We were treated to a great lunch at the MoMa to celebrate the birthday girl!

Birthday Dinner at Yuca Bar on the Lower East Side.

The next night Drea cheered Robby and the Monroe Mustangs on in the chilly fall air.  Sadly they lost, but it was a gorgeous evening.

Eli came to visit the very next weekend, and we had a great time.  She had never visited NYC in the fall.  On her first night here, we snapped this great pic when she fell asleep!!

We got together at the MoMa again for a great lunch and Eli got to see her favorite painting, "Starry Night".

After church on Sunday, we went to Shake Shack and then strolled through Central Park with the Beltrez gang.

The next weekend, Rob had a Bi-Week, so we went "Apple Picking" with Anthony, Judy and The Ethan.  Due to Super Storm Sandy, all of the apples had been removed from the trees and were in huge bins for us to select from, so we weren't able to actually pick them off the trees ourselves.  Seeing all the  trees changing colors, and the mountains rolling across the view was so gorgeous.

We bought a delicious Blackberry Pie and Apple Cider Donuts!!

Two days later, Super Storm Sandy made her way to the Northeast.  This is from the top floor of our apartment building a few hours before the storm hit land.  The clouds are so thick, you can't even see the City.  Normally, you can see the New York City Skyline very clearly from up there.

We stocked up on some Spaghettio's, Wine, Cereal, Oreos and Popcorn.  We made a couple of bags just in case we lost power.  Thankfully we actually never lost power and although the wind was scary at some points, our area suffered very minimal damage.  Just a few miles away from us in places like Brooklyn, Staten Island and New Jersey, there are communities that will be facing many months of recovery as well as a cold, cold winter.  Please pray for these communities to get back on their feet soon!

Celebrating and Living it Up in September

Over Labor Day weekend, we got to celebrate the marriage of two great friends Brett and Erin.  They had a beautiful wedding overlooking the Hudson Valley.  We rented a car and drove an hour and a half up state and enjoyed the picturesque views and perfect weather.

With the bonus day of a long weekend, we also got around to some DIY projects.  Drea took apart Grandma Hickson's vintage fan, cleaned it up and gave it a new paint job.

This project is definitely random, but wanted to share anyway.  Drea made a mop pad for the steam mop from a car wash mitt and an old pair of plaid shorts.  The mop pads the steamer came with were horrible, they would not absorb anything and just mucked around the dirt and steam across the floors!  So this has been a good fix so far :)

Every Friday morning, in the park across the street, there is a small farmer's market.  We wish it was on Saturdays because then we could actually go to it!!  Instead we just pass it on the way to work as they are still setting up.

The next weekend, we had a Ronald McDonald House Dinner, Rob wasn't able to make it because he was out of town at an away game, but it was still a fun night.  Brandon and Karyn are cutting up fruit for the fruit salad, which is a favorite for the kiddos.  We can't make dinner without having fruit salad on the menu!

The next week, Drea met up with a friend (Linda) for Dinner after work.  We met at Pershing Square, an adorable restaurant built under Park Avenue.  Since the weather hasn't gotten too cold yet, we sat outside where all of those red umbrellas are.  Now that we live in New Rochelle and have to catch the scheduled Metro North Trains from Grand Central or from 125th street, we have tried to be creative in finding as many places to meet up with friends near the stops so we don't have a hard time getting home.

For the first home game that Drea was finally able to attend, we made "reese's peanut butter" footballs.  Drea accidentally bought unsweet bakers chocolate to dip the rolled up peanut butter balls in, which was EXTREMELY bitter.  But the peanut butter balls were made with peanut butter, crushed graham crackers and a pound of powdered sugar, so the sweetness countered the bitterness.

Monroe's home field is at SUNY Maritime (where Rob coached the last 2 years) so we still get to enjoy the great views of the city beyond the Long Island Sound.

Drea and Kim Karg (Head Coach's wife)

After the game we had Brett & Erin (the newly weds!) and Scott and Katie over for dessert and a game of Killer Bunnies!

Notice the football game on mute while we played.

Erin won and Brett was an extremely supportive husband.

We got an unexpected surprise in the mail.  A "Happy Fall" package from B & D! Thanks so much for the candle and the cookies!!!

Last weekend, we were able to finish another DIY project by giving the desk a small face lift.  We bought new desk legs to replace the metal cylinder posts.

They came in silver, so Rob spray painted them white.  Our building manager let Rob spray paint them in the loading dock for the building and leave them there over night to dry which was helpful.

Since the desk didn't have the right holes lined up to install these legs we probably spent about 2 hours trying to get them secure, but in the end it was worth it, don't you think?

The last day in September was the Homecoming game for Monroe.  The day was absolutely gorgeous, crisp blue sky and sunshine for miles... until in the distance over the city we started to see grey skies and then we could tell it was pouring because we could no longer see the Manhattan skyline.  Monroe was in the lead the entire game and it was almost over, it seemed we would make it without getting wet, but during the 4th Quarter, the storm quickly made it's way over the Long Island Sound and froze us all to our seats!!  Thankfully by the last 5 minutes of the game the storm had passed, the sun came back out to warm us up and Monroe won 28-14!  Another exciting thing that happened after the game is that Drea got to meet the VP of the University who said, "they are working hard for your husband" to try and provide Rob with a full time position at the school once football season is over.  (November is coming up quickly!)  We are praying for God's will and hoping that there is an opportunity there for Rob.

Last picture for September is what Drea sees every morning coming up the stairs from the Metro North train track.  Just wanted to share it, it's such a gorgeous landmark building, and people just hustle and bustle their way through it, to and from work.  It's nice to pause and admire it for a moment.

Love, Rob & Drea

PS - Does anybody know about blog photo storage, we have reached our max!!!

August in our New Apartment

Let's start off by remembering what our last apartment was like...  110 year old walk-up building on the Upper East Side, five floors up, 2 closets, bedroom too small for the door to close.  It was cozy and charming and it was our home for 3 years.  We loved it, and we loved to hate the five flights of stairs.  Now that we are living in the 'burbs, check out a few pics of the building.

There's a gym with cardio machines that have their own litte TVs! What's more inspiring than watching the Olympics while working out, right?  Of course like every gym, there's one or two machines that have been broken since we moved in, but we're not complaining.  And when we miss our old stair work out from living in the city, there's always the stair master!

We've also tried to take advantage of the pool during the last few weeks of summer.  Soon this will be covered up for winter.

Here's a shot of the building from the courtyard.

Drea made her way in to the city the 2nd week of August one fine Saturday for a surprise bridal shower for Erin.  Erin and Brett were married Sept. 1st, so we'll share those pictures on the next blog update.

We were sitting right by the front window so we hid behind menus when Erin arrived.

Adorable favors with cookies from Italy inside for the guests of the shower.  Sorry no pics of the bride to be!

Durring the month of August we started some decorating of the apartment as well.  Here is a 'before' and 'after' of the bathroom.

We got some odds and ends to redecorate as well, including some great blue paisley parson chairs

Robby is assembling the second one.

Our bedroom area still pretty much looks like this, except the mattress pad is under the sheets now.  We got some new sheets and Drea has a couple of sewing projects up her sleeve, but it will take a few more weekends to get it completed.

This is the living area, and as you see below it is also pretty much the same, but has just one box left with all our framed paintings and photos to dress up the walls.

This is the new and improved desk area, it looks so great.  The desk is going to be getting a face lift soon, just waiting on the new desk legs to arrive.

We took a break from the unpacking and redecorating by enjoying a gorgeous day outdoors and watching Monroe's pre-season scrimmage.

The field is about a five minute drive from the apartment.

Rob got some great Monroe gear, shorts, warm up suits, shoes, polos and some long sleeve t-shirts.  Hopefully the football wives will get some gear soon =)

While Rob travelled to Pennsylvania for another pre-season scrimmage against Valley Forge Community College (which they won, 46-7!) Drea made two pillows out of one throw pillow that was ready for a change.

Fun fabric chosen by Rob!

Ready, Set, Sew!! (cheesy, but couldn't resist!)

I made two small rectangles out of the new fabric so that they could be filled with the contents of the larger throw pillow (white pillow case in the box).  It was stuffed with feathers, so I emptied them into the box.

The feathers pretty much stayed in the box, but there were remnants all over the apartment the rest of the week.

Bess was completely uninterested. 

Meanwhile...  After cutting the white feather pillow case in half and making two small pillow cases I filled each with the feathers.  Then covered the small cases with thew new fabric pillow covers and voila! 

That's all the craftiness for August... much more to come.

 

And lastly,  here's the view of the Sunrise every morning over the Long Island Sound that we see from our window.  It is breath-taking, and starts the day off on such a great note.  Even though we miss the many great things about living in the City, we know God has a reason and a purpose for bringing us to New Rochelle and it has already been a great transition.

Last month walking up 5 flights

We started out the month with several times hanging out with our friends Judy, Anthony and The Ethan (their 6 month old son). We were also able to celebrate the 4th of July with friends from our community group at a spacious apartment balcony.

 Andrew, Ruthie and Parker, Maggie, Jonathan and Kelly

Swing batter, batter, batter! Jonathan playing pool.

Later that wekk Rob and I enjoyed an evening picnic at Carl Shurz park up the block from our apartment.

July was a month of many birthdays!  The next week we enjoyed Cake Pops to celebrate Jonathan's birthday at the Great Lawn in Central Park.  And then for Drea's birthday we enjoyed a relaxing day having brunch, then hanging out at Carl Shurz Park, followed by a great dinner at Spice with Judy, Anthony and The Ethan.

 After dinner we went to Ricky Kohly's apartment for a roof top party.  He forgot to tell us it was black and white themed, but it was a blast!

After church, the next morning we stopped by our favorite local restaurant, Blockheads and Luz surprised Drea with cupcakes from Crumbs!!

 We joined Drea's coworkers in Hoboken for dinner and walked by this bakery... look familiar? It's Carlos's bakery from the TLC channel.

Drea with the ladies at a brunch hosted by Kelly.  Meanwhile the guys were having their Fantasy Football Draft party... sorry no pix, top secret!

So basically, July was filled with lot's of friends and lot's of food.  Above are some delicious cupcakes from Two Little Red Hens bakery.  Below is Drea enjoying the flavor of the day at Shake Shack (sweet corn ice cream - sounds weird but it's so good!)

 

We went to Blockheads one last time as UES residents (but not the last time ever, that's for sure!) We had a really fun dinner with friends, Nick & Yanessa Bowser.

Last Sunday after church we went for Pizza and then Shake Shack with Judy, Anthony & The Ethan.

 Meanwhile, we packed and packed and packed up our cozy apartment at East End Ave.  There wasn't much room to walk around as the boxed kept piling up.

On Tuesday we moved out and made our way to New Rochelle.

Here's a pic of us in our apartment after everything has been moved out.

Here's us moving in to New Rochelle.  We love the apartment! Look at all the space there is to walk around, even with all the boxes.  It is a major adjustment to the hustle and bustle of the city, which we both miss, but all in all it is great! Thank you God for providing (and for helping us get through the stress of moving)!

The day after moving in, Rob started football camp (24/7 football) so Drea gets to do most of the unpacking, which is fine because it's fun to decorate =)  Even better, when Rob leaves the campus at 10:30pm after a long day of practices and meetings, he's home at 10:35!  Thank God for not having an hour and a half commute anymore, and for Rob not having to sleep at the school! Yay!!  When are you coming to visit us in New Rochelle?  Come see us soon!

Sunny June

Wow! June was amazing! We were blessed with a wonderful anniversary trip to Rincon, PR from Tio Gerald.  We spent a few days enjoying the beach, eating, joking around and snorkeling.  Some of the highlights from that part of our trip are below.

 View from our room

View on the way to Rincon.

Enjoying a delicious lunch

Andrea, Tio, Titi, Geraliz

Andrea & Geraliz

Geraliz & Tio

Robby enjoying his cafecito.

Robby, Andrea & Geraliz

Tio Gerald & Titi Michele

THE BEST BREAD ON EARTH

Dessert & Cafecito

Our Cottage in Rincon

Our view at night, it was amazing.  Wish we could share the sound of the ocean on here.

Photo excursion adventure.

<3

Andrea & Geraliz at the best Brunch spot in PR

Robby the photographer

Yum!

After the trip to PR, we all joined up and went to Disney!

Luke, I am your father!

Allo of us getting ready to go on the Pixar ride.

"Andy"

Bus trip through Disney

Andrea, Mom, Eli, Geraliz

Yum!

Firework show!

Tio & Robby!

Andrea, Geraliz, Robby

Andrea & Sergio

Disney Hollywood Studios

Andrea & Eli

Robby the Goof :)

Andrea, Geraliz, Eli, Mom

Tio & Andrea

Exhausted!!

Pile-Up!

Geraliz

Tiosito & Geraliz

Getting ready for the Starwars ride

Jordan & Sergio

Tower of Terror!

Are. You. Ready?

OH YEAH

Sea World Aquatica Water Park

Birthday Dinner for all the May & June Birthdays (there were about 4!)

After our wonderful time in Disney, we drove down with Mom and Eli to Miami so we could meet our beautiful niece, Addison Grace! Finally :)

Love at first sight!

Nap time!

Daddy of the Year!

We fit some time in to surprise Eli at her surprise birthday lunch!

She had no clue we'd be there!

  

Addison's Nursery

Beautiful mommy!

No caption necessary... the best ice cream ever :)

Grandma & Grandpa <3

Cinnamon Rolls!

Cuban Pastries!

Robby & Bob-O

"The Mark Brothers!"

Uncle Robby & Addi

Aunt Dre & Addi

Aunt Dre just loved the strawberry bottom!!

Addi!! We are in love and were so sad to leave Miami.  We can't wait to see you again!  After PR, Disney and Miami, we flew back to NYC.

Our view from the plane getting back into the City.

The weekend after we got back, we went to Shakespeare in the Park.  We waited from 7:30am until they began distributing tickets at 1:00pm.

The wait was not too bad, we had great friends to keep us company.

Ryan & Scott

Later in the afternoon, we went to the Ryan, Jessica and Eleanor Sparzak's farewell by Turtle Pond.

After dinner, we made our way to the play.  Shakespeare's As You Like It.

Shake Shack on Sunday with Anthony & Judy Beltrez

I tried the "Shack"-A-Go Dog.

The following week was Rob's 29th birthday.  Andrea brought Todd into town as his birthday present. They spent almost every day playing basketball in the park and having an awesome time.  Bess found a new best friend too! The only damper was that Robby's phone was stolen during one of their basketball games.

New iPhone

Todd and Rob folding laundry

 We had a Birthday Bash at The Stumble Inn, and it was a really great turn out.

Erin & Lauren

Carlos, Freddie & Todd

Nick & Yanessa

The Birthday Boy! (and Birthday Girl - a little early)

Todd, Rob & Bess... waiting in line for Mister Softee's!

Can't believe we did all that in one month, it was such a great kick-off to the summer.

May Flowers...

June is already shaping up to be amazing! We are Aunt and Uncle to Addison Grace! Mark & Crystal welcomed their bundle of joy on June 1st at 3:01pm!!  We want to share what happened during the Month of May! It was filled with blessings and celebrations...  Our 5 year anniversary was on May 6th and we celebrated the entire weekend.  We started Saturday morning enjoying coffee and Nutella filled Croissants!!

Drea surprised Robby by taking him on a Photo Safari in Greenwhich Village. Enjoy some shots we both took, some from the DSLR, some from the iphone, which turned out pretty great, surprisingly!  It seemed like it would be a drizzly, cloudy day, but thankfully it didn't rain, and the overcast actually made a lot of the pictures colors brighter. (Especially the flowers).

 The Huxtable residence

 

 The outside shot of Monica's Apartment building on Friends.

 Pictures from a garden of a church :)

 This is one of Drea's favorite pictures from the day.

 

 We saw this restaurant on the way to the last stop of the Photo Safari.  We could hear the Live Jazz from across the street, and knew that would be where we'd go for a celebratory brunch.  Sitting right next to us was a couple celebrating their anniversary as well!

Took a walk after Brunch, and caught a foggy shot of the Empire State Building.

 

 

Got up really early on Sunday and went to see the Sunrise, it was still a little cloudy though.

 Rob took Drea to see Porgy and Bess, what an amazing show!!

The following weekend, we served dinner at the Ronald McDonald House!

Making Mother's day gifts for the mom's in the house.

 The next weekend, we had brunch with Pity and Diana in City Island.

Peonies are Drea's favorite flower. Rob surprised her twice with them.  What an awesome hubby!! They're only in season in May...

 More Peonies!!

  We dog-sat Bella, for the weekend as well.  Bess was so excited to have a buddy to play with.

 

 Memorial Day Weekend, Sara Jonas came up to visit, and Drea met up with her for brunch :)  Surprise guests were Victoria and Phineas!!

 Meanwhile, Rob was helping our friend Carlos photograph a wedding.  What amazing views!

Drea had dinner with Maggie, Jonathan and Ryan that night at Tiramisu... not exactly the same amazing view as Rob! Look at the frame on the wall! LOL

While we were at church the next morning, our friends Zach & Laura Nielsen had their baby, Leo Thomas!  So precious!

We spent Memorial Day at a Farmer's Market, and getting Brunch with Drea's coworker Sharon, and her boyfriend Dan.

 The entrance to the Coffee Shop Diner.

Last photo from May, Manhattanhenge, getting to see the sunset align with the city grid.  We have lot's in store for June, can't wait to share with you.  God Bless!

April in the Big Apple :)

We promised pictures from The Counter.  The Menu was daunting, sooo many choices to customize a burger, but it was delicious!  April was busy, busy, filled with game nights, baby showers and even a wedding.  Enjoy some pictures below. 

Celebrated Easter enjoying the gorgeous tulips on Park Avenue, then went to church.  We had a Pot Luck dinner with with our Community group and learned a new game called Killer Bunnies!

Game night at the Hickson's playing Killer Bunnies :)

 Another game night at the Future Brauns, Erin made amazing cupcakes!

Rob got to check attending the 1st Round of the NFL Draft off of his bucket list.

We enjoyed getting dinner and dancing with our NYC/Miami Familia.

We went to a beautiful wedding for one of Rob's coworkers.

Bess got spoiled with some tender loving care and grooming!

Spring is in the air

March has been a busy month! We started out the month with Rob having a few weeks of Spring Football and Andrea having to go to Houston for training for work. We left Bess at the apartment with Uncle Carlos who took great care of her and our humble abode. He even left us some Coronas! So thoughtful!

While Andrea was at training in Houston, she was able to have lunch with her Dad every day, which was a treat. She also got to go to the Rodeo with coworkers one evening, which was a lot of fun!

 Andrea and Jackie (from work) trying to sneak a picture wearing cowboy hats.

A concert at the Rodeo, performed by Blake Shelton!

Andrea and Jackie playing pool. Look at the size of that Texas pint! (Only $3!)

While Andrea was away, Rob went to the end of the year Banquet for football and he was awarded "Assistant Coach of the Year" by the players on the team!

The week Andrea got back, we had a game night with Nate and Lauren (friends from church and our community group leaders). They were so loving to Bess who just wanted to jump all over them!

The overpass to the running path by the river finally opened back up after being reconstructed, so we have taken advantage of the weather and taken Bess for some walks that way. (a little random... but we wanted to share.)

One lovely evening, we went to Cilantro (a mexican restaurant) with friends from church and then walked through Central Park at night to go ice skating.

 The Met

 Maggie, Jonathan, Ryan, Drea, Robby

The Bethesda Terrace, between Bethesda Fountain and The Mall. 

A view of The Mall through one of the many benches that lines it. 

 The Mall

Wollman Skating Rink 

 Unfortunately, as we got to the skating rink, they were closing an hour earlier than the website said they would be! So... we walked to Serendipity and enjoyed a late night dessert!

Continuing with the dessert theme, we went to Sixteen Handles (a frozen yogurt shop) with our community group. We were one of the first to arrive, so we were saving seats!

About two weeks ago, the trees started to bloom for Spring! This picture is along Park Avenue near Drea's office.

This was on the way to church one morning (using Hipstamatic photo app on the phone)

Another random shot, this is a stunning red door from a church that we always say we want a picture of.

Bess has been enjoying the warmer weather too. The sun streams into the kitchen warming up the tiles and so Bess loves to take a nap right there.

Two Sundays ago we went to Brunch with Carlos, Ashley, Vane and Brandon at the Stone Park Cafe in Park Slope, Brooklyn!

Yesterday, Rob enjoyed the clear skies and went on a photo adventure. Here are some shots from the Union Square area.

Tonight we are going to Time Square to have dinner at The Counter. We'll pick up here next post and share some pictures.

We'll be in touch! Hope to hear from you soon! R&A

Massive Update #2: Since Winter 2010/11 to Today!

In April, Crystal & Mark came to visit the Big Apple. We enjoyed having them stay with us in our cozy apartment and taking them all around the city. We had New York Pizza at Lombardi’s and we got to see the Broadway play, Lombardi as well.

In May we celebrated our 4-year anniversary at a great Italian Restaurant on the Upper East Side. Later in the month, Rob graduated with his Master’s in Sports Management from St. John’s. Bob and Donna came up for a visit to celebrate. Bess also graduated from doggy obedience school!

June was a busy month; we went to Houston to visit Andrea’s family.

And then later went to a Bed & Breakfast in Spring Lake, NJ with some great friends from church. Rob also travelled a bit for some football camps.

We started looking into moving to another apartment in July but soon realized we’d be climbing 5 flights of stairs for at least another year. We remained in our cozy apartment but did some redecorating! For our first year of living in the City, we celebrated with the 5 boroughs in 1 day… For year 2 we redecorated the apt!

Another fun thing we got to do was celebrate the 4^th of July from the Top of the Rock. It was amazing, we had the best view of the Hudson River Fireworks display, but we also got to see several other shows in the distance all around the building. 

Eli  came to visit and we went to Coney Island. Then Ernie came for visits about two weeks later, we went to a Yankees game!

Throughout the rest of the summer we kept ourselves busy hanging out with friends, playing with Bess and avoiding Hurricane Irene!

The end of the summer ushered in the beginning of Rob’s 2^nd Football Season at SUNY Maritime. We were able to enjoy a winning 8-2 season and many tailgates with friends. Bess even came to the last home game.

We went to DC for the last game of the season and got to visit with the newlyweds, Josh & Lisel Allbee.

During the season, in October, Andrea’s Tio Gerald came for another visit, this time with Michelle. We went to two Broadway shows, Wicked and Rock of Ages! They were both great, but I think we all really LOVED Wicked. After their visit we had a very random snowstorm the weekend of Halloween. Little did we know that would be the most snow we would see all winter (practically)! We also got the exciting news that Crystal and Mark are pregnant!

We had some friends over at our apartment for Thanksgiving, which was a lot of fun, and then the next day Rob was able to enjoy a crisp fall day in The Park, playing football.

In December, B  & D came up for a visit to see NYC all decked out for Christmas. We enjoyed getting to see the Rockettes Radio City Spectacular.

Andrea also started a new job at JPMC, now working with the Government, Not-For-Profit and Healthcare (GNPH) Commercial Banking business!! This was gift-wrapped on her desk her first day in the new role (to hold business cards).

After only a week and a half in the new role, we left for a 2-week vacation to Florida to visit family. This time we stayed at Ernie’s for the first week and Rob was able to experience his first Noche Buena!! Then we spent the second week at B&D’s where Andrea was able to go the Everglades and the Keys for the first time.

in January, back in NYC, Andrea continued to adjust to the new role and go through several online training courses. We took advantage of Broadway Week and went to see On a Clear Day you can See Forever, starring Harry Connick, Jr., followed by a delicious dessert date at Serendipity!

Later in the month we went to Strike Out bowling with Vane, Carlos and the gang!

In February we celebrated Valentine’s a little early with a trip to Somerville, NJ, where we spent the weekend with B&D, Nantz Pantz, Petey, Bob, Ruth, Bess and Gracie.

We then took advantage of Off-Broadway Week and went to see Avenue Q (finally!)

So... now that we're all caught up, hopefully we can stay up to date more often! How are you!?