Thanksgiving 2013!

Every year, Thanksgiving is a little bit different. Last year we spent it with great friends. The year before, we went to the Macy's parade. Our first year, we spent it with my sister.

Thanksgiving is funny - for so many people, it is a time that they reunite with family. After careful analysis, I determined the last year my entire family (mom, dad, sister, and me) spent Thanksgiving together was November 2004. That's nine consecutive years where we've been apart - at least one if not more have been away from Gainesville. The first year, 2005, it was Jenni - on a band trip. The next year it was my dad. 2007 I was in Italy. And so on. It's become a holiday which is open for Nate and I to establish our own traditions - or to not, as we see fit.

We have a few - we make cranberry brie bites and get starbucks lattes (this is our third year doing that!). This year we made a turkey, macaroni and cheese casserole, swiss and gruyere green beans, and pumpkin bread too. It was a great day and I have so much to be thankful for. I am marrying my best friend and the love of my life next year. We are healthy and happy. We have so many comforts in life that most people in the world do not. Our families are also healthy and happy. We have good relationships with our sisters and we have the most amazing friends. We get to travel, and we will be doing a lot of travel in 2014.

It was a great Thanksgiving, and it's going to be an even better New Year!

The Travel Bug

Soooooo it's been a slow year.

Not in terms of life! Nate and I got engaged in March and it's been a whirlwind year planning plus staying busy working (and I have mastered a 3 hour daily commute). On top of that, our sweet puppy Siena keep us on our toes! No, it's been a slow year in terms of travel. For me, it is the slowest year since freshman year of college. That's really saying something! Part if my struggle is that I've been blessed to be able to travel so much and on some level until now I've taken it for granted.

I traveled to the Dominican Republic in January, and Nate and I returned together in May. We also went to a wedding in Charlotte, North Carolina in March. I returned home twice (coming up on three times): my 10 year reunion in June, a long weekend in August, and we are heading home for Christmas in just a few weeks. So I haven't been stuck per se, but compared to years past, which took us to Italy, Canada, England, and Costa Rica, it has felt like a quieter year - particularly this fall.

We have been gearing up for 2014 which is going to be a huge year for us. We start the year with our engagement party in Gainesville in January, a dear friend's wedding in Sarasota in February, and I will go to a bachelorette party for one of my engaged bridesmaids in April! After that it's rapid fire: My bachelorette in Orlando in May, our wedding in June, followed by our two week honeymoon to Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. We don't stop there - we have another wedding to attend in July in Charlotte! And that's just through summer - I'm sure our fall will fill up quickly!

It's been a learning experience for me. I've chosen to focus on my health, my perpetual struggle with my anxiety, focusing on channeling it into positive activities like working out, cooking, going for walks, and of course wedding planning! I feel like I've been playing the waiting game and it's been harder than I anticipated. I've always had an upcoming "adventure" - be that a weekend away, a vacation with Nate or my family, or a work trip. Travel has always enriched my life, and it's a shared interest between Nate and I now. I'm reminding myself that it's worth the wait - I have never been to the Southeast Asia region, and I know it is going to be filled with amazing experiences and memories.

Until then... I'm looking forward to a quiet Thanksgiving, just me and Nate and Siena, followed by the most magical time of year in NYC when the city comes alive with white lights and Christmas decorations. We end the year with a long, much-needed week at home with family and then ringing in the new year with our best friends in the city. (I'll be ringing it in dressed in something shiny and new! ;)

Looking forward to all the things to come! Stay tuned...

Wedding Planning 101

We are officially just about six months from our wedding! A lot of people have started asking me "how is the wedding planning going? are you stressed?" etc. and variations on that theme. To quote Elle Woods from Legally Blonde "what, like it's hard?" Most days I feel made to wedding plan - it has been a blast so far. Now I'm also acutely aware that it's been really easy for Nate and I because of the incredible unwavering support and generosity of our parents. They both see it as "our day" and as a result we've skipped a lot of your typical planning nightmares. We couldn't ask for better parents, we both feel lucky with our future in-laws!

One of the most important things to us has been enjoying each step of the planning. I know a long engagement isn't for anyone, heck there are days where I get impatient and wish it was a little closer. Our engagement is 15 months from the day Nate proposed to the day we say "I do." It's definitely a long time, but it allowed us to book the critical things right away (wedding and rehearsal dinner venues) and then slowly make the rest of our decisions: music, flowers, photographer, and now we're in the invitation-designing phase. When you both are weighing in on each decision it definitely takes longer, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Everyone has been impressed that Nate has had strong opinions on everything from the wedding colors to where we sit during dinner (note: his request was for a sweetheart table, so we'll be eating just the two of us at our reception, which I love!).

Nate and I have also been truly lucky with the most amazing friends in our wedding party that have made planning a breeze. For me, it was really important to me to include all my life-long friends in the wedding even though Nate and I wanted a small number of attendants standing up with us. We both felt with a small NYC wedding, it would be a little silly to have an army up there with us! But at the same time, we found a way to make it special and inclusive. I have six honorary bridesmaids, each who I have been friends with at least a decade - two sorority sisters, Amanda and Chrissy, and four close friends from childhood (high school and earlier) Jessica, Janeen, Ashley, and Erica. Nate's closest friends from college, Josh and Brian, are his ushers. Two of my sorority sisters who I was very close with especially senior year, Allyson and Mallory, will be my program girls and my "something blue" on my wedding day! Nate's sister Angie and husband Ryan will be reading in our ceremony, something that is extremely special to us.

We each have two attendants - Nate's two Best Men - his best friends and life-long friends from childhood, John and Dylan - and my two Maids of Honor - my sister Jenni and my best friend since 9th grade, Courtney. Looking back at high school, we were all band nerds, which I think is amazing and totally appropriate, considering that's where Nate and I met!

In short, wedding planning has been fun because we are surrounded by the most incredible friends and family a couple could ask for. We couldn't be more honored that they will all be part of our day. If only it would hurry up and get here soon!

World Prematurity Day!

The big work project I've been focused on this fall was the buildup to World Prematurity Day on November 17th. This day raises awareness about the global problem of prematurity. One in every nine babies is born too soon, and of these 15 million babies, 1 million die every year.

As part of the day, buildings, fountains, bridges and more sites across the world go "purple" for prematurity - the signature color of the March of Dimes. I worked Sunday from about 7am until 12:30am that night covering building lightings, celebrity tweets, and and more on our social media platforms - Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Here are a few of my favorite lightings from World Prematurity Day 2013:

Empire State Building, New York City

Peace Bridge - Connects US to Canada

Cinderella's Castle - Walt Disney World, Florida

Singapore Flyer, Singapore

Niagara Falls, Canada

Catching Up on October: Family Visit & Wedding Dress Shopping!

What a busy month it's been! My parents and sister came to visit for over a week (and my best friend Courtney joined for the weekend) and after that, work got crazy! I've just now been able to sit down and recap their great visit. I don't think the four of us - my family - have really been together in a couple years now, just us! They arrived on Sunday and we had an amazing dinner at Balthazar - Nate and I were excited to introduce them to it!

Monday I took the day off work and just the four of us went for lunch at Pearl Oyster Bar, my parents' all-time favorite lunch spot in the city. We treated ourselves to lobster rolls and raw oysters and the famous clam chowder. It was the absolute perfect day all together!

We also took in Nobu and Capital Grille, so we were spoiled in terms of food. Nobu was Jenni's first experience and it did not disappoint! I had spicy lobster tempura, my favorite dish there. It is always fun when all of us are together, Nate is part of the family now!

Thursday night, Courtney arrived and Friday was dress shopping at a few places! I could not have been happier to have my mom and my two Maids of Honor - my sister and best friend - with me as I found the perfect wedding dress. I feel so lucky to have this amazing family and all these special memories leading up to our wedding day. The dress I found was at Kleinfeld (although no, I did not "say yes to the dress" or anything like that - it was a lot more low key than that!). Here are a few pics of us dress shopping:

As for pictures of the THE dress... you didn't think I'd post to the blog, did you? You'll all have to wait until June 7, 2014! ;)

My 28th!

Happy 28th Birthday to me!

I had an awesome birthday, second annual at Calle Ocho. Like last year I was joined by my best friends in NYC. And, like last year, we of course did a post-brunch photo shoot out in front of the Natural History Museum. This year at least we crossed the street so the background isn't scaffolding!

I feel so lucky and blessed to have such amazing friends, to be engaged to such an amazing guy - life is truly wonderful! Looking forward to what this 28th year will bring!!

Farewell, Mariano

Nate and I went to Mariano Rivera day last month - the Sunday before my birthday. It was a really special day with tributes from former players and coaches, including Bernie Williams, Joe Torre, and Jorge Posada. Mariano is considered the best closer in the history of baseball and it definitely showed in the special tribute the Yankees put together. They even brought in Metallica to play "Enter Sandman" live before the game as Mariano came out onto the field for the opening ceremony. Here are a few pictures from the day:

Win or lose, we love the Yankees!

Nate's 30th Birthday SURPRISE!

SURPRISE!!! With the help of some fantastic friends, I pulled off surprising Nate the night before his 30th birthday! I call it Inception: the surprise within a surprise party. It all started when I left work early on Thursday. Nate thought I might have to work late, but in reality I was setting up both surprises. I got his birthday present, wrapped it, and set it on the kitchen table with a confirmation for dinner for two that night at The Smith. I added a card from me, and I even took Siena pup for a long walk so she'd be tired and wouldn't walk during dinner. He was genuinely surprised at surprise #1... thus did not see surprise #2 coming! As soon as we left the apartment, my best girlfriends came over to set up. The weeks before I had ordered everything - a custom cake from Magnolia bakery, decorations, you name it! The girls got the banner hung up, picked up all the food, and set up the table - and most importantly, let all our friends in! Surprise #2 would have gone off without a hitch EXCEPT we got a flash storm and Nate and I were totally soaked - and as a result, people didn't leave our restaurant table on time so we were seated 20 minutes late. Now I had to rush Nate through dinner, claiming I wasn't hungry and then, later, that I didn't feel well. I  also didn't want him ordering dessert, knowing his birthday cake was waiting at home!

In the lobby I texted upstairs to get ready! I had Nate go in first and they threw on the lights - our apartment was filled with our friends and Nate's face (as you can see above) was one of genuine surprise (and a little terror...). Once the surprise settled in he enjoyed everything - the red velvet cake, the snacks, champagne, and local blueberry beer thanks to our friends! This was such a special way to celebrate his 30th - and he was totally surprised and said I "set the bar high" for future surprises. It wouldn't have been possible without all the amazing friends we made in the city. Such a fun and special night!!

Siena Turns ONE!

Happy Birthday SIENA! Our sweet dachshund puppy turned one year old on Labor Day (September 2nd). Even though we got her in October it was still hard to believe the tiny little puppy we brought home is already a year old (and technically not a "puppy" anymore - although Nate and I show no signs of stopping referring to her as a puppy anytime soon).  Siena had a very special birthday thanks to all of our amazing friends in NYC. Our good friends Janie and Russ came over with a birthday bandana for Siena and she played with their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Charlie, for an hour! All the puppies got puppy "chocolate chip cookies" (not real chocolate - just puppy treats - although Nate was still tempted to try one!). After Charlie left, my friend Julie came over with her cockapoo Kobe to play with Siena. Siena and Kobe are about the same size (Kobe is smaller, but is a little taller whereas Siena is longer). They played together great! After a while they were both pretty tired and hung out on the couch (see the bottom photo). Overall it was a great day. Neither Nate or I have ever had a dog as a pet before and Siena has made us feel like a family. She is just so sweet, snuggly, funny, and she makes every day better. We're so thankful she's our little pup pup!

Upcoming Adventure: HONEYMOON!

Hey everyone! Whew - it has been a fun summer - filled with lots of PLANNING! Engagement party, wedding, and most important of all - honeymoon! I'm kidding! I'm mostly kidding! As travel junkies who live in 750 square feet of space, Nate and I decided we should hop on the trend of registering for our honeymoon rather than register for gifts we don't need (or have space for)! Using a website called Honeyfund, you detail parts of your honeymoon and your guests, if they choose, can contribute to a part of it - like your hotel, flights, sunset happy hour, you name it! We had tons of fun putting ours together and planning a dream trip to Southeast Asia, a region Nate and I both want to visit. I know myself, and I knew if I had two weeks of nothing but relaxing I'd start to get a little cabin fever. We came up with what we think is the perfect trip!

Two weeks after our wedding we will fly to Singapore - it takes 24 hours to get there and we have to fly through Tokyo (!!). We will spend a few nights at the Marina Bay Sands hotel (top left photo) which features a rooftop pool on the 57th floor with views of Singapore's skyscrapers. Singapore is a city and a country - and is situation adjacent to Malaysia. We will spend one day doing a day-trip to a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Melaka. There we hope to do a river cruise (middle right photo), rent bicycles, see the ancient ruins, and check out local restaurants. After that we fly to Bali, Indonesia for a WEEK! So we do a little sightseeing and then we have a week to relax (perfect balance!).

Of course, we both wanted a little bit different "relaxing" experiences. Nate was drawn to the black sand beaches of Bali's west coast, whereas I was more interested in the cliffside peninsula of the south. We found the perfect balance in Alila Villas. They have two luxury resorts in Bali and booking directly with them, we could split our time between the two sister resorts, spending three nights at each one. We start at Alila Villas Soori (top right photo) which is in Tabanan, Bali. Located between the mountains and rice paddies and on the black sand beaches, we'll have a second floor ocean villa with views of the beach, a private pool and outdoor patio and private staircase down to the beach - amazing! For sightseeing we can take an excursion to the rice paddies and visit nearby temples. After four days we are driven two hours south to Alila Villas Uluwatu, located on the southernmost edge of the Uluwatu peninsula. There we stay in a cliffside villa, also a private villa with a private outdoor pool and a gazebo overlooking the coast. The hotel also features one of the top infinity pools in the world, according to Conde Naste and others (see bottom photo).

It was important to us to have a balance, to relax and enjoy luxurious resorts but still experience the local culture. To have a few city days, to have a fun day-trip, and to have a nice, long stay in Bali. All in all we are gone 12 days - it will be the longest vacation trip that either of us has taken, ever! While I've gone places longer (England, Italy, India, Tanzania) those trips have always been a mix of work/studying and vacation. To say we are excited is an understatement - it's the trip of a lifetime for us and we could not be more thrilled that we have been able to make this dream a reality.

Now... is it 2014 yet?!

Easy Appetizer: Grilled Avocado with Salsa and Sour Cream

YA'LL!!!!

I just made the best, easiest appetizer for Nate this evening - we had a ripe avocado but no plans to use it for the dinner we have planned this evening. I found this picture and some directions on Pinterest and I tried it out, adding a few elements of my own, and it turned out AMAZING! Check it out and the next time you're looking for an easy appetizer, give it a try!

Ingredients:

• One ripe avocado
• 1/4 cup of salsa
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• Cilantro
• Olive Oil
• Salt

Directions:

Cut avocado in half, remove pitt. Cover open halves with a coat of olive oil and fresh lime juice. Put on grill (or grill pan) and cook on high heat for 5 minutes.

Remove avocado halves. Fill the pitted holes with salsa and top with a dollop of sour cream. Sprinkle with a bit of fresh cilantro, lime juice, and salt.

Serve with a spoon and enjoy!

Go Fourth!

Fourth of July always feels like the perfect summer kickoff in New York City. When I lived in Florida, July was mid-summer but now in my fourth summer in New York City it's just getting hot. This year was our best fourth of July yet. We spent it at my friend Amanda's East Village rooftop and the weather, while hot, was still clear and beautiful. It's hard to believe this is our fourth summer in the city - 3 years ago it was summer 2010 and we were just settling in. We hadn't made any friends yet - spent our first fourth of July along the Hudson with a picnic dinner to watch the fireworks. It was a great fourth, and it's amazing to see how far we've come in three years. We spent Fourth of July with our best friends in the city, and I feel so lucky to feel like NYC is truly home to me today.

10 Year High School Reunion!

This past weekend was my 10 year high school reunion. I'm really glad I got the opportunity to go - it had been such a long time since I'd seen so many people, and it was the first time seeing my friends since I got engaged! I was lucky that most of my high school friends were able to make it! I was happily reunited with my best friend and Maid of Honor, Courtney, as well as three of my bridesmaids - Ashley, Janeen, and Jessica. The reunion was a whole weekend of events - I got to go to Friday and Saturday night's events. Friday's was a mixer and it was a blast! The music was throwback to early 2000 hits, reminding all of us of our high school days! I was reunited with several friends from high school including Amanda and Julie (in the picture below).

Saturday night was the main event! There were a couple slideshows, talking about what grads are doing now and their favorite memories from high school. There were also a few fun "alumni superlatives" - a take off of senior superlatives. I won "most traveled" for my world travels (22 countries and counting!!). We also had a super cute photo booth with big "2003" balloons that we could take fun pictures together. I was so proud of my friend Ashley for organizing the entire thing, she did an amazing job! Here's my favorite picture from the weekend: Me, Ashley, and Janeen in the photo booth!

I can't even imagine how much life will change before our 20 year reunion! So much has happened in the last 10 years. I'm so grateful for my enduring friendships with my friends that will be part of my wedding to Nate (who I also met in high school)! While I've changed a lot, I will always be so thankful for the four years I spent at GHS! Go hurricanes!!

Chrissy Visits!

A couple weeks ago, one of my best friends Chrissy came to visit! Chrissy and I met in Pi Beta Phi eight and a half years ago and became fast friends. She's also very close to Amanda (they were piphi twins back in the day - and both are bridesmaids in my wedding!). She came up for a long weekend in the city and we had a blast! Friday we started out at Boat Basin, one of my favorite outdoor happy hour spots. We sat by the water and caught up before meeting up with her friend Alyssa for dinner on the upper west side at my favorite sushi spot, Tenzan. Later we headed downtown to West Village with several of our friends! Saturday we had lunch outside at Cafe Ronda followed by a long walk in the park. Saturday night was the most fun - we started off on Amanda's rooftop and then had dinner at Yerba Bueno, one of my all-time favorite restaurants with amazing Mexican cuisine and custom cocktails!

It always means so much to me when my friends come to visit! NYC is so far away from where most of my friends and family live. It is so special to get quality time together! Chrissy and I had a great visit - I can't wait for more to come! And I'm glad she got to meet the close friends I've made in NYC!

Return to the Dominican Republic!

Finally - catching up on blogging! June has been totally crazy (!!) and just now able to catch up on all our adventures! So Memorial Day weekend in the Dominican Republic was absolutely amazing! We got lucky and had amazing weather our entire visit! The cool thing about this trip is we went totally different places than when I visited Jenni in January! We even flew into a different city! We started the trip in Santiago, the second-largest city in the Dominican Republic (smaller than the capital city Santo Domingo, which I visited my first trip!). Santiago was really cool and relaxing! We visited the Monumento a los Heroes de la Restauracion, a monument to those who fought in the Dominican Restoration War 1863-1865. That night Jenni took us to a great pizzeria and a casino where we had local Dominican beer. Yum! 

The next day we took the local transportation (buses that tend to fill up and become overcrowded called guaguas) to Puerto Plata. We stayed at the Riu Bachata resort at the west end of the beach - less touristy and not at all crowded! It was absolutely beautiful, with a nice pool and a beach covered with a shade of palm trees. It was my first time at an all-inclusive and I enjoyed not having to stress about paying for things - just rested and relaxed!

We were treated with warm but not hot weather - it never broke 90 degrees, but hovered in the mid to low 80s. Other than the occasional afternoon thunderstorm - for which we were usually inside napping - we had amazing weather. The water was a beautiful, clear turquoise blue!

My favorite moment of the trip had to be when we watched the sun set over the surrounding countryside. Of course I made Jenni and Nate pose for several rounds of photographs! But it was so worth it - the sunset was absolutely gorgeous! Jenni was a patient tour guide throughout our entire experience - and her spanish is super impressive!

It's hard to believe I've already been to this country twice and I already want to go back!!! Guess I'll have to be patient. All in all it was a wonderful trip, so excited to see my sister and spend quality time with her! Next time I'll see her will be in October, can't wait!