Better Late Than Never

So, in the midst of my first week at work and blogging hiatus, my mom turned 60 (uh, I mean 45). I always intended on devoting a post to her - I just didn't think it would be over a week later. But I guess better late than never, so....

Happy Belated Birthday, Mom! (I am not a terrible daughter, by the way. I did call her, email her and send her a birthday card!)

I know several daughters say this, but my mom really is my best friend. My day isn't complete if I don't talk to her on the phone at least once a day. Usually when I call her she is out shopping (what a hard life she lives) or painting either a room in the house, my dad's office or a beautiful landscape on a canvas. My mom is an incredible artist, which unfortunately did not get passed down to me. (In fact, my brother got the artistic gene, but that is ok...I got the good looks and brains.) I had to steal this from Facebook, but here is a sketch my mom did back in the day....

Amazing, right? I will work on getting photos of some of the paintings she has done recently. She has been bragging about my blog, so it is only fair I brag about her art.

I consider myself very lucky to have such a wonderful relationship with my mom. Jeff has been telling me recently that I am acting more and more like her, and while at first I wasn't sure how I felt about that, I am proud to be my mother's daughter.

Mom, I love you and always look forward to our phone chats!

I guess we pose alike....

An Affinity For Afrin

Hi. My name is Robin, and I am addicted to Afrin.

Ok, so I am not really addicted, but there have been several incidents where I have depended on the nasal spray to get me through the night. My in-laws introduced me to the stuffy nose eliminator a few years ago, and since then it has been a tumultuous love affair.

I have terrible allergies, but two squirts of this stuff clears me right up. I have even started using Afrin for preventative measures. If I think I am going to have trouble breathing through my nose at night, I will squirt up.

While Afrin has been so good to me, it has also created some problems that extend beyond the dependency issues. My nostrils are so dry, and sometimes that leads to the occassional nose bleed. This is probably a sign that I should be following the directions on the back label. Oh well, I am happy (that is until my nose falls off) to trade a dry nose for a night of uninterrupted sleep.

After all, now that I am a working girl again I need my beauty sleep more than ever!

Stay Tuned....

I am sorry I have been such a terrible blogger lately....

I promise to be back very soon!

One Amazing Weekend

I could not have picked a better weekend to celebrate the new job and Jeff's birthday. Unfortunately, we did not take many photos (sorry Mom!), so I will do my best to illustrate the amazing time we had.

On Friday, Jeff left work early and met me at the wonderfully posh Great Jones Spa for massages to celebrate his birthday. I know what you are thinking....I am a really great wife for not letting Jeff get a massage all by himself. And I am. But seriously, this place was amazing! It was the perfect getaway without having to leave the city. We spent hours there after our massages enjoying the water lounge, grabbing a bite to eat at their juice bar and acting like this is something we do on a normal basis. That'll be the day....

This was the water lounge area (minus the water part, of course). Hard to believe this beautiful oasis is in the middle of this crazy city.

Afterwards, Jeff really wanted to go to a SoulCycle class (think cycling class on steroids), and because I told him I would do whatever he wanted on his birthday, I agreed. So much for my relaxing massage. The class was intense, but I got a great workout. I left with a few bruises (don't ask) and can't sit down without grimacing (do you even have to ask), but I did not feel guilty about having our Friday night pizza. I earned that pizza! And to top the night off, I surprised Jeff with a Butterfinger-flavored cupcake from Crumbs. AMAZING! I earned my half of the cupcake, too.

Making a wish!

(Please excuse the air mattress. It is our version of camping out....in our living room.)

On Saturday, we topped off a day in the park with an amazing dinner at Megu. We sampled a few of their signature dishes including this delicious number....

These would be the crispy asparagus skewers. Honestly, I will eat anything that is "crispy," but this was exceptionally amazing. Plus, Jeff keeps nagging me about eating vegetables, so this was pretty happy medium.

Side note: I know I keep using "amazing" to describe every detail of this weekend. I promise I know other adjectives, but this weekend really was so amazing. This now brings the "amazing" count to 7.

I am starting to ramble on, so now would probably be a good time to bring this post to a close. I hope everyone had an amazing (8...) weekend! And hopefully, your Monday isn't too bad either!

Happy Birthday, Jeff!

Happy 25th Birthday to my partner-in-crime!

I love you!

(I am really terrible at making a serious face in photos, but don't we look cute?!)

Dear NYC

Before I start my story, I must explain this new thing I have decided to do. My mom is constantly asking me to devote a post about my life in New York, but there is so much to talk about that I can't devote just one post to these experiences. So I have decided to start a "column" called Dear NYC, which will address all of the moments that make me love New York and the ones that drive me crazy. This is the first Dear NYC post...enjoy!

Dear NYC,

You are freakin' hot. If I wanted to deal with scorching heat, I would move back to Texas. And I understand it is so much hotter there, but at least I can hop into an air conditioned car instead of walking or standing in a humid subway station. Yes, I know we have taxis, but their air conditioning is never working.

The heat really became a problem yesterday when I was heading to the final interview for my dream job. Preparing for the meeting, I felt good. And I looked good. I was wearing a light brown (the exact color is toasted almond) dress that made me feel powerful. With my portfolio and heels in my tote (because I am not that stupid to walk in this city in heels), I left ready to nail the interview. About 5 minutes into my walk to the subway, I realized why everyone in NYC wears black - because sweat shows through toasted almond clothing! Crap. Way to make a good impression. "Hi! It is so nice to meet you. Please excuse my excessive sweating."

There aren't many ways to cool down in a subway station. You find yourself looking forward to when the train zooms by so you can feel the draft. And that is exactly what I did. I got as close to the track as I could without risking my life and enjoyed every second of that brief breeze. Luckily, the trains are bordering on freezing during the summer, and by the time I arrived to my interview, I was back to feeling good. And....

I GOT THE JOB!

I am so excited to start this new venture in my career. Needless to say, I am definitely drinking another glass of wine tonight!

NYC, you may be a pain in the behind when commuting in undesirable weather conditions, but thank you for the amazing opportunities you have given me. I will also make sure not to wear the toasted almond dress when it is above 85º.

Your greatest resident,

Robin

It Has Been One Of Those Days....

I will most definitely be having another glass of wine tonight. Cheers to a better tomorrow!