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!

All I Want To Do Is Dance!

While we were on our honeymoon, Jeff and I made a list of things we wanted to do during our lifetime. Apparently, we like to make lists after a few glasses of wine, but we were sober enough to remember to pack it. On our one-year anniversary, we revisited the lists, and after some wine (go figure), decided to add to them. We also decided that we were going to try to cross one thing off each year, but it is so much easier to add something than try to own a home in Napa Valley at this point in time.

I knew exactly what I wanted to add and was pretty excited about it. This has been something I have wanted to do forever – I want to be a dancer in a music video! Now, when I told Jeff, this was his first thought:

Except I do not have the butt, nor can I move the butt I have to be that kind of dancer. No, this dream stems from the first time I laid eyes on my celebrity crush – Justin Timberlake. I was a pretty serious ballerina at this point, but it wasn’t until I saw my first N'Sync music video that I realized my true passion. I wanted to shake my hips with Britney (old school Britney/pre-meltdown) and admire Justin's backside as we fist-pumped to "Bye, Bye, Bye." But instead of following my dream of being a pop music dancing queen, I decided to go to college and end my dancing career.

I was hoping Jeff would be supportive of my dream. Instead, he crushed it with his bare hands and chewed it up with his red-wine stained teeth. He told me I had to take it off the list because it was not attainable. Granted, Jeff has really only seen me dance at a bar around 2AM (and that ain't pretty), but come on! I was once an accomplished dancer back in the day, and I am sure some of the rhythm has stuck around! I cant believe I just devoted a post to you and you are ruining my lifelong dream! Do I need to remind you that you and your friends taped your own music videos when you were in high school?!

Whatever. I am not going to let him bring me down. I have dusted off my leg warmers and started training in my living room. Jeff will be sorry when I catch the eye of Justin Timberlake.

Dream big, blog friends, dream big.

Lucky

Today is a great day. Not only is it Father's Day (Happy Father's Day, Dad!), but it is also my one year anniversary! And since it is our "paper" anniversary, I woke up this morning and decorated our living room with origami cranes for Jeff.

Ok, I didn't do that. Truthfully, I don't think Jeff even knows we are supposed to exchange paper gifts. Instead, he has been treating me like a queen by making me breakfast and taking care of the household chores. Of course, I would prefer to be on the beach in Anguilla and weigh what I did a year ago, but Jeff is no miracle worker. Still, I am pretty lucky.

I do have a gift for Jeff, but since it is an anniversary/birthday gift he has to wait until later this week to open it. And no, it is not a paper gift.

So, what are we going to do to celebrate? We will be spending the day in the park - picnic, laying out and throwing the frisbee around. The latter makes me nervous. I can't remember the last time I threw a frisbee, but I know I am going to hit someone in the head at some point today. And instead of going out to dinner, we have decided to make dinner at home and cap the night off with one of our favorite shows, True Blood. Because nothing says romance like violent, sex-crazed vampires!

I can't believe how fast this year has gone by, but it has been an amazing one. And to quote the wise words of Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat...

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend

Lucky to have been where I have been

Lucky to be coming home again

I'm lucky we're in love in every way

Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed

Lucky to be coming home someday

I love you, Jeff!

To my readers,

I realize that my past few posts have been a little on the "mushy" side. What can I say, June is a "mushy" month for me. Fortunately for you, it is almost July.

Love, Robin

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today my dad turns the big 6-0! And with Father's Day just around the corner, I decided to kill two birds with one stone and devote this entire post to him. He is, after all, a big reason for my affinity to wine. So, here is what I have learned from my dear father throughout the years...

• I learned why I have so many freckles. With his wise words, he told me, "You’re so full of shit, you’ve got it coming out of your pores!"

• I learned to brush my hair, or else I would have had to endure the dreaded "finger test" where my dad would run his fingers through my hair and would usually fail to get through without running into knots or tangles. It is this reason – the fear of the "finger test" – that I started using a hairbrush. And for this, I am eternally thankful. And I am sure Jeff is, too.

• I learned to appreciate the outdoors. One evening, my dad took me fishing at a nearby pond in preparation for a fishing trip he was getting ready to go on. It wasn't too long into our adventure when I caught a big one, but had trouble reeling it in. My big, strong dad came to the rescue and instructed me not to move the pole. And I swear I did not move it! But somehow (probably the wind), the pole retracted. The fish got loose, and the lure found a new target...my dad's nose. A few choice profanities left my dad's mouth, and as I am typing this, I realize this is probably where I inherited my sailor mouth from (another valuable lesson). We drove home, and my dad instructed me not to tell my mom. And I didn't. I follow instructions, obviously. But she found out somehow (probably that motherly instinct) and proceeded to freak out. Luckily, my dad got the lure out without any major damage. We have not gone fishing since, but I will always appreciate the experience!

• I learned to love horror films. One of my earliest memories is sneaking downstairs way after my bedtime to sit in my dad's lap and watch Tales from the Crypt. I am not sure that I really understood what was happening in the show, but it was fun to defy my mom's rules and sit in my dad's lap a little bit longer. I have one of the seasons on DVD now (a Christmas gift from my dad, or course), but Jeff refuses to watch it. It is times like these that I wish I was a little girl again and could sit in my dad's lap watching the Crypt Keeper.

In all seriousness, my dad is one of the funniest guys I know. Now that is not to say that he doesn't drive me crazy sometimes, but what dad doesn't drive their daughter crazy. I consider myself very lucky to have a dad who supports me, is always there when I need him and loves me unconditionally. I mean, come on. I hook the guy in the nose with a fishing lure, and he didn't disown me. That is love.

I am not sure if he will read this, but I am positive my mom will tell him all about it. But in the off chance that he does...

I love you so much, Dad! I hope you have a wonderful birthday and a great Father's Day, and I wish I could be there to help you celebrate. I will be sure to have a glass of wine for you tonight!

(Who is your favorite child now?)

Lessons from HGTV

Poor Jeff. During our engagement, I insisted on watching bridal shows thinking I would learn something from the crazy antics on Bridezillas or pick up valuable decorating tips from My Fair Wedding with David Tutera. Now that we are married, I have become a huge HGTV junkie. The only difference this time around is that Jeff is equally as hooked as I am. Our DVR is filled with episodes of House Hunters and Property Virgins, and we dream of the day when Sandra Rinomato will help us find our first home.

These shows have not only made us think about what "must haves" we want in our first home, but have helped us put together a list of things to say when looking. Here are a few of my favorites:

• "Great natural light!" This is pretty important for us, considering our natural light right now is blocked by buildings or comes from street posts and tail lights.

• Wife to her husband: "This is a huge closet, but where will your things go?" I am pretty sure Jeff has more clothes than I do, but I do have more shoes and tons of t-shirts from my college/sorority days, so I will use this line anyways.

• "This would make a great man cave/space/room." In some instances, the wife disagrees and will say it is the perfect craft room. Luckily for Jeff, I do not craft.

• "I love the open floor concept." This is great. I can pretend to be busy in the kitchen while Jeff watches WWE Raw on Monday nights and steal glances without him knowing I am actually interested.

Watching endless hours of HGTV goes hand-in-hand with another favorite past-time of mine: online house shopping. I usually shop for homes in the Dallas area because we can get a lot more bang for our buck than in New York/New Jersey/Connecticut, and Jeff does not have to worry about me making an impulse purchase. However, I came across a house the other day that made me want to pack up our apartment and grab the first flight to Dallas (if only it were that easy).

I love the vintage charm with the modern updates in this house. And that backyard is amazing - perfect for entertaining! Jeff has some issues with my dream home, though. He is not a fan of the front of the house and doesn't appreciate custom built-ins as much as I do. But we both agree that it has great natural light, or at least from what we can see in the photos....

While we dream of having a larger kitchen or a bathroom big enough for the both of us to fit in comfortably, we are pretty happy with our one-bedroom apartment. Painting made a world of a difference, although the process was a pain in the butt. There were holes that needed to be covered up, and we are not exactly the most talented painters. I am sure HGTV has a show or two to help with these kinds of problems, but we painted the apartment during my bridal show phase. The finished product is not perfect, but it made our apartment feel more like home.

And yes, I did most of the painting while Jeff documented the whole thing. I am bad, but he is TERRIBLE!

For Your Consideration...

While actors and actresses are throwing in their names for Emmy nominations, I have decided to enter the competitive battle for the prestigious "Best Wife of the Year" award.

My one year anniversary is right around the corner, and it has been an amazing first year of marriage. The highlight so far has been watching Jeff open his Christmas present. At first he was a little confused why I had gotten him a DX* t-shirt, but the tears (of joy!) quickly came when he saw the tickets to WrestleMania XXVI in Phoenix, AZ.

*For those who do not know, Jeff is a huge WWE fan and (embarrassingly enough) has even started to convert me to the dark side. DX, or D-Generation X, was a wrestling gang that consisted of two of his favorite wrestlers, Triple H and Shawn Michaels. Please see the photo below as a reference.



At the end of March, Jeff and I made our way to Phoenix for the always classy WrestleMania. On the day of the main event, we walked the red carpet with Hollywood's elite and were escorted to our seats where we sipped on champagne while enjoying the show. If only that were true! The reality of it was that I was overdressed in my black V-neck tee and torn skinny jeans and had to settle for overpriced beer, but we had a great time "white trashing" it up!



Several of Jeff's friends and work colleagues have told him how lucky he is and how cool it is that I not only bought him tickets to WrestleMania, but attended! And I didn't complain one bit! Seriously. You can ask Jeff. Hence why I deserve the "Best Wife of the Year" award.

Now I am not sure if I deserve a glass of wine for being an amazing wife, or for admitting to all who will read this that I attended (and actually enjoyed) WrestleMania....

A Toast To My First Post!

I have been thinking about jumping on the blogging bandwagon for some time now and finally decided to stop making excuses and just start typing. This past year has been so exciting - I married my best friend (plenty of posts coming your way about this fun topic), Jeff's career is skyrocketing and I am looking for my next big thing - all while living in New York City. I am hoping this blog gives my family and friends (and hopefully potential followers) a glimpse into my life...and those moments that drive me to drink!

Now, don't worry...I am in no need of an intervention, but I do enjoy a glass of wine or two. And before my mom can ask why I chose to title my blog, "Another Glass Of Wine, Please," I thought I would explain it here in my first post. Jeff and I can most often always find a reason to have one extra glass of wine with dinner. Whether we are celebrating his most recent promotion, getting over a hard day or simply happy for Friday nights when we get to order our favorite pizza, we usually count on wine to do the trick. AGOWP will document those moments that call for another glass of wine - some happy, some frustrating, some downright crazy, but always better after that glass of wine!