[busy] In The City!

These past two weeks have been very fun and we’ve experienced a lot of great things. Fall is in full swing and while we haven’t seen the trees change as drastically as I had hoped, we are still getting outside to enjoy the cool air before it turns down-right cold.


Two weekends ago, I made the short trek over to DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Brooklyn Overpass) and attended The Creator’s Project with Gustavo and Lau. Artists from all over the world had their work on display and we got the chance to walk on, play with and lay under many of the pieces. How neat are these things?

"Love" - my kind of graffiti

This past weekend, Ruben and I decided to venture into the city and walk around an area that we were not too familiar with – Avenue of the Americas! (nearest to Central Park). Ruben wanted to go to Nike Town and has been talking about making it there since we moved – so, we made it happen. The area is extremely nice and had a few things to offer. We stumbled into the “Sony Technology Lab”, which is kind of a technology museum of sorts. It was pretty neat. Following the lab, we walked down to St. Patrick’s Cathedral and spied on a Bride and Groom who were tying the knot! As always, I had such a great time exploring with my Mr.

These next few weeks are going to be insane. As you (might) know, my sister is due to have Baby Elliot at any time. In preparation for his big arrival, I am leaving for Indiana this week and will be up there for a few weeks to help Michele after he is born. I cannot even begin to express the emotions that I am feeling, so I cannot imagine how Michele and Eric must feel. Here’s to hoping the labor, delivery and recovery go smoothly (and that Michele might finally be able to get some sleep). Yay for big changes!

Oh, and even though I absolutely despise Halloween, this pumpkin, which currently adorns the lobby of our building, is too good not to share. 

Mickey "Rat" - because he is much too big to be a mouse. 

[friends, babies, weddings & pharmacists] In The City! - All Over Edition

After three weeks of pure craziness, I am finally back in New York until Baby S makes his arrival in November. If there is one thing that I have learned in all of this craziness is that I am truly blessed beyond comprehension. Surrounded by love, laughs and amazing people, I am beginning to see life a little bit differently. What was once an intimidating situation is now just a blank slate. I guess celebrating my wedding shower, my sister’s baby shower, Ruben becoming a licensed pharmacist and Shannon’s wedding all within a month helped me to realize that anything is possible – something I like.

As you know, I was in Indiana for my sister’s baby shower. It might be because of the prenatal vitamins, or the large volume of blood that she is carrying, but pregnancy looks good on her! That “glow” that people talk about it blatantly obvious and though she may feel huge, she looks amazing. I can’t wait to meet Elliot and like the rest of the family, am anxiously waiting for his arrival.Check out some photos below.

After my extended trip to Indiana (thanks to Irene!), I came back to New York for a whopping 4 days before heading to Orlando for Shannon’s wedding! While I was here, Ruben and I set one goal: never be inside. We met up with some of our best friends and set out on an adventure with no plan. We went to the market near Union Square, ate expensive chocolate from Max Brenner, played around inside of Babies R’ Us (don’t ask), lounged on a roof top in Flat Iron/Gramercy, ate lots of yummy food, had great conversation and just celebrated the day. Later that weekend, Ruben and I went to Central Park and finally, after three months of living here, I actually got to go inside! With a hot dog from Gray’s Papaya and a bag of cookies from Levain’s, we found a rock near the water and just watched people as they rowed by. I am really beginning to love New York and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of Fall.

And finally, the much anticipated and oh-so-romantic marriage between Shannon and Kyle brought us all down to Orlando. Ruben hasn’t been home since we moved to New York and we were all excited to celebrate the new Mr. and Mrs. K. Lulofs! As her maid of honor, I helped make sure everything went as planned and may or may not have told off her harpist to make sure all was good for Shannon’s big walk down the aisle. Shannon and Kyle have been together for more than seven years, so the big day was a huge celebration. I can say with confidence, there were not many dry eyes during the ceremony.

Before we left Orlando, Ruben and I visited our wedding venue and solidified our oh-so-amazing menu. We're keeping much of it a secret, but let me just say, it is going to be delish. Take everything you've ever thought about wedding food and throw it out the window - this isn't your best friend's wedding.

Now that we are home, I am excited to continue planning our wedding and am looking forward to the changing of seasons. Until then, with Ruben passing his boards and becoming a licensed pharmacist, I can definitely see one thing in our very near future, Morton’s – “Morton’s Steakhouse.”

[massages & packages] In The City!

For the first time in 2 months, Ruben had a weekend off! We had absolutely nothing ‘scheduled’ for the weekend, save for catching up on sleep, and were excited to take the city by storm. After stumbling out of bed around 11, we got dressed and headed out for the day.

We’ve learned very quickly that New Yorker’s really, really, really like brunch and decided to get our eat on. We ended up at Verde, a delish eatery, which offers a great drink special – all you can drink Mimosa’s, Bellini’s, Screwdrivers, Bloody Mary’s and Champagne, in addition to their super yummy food. I’m not a drinker, but decided to celebrate Ruben’s new found freedom and had a fun afternoon filled with good conversation, infectious laughs and yummy mango bellinis.

After a few bellini's :)

After we left Verde, we headed into the city to go shopping. We ended up in SoHo and spent the rest of the day walking up and down Broadway. While we were walking, Ruben and I found a little market tucked into a narrow alley and decided to venture in. The market was packed tightly with silk vendors, countless textiles and a little hut that specialized in Asian massages. While we were walking by, one of the workers grabbed Ruben and started rubbing his shoulders. The gentleman encouraged Ruben to get a back rub and Ruben was able to talk him into giving him one for $5 – that is a 50% savings, folks! It was quite the sight. At one point, Ruben had three different people rubbing his back and shoulders. He said that it felt good – I was convinced that they were going to steal his wallet – regardless, it was fun.

We spent the rest of the evening shopping and I even scored a super cute pair of flats for the wedding. They are fabulous! Curious? Let’s just say they add a little blue ‘sparkle’ to my bridal wardrobe.

On Sunday I decided to go to Target by myself. Taking the trains by myself has been something that I have had a hard time dealing with. I often feel overwhelmed and vulnerable and prefer to commute with a partner; however, Ruben had to work on a project and we needed some stuff from the store. I mustered up my courage, grabbed my shopping list and headed out. Target is only a few stops away and I was comforted knowing that I would be above ground in no time. The train arrived and I got on. On the next stop, the doors opened and in walked a crazy man carrying a bag of cans. The man was talking to himself and staring at people as he walked by and of course, sat right next to me. He slumped down in the seat and knocked his head pretty hard on the wall. I sat there straight faced and ready to respond to whatever could happen - luckily, nothing did :) Target was great. 3 hours and $150 later, we had the things that we needed. Ruben welcomed me home with a big hug and one simple word, "Congratulations!" I was proud of myself, too.

Yesterday we received a very special package in the mail. Since moving up here, my oh-so-amazing and way-too-thoughtful mama has sent Ruben and I 2 care packages. Packed full of all sorts of goodies, we eagerly await their arrival and cannot wait to tear into them – I’m telling you, we feel like kids on Christmas morning. Check out the goodies that she sent this time:

Thanks, Mama! 

Today I’m heading to Indiana for my sister’s baby shower. I’m so excited to spend time with her, my mom and the Snyder’s. Baby Elliot will be here before we know it!

Expect an update soon! J