Maine Lobster

How amazing is my husband? Pretty amazing (for those of you that don't know).

Nick and I constantly have a battles about "what to do for dinner?" The texts start around noon....

Me: "Thoughts on dinner?"
Nick: "Nope. You?"
Me: "We can go out, order, or cook."
Nick: "Any of those work for me. Do you want to cook?"
Me: "I don't care. Why don't you pick. I'm busy with work.
Nick: "I'm busy too. We will figure it out later."

Well later comes pretty quickly. We end up sitting at home trying to decide what to do. Most of the time it ends with us ordering off Seamless Web.

Tonight was different. Very different.

Nick had a restaurant already picked out and was ready to go. He was really excited. He didn't want to give me any hints but he wanted me to guess. The only thing he told me: it included my 5 favorite food items. So I started listing off anything I could think of.... Mexican? No. Italian? No. Sushi? No. Korean BBQ. No (which I was so grateful for - I was not looking forward to another round of that). Philly cheese steak? No.

I finally decided to give up and just be surprised! And I sure was surprised!

We stopped at a place called Luke's Lobsters. One of the best lobster rolls in the city. I was a little confused as to how this place had my 5 favorite food items. Nick enlightened me:

1) Bread (yes, I could eat bread all day!)
2) Butter ( I love to coat my bread in butter)
3) Salt (I can't get enough - my poor heart)
4) Mayonnaise (yummy)
5) Lobster (Seriously? Who doesn't love lobster)

Delicious. Amazing. Mouth Watering. Nick did good!

It was great. The perfect flavors and just the right size. It was one of the best places we have found so far. And they had some awesome sodas from Maine. I don't remember the name but I definitely want some more!

It's safe to say that Nick felt good about his choice. He kept gloating about it all the way home. He knows I get a little nervous when he decides to surprise me. But, this choice was his best so far. The. Best.

I took a few pictures of the restaurant. Enjoy!


The Menu.


He did good.


Soooo Good!

Korean BBQ

Nick and I had our first Korean BBQ the other night....

Nick had gotten a message from some of his NYU friends that some people were meeting up at this place called Madangsui - some of the best Korean BBQ in the city!

We were definitley in... but I was pretty nervous. I am not the most adventurous eater. I have gotten better since moving here but I still like what I like.

The restaurant was pretty cool. Similar to Hibachi grills where the food is cooked in front of you. They have this make-shift grill in the center of the table where it's cooked. The pipes underneath the table that was, I'm guessing, for the gas looked really home-made. I was just crossing my fingers it didn't blow up!

The food was interesting.... the meat was really good. I'm not sure all the other sides and spices are my taste. I think I will stick with the BBQ I know!

It was a really fun night and we were glad we expereined a new food group. Can't say we will be back anytime soon.... but you never know!


Picture of the table


So fun!

First Ever Ski Trip

Yes, I am 26 years old and have never been skiing! Like I've said in prior posts... I grew up on the water. The sand, beach, water skiing, jet skis are much more familiar to me than snow, wind, ski lifts and mountains.

But, it was time. We are close to so many ski resorts - how could we not?

Now, Nick has been skiing before. Granted, it was fifteen years ago... But I have heard it's like riding a bike. You don't forget. I, however, am a newbie! The weekend before we went to Paragon Sports (for those in the South - think Dick's). We met a really nice salesman, Brian, who helped us get all the basic gear we needed. As a side note - who knew ski gear could be so expensive. I.did.not! I had sticker shock - which normally does not happen to me.

The ski trip was through NYU and a lot of Nick's classmates were going as well. We were headed to Killington, VT. Which apparently is one of the nicer areas for skiing up North. We left Friday around 5ish. Yep.... 5 o'clock on a Friday in the middle of Manhattan. Not so smart. It took us about 45 minutes to get out of Manhattan. And that was probably going no more than 10 blocks. AWFUL! Once we made it out we were greeted with New Jersey traffic. We finally made it to the resort and I passed out! It was going to be a early wake up call.

Nick and I had set up lessons for Saturday morning. Basically my introduction into skiing and his refresher course. Everyone said you need to take a lesson...it will help. It did.

First, ski boots hurt! And they make you walk funny. But mostly.... they hurt! Nick did tell me that if we didn't have cheap, rented boots it would be better. I definitley had to get use to walking in those. The lesson went really well - I am quite proud of myself. I fell once. The instructor even asked me if I was sure I hadn't been skiing before. That made me smile! He then proceeded to ask me if I had skated before. Which I had for quite a few years when I was younger. Apparently that was what helped me learn it so quickly.

I met up with Nick in the afternoon and we went to some easy green trails. I did pretty good. I pretty much "wedged" the whole time. Nick eventually thought I was ready to take a lift up to a green mountain. I think I was more worried about the stupid ski lift than anything else. How many stories have you heard about people getting stuck or people falling at the end. I did not want to be one of those people! It ended up being pretty good.

The green mountain, as I liked to call it, looked a lot bigger and a lot steeper from the top. I admit, I was nervous. But, Nick stayed behind me the whole time. I fell a few times but not bad. There was quite a lot of people on the mountain and I just kept thinking....

Yes, I see you 4 year old who looks like they have been skiing for 20 years! Show-off! Please don't knock me over! Oh, and hi snowboarders - yes, I know you like to cut and turn quickly but please quit spraying me with snow!

By the next day I was pretty comfortable with the motions of it all. I was also more comfortable with building up some speed. Through one of Nick's NYU classmates we found this green "trail." It was like a 20 minute trail down the mountain. We actually had to take the lifts that take you up the the black and double black mountains. That was interesting - really high up and the wind against our face was brutal!

While going up the ski lifts you see all the "experienced" skiers going down the blacks. I just kept thinking....

Wow, that mountain is really steep. If they fell and kept going - would it be like the movies where they turn into this giant snowball and roll all the way down the mountain? Luckily, that didn't happen.

The green trial was a lot of fun. It had a good mix of twists and turns and small and high slopes. I couldn't get down this one part though. It wad the steepest part of the trail and I just couldn't quite figure it out. I fell on that part. A lot. But, I always made it down.

Overall, it was a great experience and I learned something new and fun. I still might be partial to warm weather and it's sports but it's definitely something that Nick and I will be back at.

Nick was amazing. He picked it right back up. And he was a great partner. He always stayed behind me to make sure I was okay.... even though I know he could have been going a lot faster and having more fun. And he was a great coach when I needed it!

Yay for our first ski trip! Enjoy the pictures!


The front of the ski resort


Right before heading out to the slopes! (I got a lot of compliments on that beanie)


Nick with the gear...so cute.


At the top of the mountain


We stopped right in the middle of the mountain to take this picture. I was praying we wouldn't get knocked over by someone!


At the top of a black diamond mountain!


Hi, honey!


So fun!


That was after I finished my first trip down the mountain! I made it!

Travel Junkie

Travel the world? Yes, please!

I have always have had a interest in traveling. There is so much history and culture in the world - why wouldn't you want to experience it? So I have to travel. Plain and simple.

My desire to travel increased tremendously after our European Adventure 2010. 3 1/2 weeks was just not enough. It was a trip of a lifetime and it will forever hold a special place in my heart. There are so many wonderful memories Nick and I have. Nick always thought I had a "idealized" view of Europe. I romanticized it too much. When we got back he asked if it lived up to my expectations. And it did in every way possible. It only solidified my desire to continue to experience the world and create amazing memories.

So with that being said... I have now informed Nick we have to take a trip to somewhere new every year! He did get a little nervous. But then I clarified we did not have to take a 3 1/2 week trip every year...maybe every other year!!!

We just booked our trip to Belize! I.Cannot.Wait! It will be a GREAT trip. It has mix of laying by the beach, Mayan ruins, jungle, cave tubing....and many more things! We are staying at The Phoenix which will be the perfect hotel! It will be a great end to Nick's first year of graduate school. We both deserve a nice trip after the first year of our New Chapter (to our life). And, to top it off we get to have a few days in Dallas to see the family and friends! We will have not been back since we left!!!

My Future Travel Plans (for your enjoyment....well, I guess, really mine!)

• England/Ireland: This is a must since we now are closer to London. Nick is really interested in seeing London. I hear it's just like NYC! I am already thinking - summer vacation 2012.... tour England and Ireland and go to the Summer Olympics. PERFECT! I am already trying to convince Nick!
• Australia/New Zealand: It just looks so beautiful! And we met so many Aussies while traveling through Europe. They were the nicest people. And apparently it's one of the happiest places on earth. Who wouldn't want to go there?
• Brazil/Peru: Nick has a fascination with South America. Or mainly just Brazil. But, it looks like a great time. We tried to do it this summer but we just didn't have enough time. So Brazil 2014 for the World Cup. I think it will be pretty easy to convince Nick of this one!
• European Adventure Part 2: Amsterdam, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Croatia, Greece/islands. Yes, I do realize that is a lot. It would be another 3-4 weeks... but it's just a must. I had this planned shortly after we got back from our first Europe trip!
• Canada: It just has to be on the list because I hear it's great and it's so close!

Those are at the top of the list. Trust me, there are plenty more!

Why would you want to stay in your "bubble" and never experience what the world can offer you? For me, traveling has now become a necessary part of my life and Nick's. It might take a little convincing in the beginning but he enjoys the experiences and memories we make just as much as I do!

Let It Snow!

Last Wednesday we had a Snow Day! It was so nice not to have to go into work. A much needed break! I was able to spend the day with Nick!

We had lunch together at this cute little Italian restaurant. Yummy margarita pizza. It whisked me back to Italy. Always love that!

Nick and I then walked around Central Park. It was so beautiful and quite peaceful. There was a lot of couples walking around taking pictures, a lot of parents with their children out sledding, and of course some tourists.

It was just so picturesque! A great way to spend the afternoon together.

Enjoy some of the photos we took!

Seriously Funny...

Work.Was.Great.

Today provided quite the entertainment. Usually when all three us (me, Nicole, and Tamara) are together we have no problem keeping ourselves quite entertained. We all find each other quite funny. The two Texans and the girl from the Bronx.

We had a extra bit of excitment today. This week has been a little slow due to one of our physicians being out as well as the snow day we had. So there has been some downtime. A lot of downtime. And, of course we find ways to entertain ourselves!

Well, we were sitting at the computer in the nurses station just talking. All of a sudden we recieve these pop ups warning us about how the computer is at risk and being attacked. Blah, blah. We didn't think much of it... we thought it was just some site wanting us to purchase anti-virus protection. Well a few minutes later a website that none of us would EVER pull up pops onto the screen. So, we decide to leave a message for our IT people.

A few minutes later, the website pops up again. This time right as the IT people are calling. Who I might add can see our screen. As Tamara is talking to them Nicole and I are cracking up by what we are looking at. It's just not something anyone sees pulled up on their work computer.

It's just so halirous. The IT guy is laughing on the other line because he can hear us cracking up. My ribs literally hurt because we were laughing so hard.

It was just the sort of thing we needed. A good laugh. It's always nice.

Warning - younger kids should not look! Ha! I'm sure you all can already guess what popped up?!



Seriously funny.

Happy Hour & Birthday

Gotta love girls happy hour! It was long over-do!

We all met up at Maya...my favorite Mexican restaurant (to date). We were so excited about yummy Mexican food and half priced margaritas! Well, turns out we were a little too excited and didn't pay much attention. We sat in the restaurant area thinking we would still be able to get happy hour prices. But, no. Sadly not. We were already situated and didn't feel like moving so we said, "What the hell - screw happy hour prices!"

It.Was.Crazy. Most all of the girls came...Christine and Sophia were not present but were there in spirit! We definitley had a few drinks for them too! Krystal, who also use to work with us, came and it was so great to see her and catch up!

We just enjoyed drinking, making a lot of noise, and having a great time! Girls night is a must do every once in a while!

Love all of them!

It was also Tamara's 30th Birthday on Sunday. Which, I might add, she mentioned to us quite a few times each day. She just didn't want us to forget. Haha! So, Tamara wanted ice skating and pizza. How could you turn that down? So we got together Saturday night for some ice skating in Central Park. It was REALLY cold and right before I left it started to snow. Not many people can say they have ice skated while it snowed. So, ice skating in Central Park while it was snowing outside=PERFECTION!

Tamara and I were the only ones that made it. We had a great time and even better... We did NOT fall. Not once. That made the night even better. It was such a cool experience. Definitely something Nick and I are going to have to do together!

Just lovely.


Super cold! Aren't my Ugg ear muffs cute?! (I bought those earlier in the day because I knew my ears would be freezing!)

We met up with Jenienne at Serafine for some yummy Italian food. I had never been there. It was a really cute place with some great wine and food.

Me, Tamara, and Jenienne (I have a feeling you will start seeing them a lot in my blog!)

I love those two girls - lots of fun for a Saturday! We are already planning more evenings out!