NYC or Bust Part 2

That's right...you read it correctly. I made my SECOND trip to NY this week. This time there was no train involved (which means no cheese plate. Sad.). Instead, Ed and I made the trip in our trusty Ford and munched on chips and apples instead. :) Why didn't I just stay up in the city and have Ed meet me up there, you ask? Well, I'm a good wife and wanted to keep my hubby company during the long drive on Friday night. And I needed to up my "good wife points" bounty for future cash in. :)

We were heading up to attend the first birthday of one of the cutest little boys I know ~ Mr. Dominick Green.


It was a quick trip ~ up and back in a mere 30 hours, but it was a good time. We managed to fit in a trip to "the Eggery", our favorite breakfast spot and the Cupcake Gourmet to pick up some of their delicious treats for our First Anniversary which is a mere 5 days away. (Amy did the cupcakes for our wedding and since our cake topper did not survive the 2 freezer breakdowns at Casa de Quartuccio, we decided to buy some fresh ones to celebrate with).

The big event was at White Post Farms and was the cutest Barnyard Birthday I've ever attended. We got to see all kinds of animals including bunnies, goats, horses, zebras, camels and even monkeys!! I'm not sure who had the better time...the kids or Ed and I! :)



After the festivities ended, we spent some time with Mama Mangiaracina and Brother Joe at Antonette's for dinner (location of our Rehearsal Dinner!!).

In an effort to be more technically savvy, we decided to not only document our trip with our camera phone, but instead dusted off the old Flip Mino HD and took some "live" footage of our journey. Now, because I have the problem of wanting to paint the whole picture and not leave anything out, the movie is about 10 mins long. I apologize for that. But if you have some time, I invite you to take a peek at our first embedded YouTube video on Being Mangiaracina ~ enjoy!!

We're Back in Action Baby!

So it's been a while. A long while...sorry about that, but we are back in action. Life has been nuts trying to get settled in the new house. I am happy to report that we are about 98% unpacked and are close to having everything in place. There is still a pile of stuff that needs to be hung on the walls and my cookbooks are sitting in a neat little pile on the floor waiting for their new shelf to be purchased, but all in all we are in good shape.

We actually dug ourselves out of our house hermit hole and joined the world last weekend to help my good friends Tulay and Dave celebrate their wedding day. We hit the road late Friday night after dropping Lucy off at Grandma's and Grandpa's and made it to NYC in the wee hours of the morning (what's with late night traffic in Delaware - not cool!!). The first item on our NY agenda - breakfast at the "Eggery" aka Thomas' Ham and Eggery. This historic diner is our FAVORITE breakfast spot and we have become regulars - even now as we live in another state!! Tommy (co-owner and official "seater) greeted us at the door and Sharon (our favorite counter waitress) gave us big hugs. It was great to see them AND get some grub with Mom and Adriana!



As the food coma set in we popped over to see Ed's Dad (who looks great BTW) and then headed out east for a late lunch with friends Dave, Michele, Rob and best of all DOMINICK!! This adorable little monkey greeted us with giggles and smiles and was so huggable I didn't want to put him down!! We had such a great time catching up with everyone and pigged out on wings, broccoli poppers and yummy french onion soup. How we fit more food in our Eggery stuffed stomachs is still a mystery.

It was finally time for the main event - Tulay and Dave's wedding. It was a beautiful evening with perfect weather and an even more perfect sunset. The groom looked dashing and the bride was GORGEOUS!! The ceremony was conducted by good friend Lorca and I have to say, it was amazing. Literally brought tears to my eyes. Dave and Tulay are a wonderful couple and their unique touches on the wedding made it very special. The Douglaston Manor was the perfect venue, the sunflower centerpieces were gorgeous and the DJ was pumping amazing Turkish music that got the crowd on their feet. This was the first wedding that Ed and I have been to since our own so it was very special. Congratulations Tulay and Dave ~ enjoy your honeymoon in Jamaica!!!

This was the first wedding Ed and I attended as a married couple and I have to say it was pretty cool. I loved dancing with my husband while celebrating my friend's marriage. It was a special day for all. :)