Homecoming

You didn't think I forgot, did you?

I won't bore you with details or any "I've been so busy!" type talk...that sort of thing is so boring.  In fact, I recently read "The Busy Trap" by Tim Kreider (New York Times), and it completely spoke to me; I vow to resist blabbing anymore about how oh-so-busy I am, particularly when most of it is indeed self-created (or self-inflicted?).

Besides, nothing like that happened anyway.  I haven't blogged for two simple reasons: 1) I've been feeling uninspired, and 2) I feel like I've lost my center a bit.  So I've just been focusing on really getting my house, my life, myself back in order again.  Which, believe me, is nowhere near as dramatic as I just made it sound.  All is well, actually.

So I don't have a recipe to share with you today but, given that I do share so much of my life here with you, I thought I'd show you what I've been up to.  It's been a lovely summer so far.   We've actually been without Bug for a solid month (a month!); she's coming home tomorrow and I'm beside myself with excitement.  And that's why I can't share any recipes with you, actually: Adam and I have been going out nearly every damn night!  I have done a shockingly tiny amount of cooking in the last couple months.  Which is okay and fine.  Sure, I miss cooking...but you do what you gotta do sometimes, right?

 My late spring started with a riverside NYC picnic to celebrate Adam's birthday:

I've eaten lots of ice cream in the past couple months, including Shake Shack's incredibly smooth and rich olive oil ice cream:

This was a highlight: another riverside picnic, this time to watch E.T. in Brooklyn Bridge Park with Adam and the Soul Twin.  Naturally, I ugly-cried...E.T. is just as lovely and heartbreaking to me now as it was to my 7-year-old self.  Luckily, the downtown NYC view I enjoyed this time was much better than my young heart could have imagined:

Bug graduated from elementary school.  Yowza.  Middle school, here we come (seriously, is that the face of a kid old enough for middle school?!):

Adam and I enjoyed a much-needed day at the beach:

We had our annual Ginger Man summer celebration (this was our 4th year), which wouldn't be complete without pretzels and beer (along with lots of laughter and our urban adopted family and friends):

Adam and I just returned from a four-day, Bug-free vacation to Tucson, which including many, many margaritas pool-side...

...and blue skies and sunshine...

Our next stop?  As if our summer hasn't been full enough, we leave this Sunday for a 3-week trip to Europe: Dublin, Zurich, and Hamburg.  I had grand visions of learning elementary German before leaving...but that didn't quite go as I planned.  So I'll just have to get by being able to count to ten to any German or Swiss citizen who asks. 

Thanks, everyone, for sticking with me - I do hope as the fall arrives, Bug starts school, and I'm in more of a routine, that I'll be here much more.  I've missed it very much.

Eat, drink, and stay centered.

  

California was great...

...but something in my DNA prevents me from enjoying it too much, now that it's over.  I'm all about Looking Ahead.  For better or for worse and, occasionally, to my detriment...

We are planning a European Vacation this August ("Holiday Road" playing in your head yet?  If so, we could be best friends), and I am in full-blown Planning Mode.  It'll be Dublin...then Zurich...then Hamburg.  Why those cities?  Well, they all have Goog offices there so Adam's going to put in a day of work in each city so that he can 1) check out their cool offices, 2) network, and 3) take a little less vacation time.  Meanwhile, Bug and I will get to goof around these cities like loons on loon tablets (again, if you get the reference, I love you).  My basic French ain't going to do me a damn bit of good so I'm learning some German (I can count to ten!  God, I have a long way to go...) and I'm talking more often to our doorman, Tommy, whose Irish accent is so thick that we spent the first six months in our building privately referring to him as "Mumbler."  Guys, this is going to be a good time.  And if you have any recs for any of these cities, pass 'em my way!

In the meantime, California...

As you'll recall, I wanted this trip BAD.  And minus the three days of rain, it didn't disappoint.  There was awesome food:

I felt nostalgic about Bug playing with the toys I owned as a kid:

Wine tasting at Boeger Winery (I bought a case of their 2009 Tempranillo):

Brilliant photos taken by Bug...but I'm biased... (all of which were taken on the gorgeous grounds of Boeger Winery):

Picnics:

Quality time spent with my mom (no disrespect to your moms, but this woman is the coolest):

And because I love this series so much, here's a Convertible Photo of my darling niece (here's the one of Bug):

There was even baking...which naturally wasn't done by me...this was all my sister's doing:

Add a shopping spree at a quiet, neat-as-a-pin Target and 11 a.m. Vinho Verde drinking in the hot tub with my mom...and you have an amazing trip!

The best part, though?  Coming home to New York City.  For the last couple months I've just been feeling a bit beat-up by the city, and living here was feeling increasingly claustrophobic.  This trip reminded me why I love California so much...and it also reminded me that NYC is my home.  I came back refreshed and renewed.  It's always hard to be away from family and friends on the other side of the country: always, always.  But I love it here in New York.  It did me a world of good to be reminded that it's not a choice of one over the other; I exist in both worlds, and I am from the West Coast as much as I am from the East Coast.  I love them both equally for different reasons, and I feel so lucky that I've had the opportunity to experience them both.

Eat, drink, and embrace where you are and where you've been.

Holiday

This has been one of those weekends where being a New Yorker seems like the Best Thing in the WOOOORLD. It's beautiful and sunny. I've actually gotten a bit of a tan. The hustle and bustle gave way to relaxation, intimacy, and joy. I've gallivanted all over the city- alas, I didn't do Brooklyn but that's because my friends didn't invite me (Molly, Martha, Libba, and Damon - I'm looking at you!). But I did do New Jersey (BON JOVI CONCERT!). Here is the photographic evidence of a weekend well-spent:

Eat, drink, and happy Memorial Day!