city birthday

This weekend Mom, Nick, and Mom’s cousin Susan came into the city for a fun tourist day! We went to see the reflecting pools at WTC, visited the museum, and enjoyed lunch and a walk in Williamsburg.  The weather couldn’t have been more beautiful!  Besides my tummy, it was a perfect day.  Plus, it was the first time family got to see Jay and I since our engagement…so fun!

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Sunday was Mom (and Susan!)’s birthday!  We celebrated with a ton of junk food, presents, and a drive around home.  How lucky am I to have grown up here…

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Then we watched the Celtics finally win a game, and I was back to Brooklyn to be with my boys.

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The most important take away from weekends like this is how lucky I am to have my family.  Mom, happy happy happy birthday.  I love you so much!

xo-j

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Game of Thrones (Lemon Cakes Recipe)

This weekend was Jay’s birthday, but more importantly, Sunday is Game of Thrones night.  I wanted to do something fun to celebrate for him, but also GOT themed.  I decided to make Lemon Cakes!  I realize I am a total dork, but…I love it!

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You can find the recipe here.  They were a little weird, but delicious.

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If I make these again I will definitely cook them a little longer…maybe if you have a gas oven they cook a bit quicker than with electric…not sure.  Regardless, a delicious themed dessert for the birthday man!

xo-j

 

double birthday boys

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(look how tiny he was)

Saturday was Jay’s birthday!  We had a great time getting together with friends at Crown Vic, and celebrating not only his birthday but our engagement!  I had so much fun I forgot to take many pictures…oops.

And the second birthday boy is Rondo!  I can’t believe our little Rondo monster is 1! Love these boys so much ❤

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Here are some pics of Jay’s birthday…only a few like I said.  If anyone took any, send them my way!

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(trick candles, he was not pleased. thank you adie!)

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I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend!

xo-j

 

 

 

 

birthday party

Well, the birthday is over and I made it out alive! I had such a great time on Friday and Saturday celebrating!  Friday was a snowy mess! I ate way too many treats, went out with friends from work, and then came home and hung out with poor sick Jay.  Saturday was my party at Spritzenhaus…what a great time!  Thank you to everyone who came!  I know Brooklyn isn’t always the easiest to get to and I really appreciate you all coming and partying the day away!  Here are (way too many) pictures from the past couple days…and yes, all the food was mine and eaten within 48 hours…

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(this is steve…my balloon animal. i loved him)

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Again, thank you everyone for making 27 such a great birthday!

(T&L thank you for coming all the way from DC, you two are the best!   I know how much you are dying to be thanked on this blog you love SO much Ty.)

xo-j

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is my 27th birthday…and to be honest, I’m not all that thrilled.  I know that 27 is young, but I can’t believe how close I am to 30.  I’m as close to the age I started high school (which sometimes feels like yesterday) as I am to 40…ah!

So in the spirit of being an adult, whatever that means, I have made a list of 27 things that I want/need to do in my 27th year (and yes the entire list is me talking to myself)…

  1. Get Healthy – I have to go to the gym…or at least take yoga.  Ugh, I’m already not into it and I haven’t started.  Have to change that attitude.
  2. Disease – Just because you hear about a new disease on tv, or read about it on cnn, or sniffle, or have a pain in your arm, it doesn’t mean you are going to drop dead right? Yea, gotta work on telling myself that one.
  3. Mean – I need to work on not being so mean to the people I love most.  I have the tendency to overreact…big time.
  4. Facebook– I have to delete people who bother me on there.  Why do I allow myself to get so bothered by other people and what they are doing?  I need to make less time for this type of junk in my life.
  5. Cook – I have to start cooking more instead of ordering food out…we waste so much money on takeout.
  6. Right – It has come to my attention I am not always right?! What?!
  7. Read – Stop watching so much tvvvvvv!
  8. Hobby – I have to get a hobby…something that I like/want to do.  Even if it is knitting…idk, just something to do that is only for me.
  9. Friends – I need to see all of you so much more.
  10. Money – Apparently you can paint your nails at home?! I have to stop spending money I don’t have on manicures, lunch out, snacks…
  11. Wake up! – Stop sleeping until 8 and pressing snooze 4 times…just get up!
  12. Boozeeey – Probably don’t need to drink like I’m in college still on Saturday nights.
  13. Fight nice – I have to work on how I fight with Jay…seriously.  I need to learn to listen and not be so #3
  14. New York – Stop whining about NYC and start loving it.  I am always angry people aren’t walking fast enough, or moving the way I want them to, enjoy this city you are lucky to be in.
  15. Little things – I have to pick my battles and let little things go.  I don’t need to get so angry that the tourists want to take a picture of 30 rock when all I want to do is eat my lunch…I’ll get to lunch, even if it is 1 minute later, I’ll live.
  16. Phone – I am glued to my phone.  This has to stop.  I don’t need to be looking at it all the time, or have it on the table at dinner.
  17. Different things – Just because my friends want to do different things than me doesn’t mean what they are doing is wrong or not fun.
  18. New things – Go do some of the things with friends that you don’t really want to do…I bet in the end it will be fun.
  19. Green Juice/Dubstep/Quinoa – Stop getting so annoyed when people talk about these things and like them…who cares that they want to do a juice cleanse and instagram it? Let them live…no one is forcing you to like these things, so stop getting so annoyed by them.
  20. Rondo – Walk him in the early morning and late at night…it sucks, but you have to do it or he is always going to think the pee pad is ok.
  21. Cheerleader – Be a better cheerleader for everyone you love so much.
  22. Breathe – Breathe more at work instead of freaking out and getting so frustrated.  Take a breath and handle it.
  23. Fruit – Eat more fruit. It sucks, but you have to eat more fruit.
  24. Vitamins – Along with the fruit, get better about taking your stupid vitamins, it’s so easy!
  25. Like/Just/Yolo – STOP saying these words
  26. F.C.B.A.S. – Yea, you have to stop saying all the words those letters stand for so much too.
  27. Be Happy – I’m young, love Jay, my family, Rondo, where I live, I have a great job, yet I can cry and whine like no other.  Remember to be happy…

Alright there is my list, it was a lot to read and I doubt that anyone really cares except me.  That list is for after my birthday though…Today I’m going to eat, curse, drink, and yell at all of you!

xo-j

the 60th!

This weekend was Dad’s 60th birthday dinner!  We had a great time seeing friends that are more like family, and celebrating with him.  Jay and I traveled home early Saturday morning and within 5 hours ate two huge meals out with my family…nothing like home!  I wish we could have stayed longer, but the short time we had there was a blast (rondo was loving life too with his bff kitty caesar).  Here are some fun party pics of the family, and then of course, food!

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(part of the party crew & then the late night party crew!)

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(only in nj can you get porkroll like this…mmm)

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(even rondo was tired when we got home)

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! We need to sleep ours off, but no rest…tonight we go see D’angelo at Brooklyn Bowl!!

xo-j

ABC

This weekend we had our Anniversary, celebrated 2 Birthdays, and my Mom had her Concert!IMG_4456

Friday we had our friend’s (also called Justine!) birthday at Stand4.  It was so yummy!  Boozy shakes…mmm…

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Saturday was our anniversary!  I got Jay a bunch of game of thrones glasses for our apartment since he loves the books/show and I keep breaking all our glasses…whoops!

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That night we went out to celebrate Jay’s brother-in-laws birthday!  Look at this perfect couple…

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Then Sunday I went home to see my Mom’s chorus concert.  They were wonderful…especially Mama!

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I also got to meet my brother’s new kitty Caesar…I tried to steal him…

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Some other randoms from the weekend…

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Now it’s back to work…how is it Monday already? Hope everyone had a great weekend!
xo-j

Festival

As usual, another busy week here in NYC.  Monday Jay and I went to see The Master. It was fantastic! I had a quick dinner alone at Grey Dog before meeting him and had the best chicken sandwich in existence.  See proof below…

Tuesday Jay cooked dinner (thank you thank you Jay) and he let me watch The Vow.  Best. Night. Ever.  (ha).  Here’s Rondo on Tuesday after stealing my hair tie.  Guilty much?


Wednesday for my friend’s birthday we went to the San Gennaro Festival in Little Italy at lunch.  We both had massive sausage sandwiches (regretted that later) and walked around checking out all the vendors…

Then happy hour with friends last night, which turned into way later night than expected and a nice headache this morning.  Whoops.  Oh yea, and more guilt from this guy…


Tonight Jay and I are seeing Delta Spirit and Dr.Dog in Central Park.  Like I said earlier, busy week!

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I can’t believe the weekend is over…it went way too quickly.  Friday Rondo and I went to visit M&D in NJ for the night.  Mom and I had tasty breakfast went on a hike with Rondo, did some shopping, got to Trader Joe’s (yay!), and dyed my hair.  Rondo loves being in the grass so much, I feel bad bringing him back to the city.

I came home Saturday for a good friend’s birthday, and had a lazy Sunday before Jay got back from Cape Cod.  I baked cookies, made chicken & rice dinner in the crock pot, watched Bachelorette, and took a long walk around the neighborhood with the little guy.

My favorite is the one of Rondo on the porch.  While I was putting away clothes he decided to take the bathroom mat onto the balcony for more comfortable sunbathing…that is how I found him.  Too funny.

And here is the new hair…I love it!