Long Time, No Post

It has been since March that I have posted anything on my blog...and so much has happened. As most of you know, I write for two reasons - to keep friends and families in the loop during all of our busy lives and also to keep somewhat of a "journal" for myself. I love to go back years and read my old stuff back when the blog was Phloggerific. Whether you end up reading it or not, or know the story or not, I am going to back date this thing for my own personal journal record. Now, the tough part is going to be remembering it all! And finding the time (but that goes without speaking).

Moving to Utah

[June 2009] It's official - we are moving [back] to Utah in August. While there are things I will miss about NY, there are things I definitely won't.

Things to be missed:
*Everything in walking distance
*All kinds of good food everywhere
*Not having to own a car or drive anywhere
*NYs uniqueness (i.e. Ninjas on the corner, the man with the dancing puppet dolls in grand central, people in costume in the middle of March, the subway mariache band, etc etc)
*Broadway
*The Museums
*Street fairs
*Bagels/Pizza
*Corner pubs, Irish pubs
*Diversity
*Central Park - all the parks for that matter.
*Pro Baseball and Football - Mets, Jets, Yankees, Giants
*Convenience of Cabs
*Abundance of butcher shops
*Food and Grocery Delivery!
*Dunkin Donuts

Things not to be missed;
*The smell of stinking garbage or urine on the way to the train
*Pigeons and pigeon poo
*Graffiti
*Bomb plots
*Subway delays in the middle of winter or at night. Actually any subway delays at all.
*Always having to walk the dogs during rain, sleet, snow, heat (never being able to just let them out the back door)
*Absence of grass
*3 hours of commuting each day to go 8 miles
*Thinking that 1700$ a month for a one bedroom 800 sq ft apartment is a "steal"
*Tourists, everyhwere.
*Finding a parking spot
*Walking to trains/work in pouring rain, freezing cold
*Cost of food and beer
*6.5 hours for a round of golf (not including the time it takes to get to the course and back - add another 1.5 hrs for that!)

Mafia, and French Men and Montauk, Oh My

In early June, Marco and I met a french interior designer on the Golf Course, and, since I can't remember his name, let's call him Ouioui (thats, wee wee for you non-french speaking people). Don't worry, I don't speak French either. I think it is a befitting name because he was a rather small man in stature and very petite. After golfing with him, he invited us to play again with him and his girlfriend. We enjoyed a second nice round of golf. It was on our second golf outing that they invited us to a party that they were having in Sag Harbor. For those of you that don't know, Sag Harbor is like the sleepy sister of the Hamptons. It is a very nice and upscale place but not the hangout of rich and famous pop stars. It is the likes of the Billy Joels of the world along (he has a really cool house there, another story)with regular people. Marco and I thought it would be really fun to go to the party since we rarely get invited to go East for something like that. We decided to make a weekend out of it after a very nice friend offered up their summer house there to us for the night.

Our first stop was Montauk. I had never been to the very end of Long Island and I wanted to go - so we visited the very tip and saw the lighthouse, then headed to a Lobster Shack for an overpriced lobster roll which was good but wasn't 18$ good! Then it was time for the party.

When we arrived, we discovered that we were the youngest couple there - but no big deal, we could make due. The house was huge, lavish, expensive. The woman who owned the place had each room decorated with a large canvas painting of herself. One with her and her dogs, one with her on her beach chair, one of her on her sofa, etc. Very very strange.

So then we get to the part with me and my New York ignorance. Marco is talking to this guy who looks like he is Sonny from the Godfather movie - straight out of the 70s. Dark hair, out of date glasses, Italian. He proceeds to tell Marco that he is retired and plays golf, to which Marco is surprised. He said, "wow, how did you retire so soon and are able to play golf" and the man then says that he is in his seventies. He doesn't look a day over 55. So then that would lead you to ask yourself, how is this man looking so young and what did he do for a living - which is exactly what Marco asks. The man pauses, thinks, and then says in a thick NY accent, "I own several private clubs in the city." Marco says, "Oh, so then your golf game is good" and changes the subject. But me, no not me. I say, "What kind of clubs??" I'm thinking that it is some kind of cigar club or something, right? Marco changes the subject again. And I say, "No, I want to know what kind of clubs - is it a night club??" And Marco kind of pushes me away and then starts back with the golf conversation. At this point I'm a little annoyed. But then, he pulls me aside when he can get away and says that the man is a mobster and to stop asking him questions. Whoops! Now I know the code language. A little too late for that.

The night got a little more interesting. Mr. Ouioui decided that he wanted to hit on me, which I really don't understand considering my husband was right there and he is about 3x larger than him and could pummel him into the ground with just his thumb. I told Marco and we left. Very strange, very strange indeed.

Quite an interesting weekend to say the least, but we both learned something: That there are just circles and people that we really don't fit in with. While we do like to go outside of our comfort zone and have the experiences to better understand what we want and see different perspectives and lifestyles, we are glad we have the choice in who we spend our time with.

Ahh the Stupid Things We Do

April 2009 - Quite a bit of entertainment for the two of us was to play around before the Mets game (might I add, for my birthday, at the New Citi Field!).

Philadelphia

I have a list of several places in the North East that I want to see before I leave here someday, and Philadelphia was one of the items on the list. I figured it was probably somewhere I should go see. My number one reason for wanting to go there was to run up the Rocky stairs. Most people probably go to see the Liberty Bell or Independence Hall, but I just really wanted to run up those stairs.

Marco and I spent the day doing a self-guided tour of the historical sites and then having a Philly Cheese Steak. Hey, if we were going to be tourists, might as well go all the way. And then came our big moment to run the stairs. This special time was caught on video. Please see!

Weddings and Baptisms and Babies, Oh My

This weekend was a big one with my new in laws. It was a weekend of celebrating the birth of a new nephew, three nephews baptisms, a few family birthdays, and our wedding. We all met up in Virginia ...coming from New York, Connecticut, and California.

We were celebrating the wedding in with the mix because it was the first time that most of the family had seen us since we got hitched in Jamaica.

It was after dinner, when we arrived back at home that something very strange happened. Marco and I were vote summoned to the upstairs of the house and asked to go into separate rooms. In my room was his mom. She came over to me and began to speak...all choked up. I don't remember her exact words, but it went something like this:
"Rebecca, today is a very special day in our family. We have a very special family tradition that has been passed down for hundreds of years. Your new sister in laws have done this before you when they were married. "

At this point, I'm thinking, wow, this must be some special event. Pretty interested in what it is. Then she starts to pull out all these strange things : a rainbow afro wig. A plastic tiara. A hot pink feather boa. A satin cloth to be worn like a toga. A really small pink frilly skirt to be worn as a garter. Plastic Mardi Gras beads. At this point I'm trying to decide if I should laugh - she seemed so serious and emotional. I didn't want to offend her if this truly was a special family tradition. She instructed me to wear all the items and left the room while Marco's sister guarded the bedroom door from the outside.

A few minutes passed and then his sister opened the door and told me to walk down the stairs to the kitchen. The stairs went down into an almost dead end with the living room a turn to the left and the den/kitchen to the right. I had no idea what would be around the corner. As I was walking down the stairs I heard the wedding march coming from all of them. "dum dum dum dum. Dum dum da dum" ....I turn the corner and find 15 people (his family) all dressed up in different costumes - bonnets, masks, mad hatter hats. I scanned the room and it took me a minute to realize which one was my handsome husband. Green wig. Suspenders. Horribly nerdy glasses.



We then had his sister, who is a chaplain and also wearing a dragon head costume, perform a wedding ceremony right there in the living room with the family. Afterwards there was cake.

It was such a fun evening and something that we will always remember forever. It was then that we decided that we really like the ceremony thing. We got to thinking that since no one saw us get married, we would offer up ceremonies to any of our friends and family that want to see us get married - and also see how many times in the coming year we can have a ceremony. So, anyone who wants their own personal small version of the ceremony, just let us know! There are a few stipulations:

1. It can't really cost any money (well, we could probably do cake!)
2. We really enjoyed the theme ceremony, so its preferable. My one idea that I really want to happen is a handle bar mustache ceremony - where everyone has handle bar mustaches.
3. We reserve the right to make new rules (ha).

Bye Bye Ocho Rios

It is with a heavy heart that we bid farewell to Jamaica. We do not look forward to snow or reality - working and all that stuff. Shoulda booked a longer trip as we werent ready to leave.

So, we welcome 2009 and all the hopes and dreams we have for it. 2008 was a very very good year for us despite everything that was happening in the world. We had our first date. We moved in. We got engaged. We got married. On a personal front, Marco ran a marathon and turned forty, and I got promoted to Vice President. A damn fine year.

To all of you - I hope that your 2009 brings you happiness, love and prosperity. A toast to all of our family and friends. Cheers!

Thank you for your love and support during the last year. You help to keep our lives whole and full, and we appreciate you.