Amy & Tom

Wouldn't You Like To Ride In My Beautiful Balloon?

2008-08-22T11:19:00.015-04:00

5:20am on Friday, August 22, 2008: Do I really want to get up? Is it worth it? I could sleep for another hour, maybe go for a run in the Park with Cooper... no it's worth it, it's the last day and I really want to do this. I'll grab my chair, the paper, my iPod and a cup of coffee. I can do this.

6am: So glad I did this, this is great, what a beautiful morning, so tranquil, absolutely gorgeous!

6:11am: Nice! There are only 17 people in front of me. So happy I didn't get up any earlier. If four people go up at a time for 10 minutes, we should be flying high by 8am...

6:50am: Oh shoot, line is starting to move, Tommy still isn't here - better call him (he is still in bed at this point, which I find out later)!

7:15am: Tom arrives, line is moving pretty fast.

7:55am: We gear up, fasten the safety belts around our waist which we'll use to latch ourselves in to the interior of the basket and up, up and away! Over the City we go... it's kind of scary, I have butterflies in my stomach, I take deep breaths - even the slightest move of the four of us in the basket wiggles the balloon - but it's really, really cool and the City is absolutely beautiful, the Park is so green, we're taller than the highest building and we can see the Hudson, then Jersey, Hotel Essex, The Boat House, even the Church and the Natural History Museum, the two buildings on either side of our block.

8:05am: Down we go, slowly, slowly! How cool was that? Not scary at all - such a perfect moment! I want to do it again!

ABOUT THE HOT AIR BALLOON:

The purpose of the rides is to mark the 150th anniversary of Central Park, the nation's first major urban park, created by architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux and opened to the public in 1858.

Their original 10 foot by 5 foot "greensward plan," as it was called, is mounted on the wall of the headquarters of the Central Park Conservancy, a not-for-profit organization that manages Central Park for the city and has raised $500 million for that purpose over nearly three decades.

"This is a historic event -- it gives people a chance after 150 years to see the real greensward plan, not just the paper version," said Doug Blonsky, the conservancy's president. "We all get to experience the wonders of Central Park on the ground, and now from above."

Last Game ...

2008-08-22T11:09:00.006-04:00

THE HOUSE THAT RUTH BUILT is going to come tumbling down and the Yanks will have a new home next season! I had to get to a game so I talked Tom into taking another one for the team! We called our friend Caruso (who is a huge Yankees fan) and the three of us had a fantastic time. Not only did the Yankees beat Kansas City 3 to 2 in the 13th inning, we had great weather and even better seats (thanks to Neal)!! I am going to miss the old stadium but really looking forward to the new one. Maybe season tickets are in our future? Hmmm.. probably not after 8.30.08.

Wil and Determination

2008-08-12T15:04:00.006-04:00

Tom doesn't know Wil, Wil doesn't know Tom, but I am certain they would hit it off. Wil is my trainer, therapist and friend who I have a "date" with every Tuesday and Thursday night. I've been seeing him for the last year and Tom approves! He's a really great guy who just got married to Julissa in April (we've had a blast swapping stories about wedding planning), is an amazing Dad who adores his son Joshua, ran his first marathon last November, is training for another one in a few months and who has turned my life around. Wil gave me the "wil and determination" (tagline created by Tommy) to get healthy - he and Tom knew that I could do it, even when I had doubts and I can't thank them enough for their support! Let me know if you want his digits, I believe he is taking on new clients! :)

Surprise!

2008-08-12T14:56:00.007-04:00

He was surprised, he was really surprised. Most of the time, especially around a milestone, you have a hunch that your loved ones are going to do something special for you, but you never know exactly what. Uncle Joe was turning 50 on the 5th and he knew something was up - he just had no idea that people would travel so far and make such an effort to be there to celebrate with him. Tom and I wouldn't have missed it and Aunt Janet did an awesome job planning the party! The food was fabulous, the slide show of Joe from day 1 until today was so sweet and when she read him George Carlin's "How Not To Get Old" I think I saw a tear.

Boston By Boat

2008-08-12T14:38:00.006-04:00

On our way to Melrose for Uncle Joe's 50th birthday party, Tom and I stopped off in Boston to visit my cabin cousin Eric Curtis and his lovely wife Jessica who are expecting a baby (Lilly Louise) in November and won't be able to make it out for our wedding at the end of the month :( We had planned on brunch in town, but they surprised us with sandwiches and an afternoon on the boat - touring around the Boston Harbor and Charles River! Although it was a bit overcast (SF-like weather, actually) we had a great time! It was so much fun to hang out with them and as you can see, Boston is awesome by boat. In fact, as soon as Jessica told Eric that I had a fascination with Light Houses (see very first post), he drove us by a couple - one they say that might even be haunted! Ironically enough, I saw a feature on the Today Show last week that Light Houses are up for sale ... hmmm! How cool would that be? We docked the boat before the storm came in and let's just say that Coop was happy to be on land. The little guy who had tried to find refuge in the cabin at the bow of the boat was walking like a drunken sailor by the time we got off! But I think, even he enjoyed the trip!

Quinn takes on Manhattan

2008-07-28T17:53:00.009-04:00

My college friend Lindsay, her husband Matt and fourth baby Quinn came out to visit us from CA this past weekend - and it was quite an eye opener that a baby is a lot of work! A TON of fun, but a little bit more demanding than Cooper and Lucy! Ironically, Matt and Tom both grew up in Rhode Island and played high school football and baseball against one another ... but they're both Red Sox fans and that says it all.

Had a great time showing Quinn around - Cooper fell in love with her and would not leave her side. On Sat., we watched the Yankees beat the Red Sox, had dinner with Coye & Neal and Bobby, Amanda & Steele (who is 5 days younger than Quinn) and got cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery. Then on Sunday, Matt and Linds went for a run in the Park while we hung out with Quinn, we all had brunch at the Boat Basin but had to rush home because a NY-summer storm was upon us. Later that day, Matt went to the Springsteen concert and the "girls" snuck out for a night-out while Tommy and Coop watched the baby! He said it was "good" practice! Lucky for us, the transition starts with 9+ months of planning!

Tahoe for the Fourth

2008-07-10T17:37:00.009-04:00

I got a call a couple of weeks ago from Liz and Susan who said that before Tom and I got married that he HAD to come to Tahoe, that it just wasn't right that he hadn't seen my most favorite place on earth. And they were right. At first Tom wasn't too excited about a 48 hr. trip to CA (not a big fan of red eyes and can never sleep on the plane) but after expressing how important it was to me, he started to get really excited about the idea! Of course, no flight to CA is ever easy - we left on Thursday night, missed our connecting flight to Reno from SF and somehow I talked Tom into renting a car and driving. I had to be there that night, even if it was 4:30am when we finally arrived. But we arrived and we were there on Friday morning when everyone woke up (even if we were the last to get up)! Had an awesome day at the beach - a few of the famous Chambers punches. Got up the next morning, went out on the boat, drove to Emerald Bay, hiked up to the waterfall and found ourselves back at the house grilling up an incredible dinner. Tom had to leave the next morning but I am pretty certain that he is already planning our next trip to Tahoe - next time we'll take the boat to Sunnyside and bike to River Ranch!

Justin and Kim's Wedding

2008-07-10T17:30:00.008-04:00

Another Lynn bites the dust, just two more of us to go ... So fun to get the whole family together for Justin and Kim's wedding out on Long Island. Our last family wedding was Woody and Toshimi's in ATL last year and of course - ours is next; Kelly and Matt aren't too far behind us!

LBS 5 YR

2008-07-10T17:06:00.009-04:00

(Tom to blog ...)

Sean Graduates from UVA

2008-07-10T16:54:00.004-04:00

Once again we're a bit behind on our blog - could be the wedding that is almost here, it's certainly not laziness!

Wanted to make sure that we documented Sean's graduation from UVA and how proud we all were of him. Of course, no one worried about Sean and as it turns out he graduated in the top of his class, but we all had a great time. It was my first visit to the campus and I absolutely loved it - from the architecture to the chivalry to meeting Sean's friends that we'd heard so much about - we had a blast!

And it looks like Sean even has a job ... he's all grown up!

Easter Dinner at the Lynn-Cramer's

2008-04-23T17:49:00.009-04:00

After living in NY for about a year, I realized that I couldn't fly back to CA for every holiday, because that was, of course, the plan when I packed up my life and moved out East four years ago. But what I've found is that I love cooking and entertaining and holidays are the perfect occassion to try family recipes on friends! Tommy and I invited Maura, Bobby, Amanda, Steele, Ross and Kabir over for Easter and had a wonderful time! I of course made far too much food, but that's never a bad thing! We feasted on leg of lamb, spaghetti squash, roasted potatoes, field greens and for dessert ... carrot cake! It all turned out so well and the company was even better! Now .. what will I make for Thanksgiving?!?

SF engagement / shower

2008-03-25T16:54:00.011-04:00

Tom loves being engaged, he thinks it's the greatest thing ever! Susan, Liz, Lori and Renee threw us an amazing co-ed shower/engagement party over President's Day out in CA and it was a blast!

Everyone rallied to celebrate with us - Renee came from Portland, Genny and Kenny from Seattle, and a pregnant Laura flew in from Chicago! It was such an amazing feeling to have so many good friends and family in one room! My ribs hurt from laughing all night and I had a permanent smile on my face! It was such a great opportunity for Tommy to get to know my CA friends better and having his Dad and Martha, good friends Kari, Bitsy and Ryan out West is quite a treat!

If we had that much fun, think how much fun we're going to have at the wedding! :)

our Flower Girl arrives

2008-03-25T16:11:00.011-04:00

On February 12 at 1:44pm, two days before her Daddy's 40th birthday Steele Courtney Summers arrived - weighing in at 7 lbs, 4 oz! Our little flower girl is finally here; Bobby and Amanda are already wonderful parents and of course her canine brothers Grady and Murphy are in love. But of course they are - we all are, she is beautiful and so sweet!

Cramer Christmas 2008

2008-03-25T14:28:00.009-04:00

Cramer Christmas 2008 at the family farm in PA was once again filled with good times! Tom and I picked up dough and icing to make cookies; the little ones (Katherine, Stephanie and Julia) and I had a great time decorating them (they were a huge hit)! We took a couple of hikes up to the peak where we had an amazing sunset, walked to the caves, stopping at the tree house that the Dads and kids built last summer and all pitched in to make a yummy dinner! Tommy even grew a beard for the occasion ... next year we'll get some pics of the adults! :)

Happy 2008 - it's gonna be a good one!

2008-01-04T16:47:00.000-05:00

This is the year that we've both been waiting for .... we're getting married, and it started off right!! A relaxing weekend away with our friends out near the Catskills was just the type of New Years we were looking for. While they were memorable, the holidays were a bit hectic this year and it was so nice to chill with Bobby and Amanda, their neighbors Melissa, Jim and Baby Bella and of course the dogs!

Embarrassing as it may be, I fell asleep after dinner at 11pm but woke up in time to wish every one a Happy New Year and have a sip of champagne! Tommy, Bobby and Jim stayed up to play several rounds of Monopoly (Jim was the big winner) and the moms-to-be and I called it a night when the clock struck midnight - that is, after the ice cream cake for our sweet New Year's birthday girl Amanda (who by the way was the first legitimate baby born on New Years day back in 1970)!

On New Years day we woke up to snow and safely made our way home ... ready to start the New Year and all the wonderful events that lie ahead for us! Here's to a healthy and happy 2008!

Happy Birthday To You!

2008-01-03T15:39:00.001-05:00

I'll be the first to admit that I cannot bake. Grandma is the baker in our family and I just never mastered it. But I can cook and I love to cook, just can't bake. So when Tommy asked me to bake him a cake for his birthday I (naturally) asked him what kind of cake he wanted. He wanted lemon cake, chocolate frosting. Hmmm... okay - soI had this planned out for months, I was going to make him a birthday cake. What fun!

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, from Thanksgiving until now, time has flown by. Mom, Susan and Liz were out to shop for wedding dresses with me (yes, i found one ... LOVE it) and then Dad and Pam were in town for a couple of nights before heading to Paris to celebrate Christmas with Wendy (who is doing a fellowship in France), Matt, Michael, Helly, Alexis and Matthew. So the weekend that we got back from Mexico was our annual tree-cutting-weekend and before we knew it, it was Christmas and we were heading to VA Beach.

So, there I am at Duane Reade, the night before we were leaving for VA Beach (Tom wanted to leave at 6am) buying cake mix. But they didn't have any lemon cake (go figure). No sweat, I'll get it in VA Beach. But low and behold, all of the stores close at 6pm on Christmas Eve and they don't open until the 26th. So, there I was at Walgreens (the only show in town) buying cake mix and frosting .. what? no frosting? I had to buy chocolate pudding (I think I knew someone once who put pudding on their cupcakes, it might work, I sure hoped it would) so I could make a cake for my fiance!

At midnight on Christmas Eve there I am making his cake, yellow cake, that is. I buttered the pans so the cake wouldn't stick, I stirred it up real good, getting all of the lumps out (there were still a few) and then I baked it. It smelled good and I was praying that it would taste as good as it smelled. I am smart enough to know that you have to let the cake cool before you frost it, so in the morning, while making Christmas breakfast (that was more like dessert too - french toast caserole), I frosted the cake with pudding. Oh boy!

Lucky for me, Tom and his family would never say anything (it was my first Christmas in VA Beach, we're not even married yet, etc.) but it wouldn't have hurt my feelings, it just wasn't as good as Grandma would've made. But then again, how could it be?

The chocolate chips that I added to disguise the pudding was brilliant, the sparklers were fun and festive and when it came down to it, I think the birthday boy appreciated the effort. Next year, I'll pick something up at Trader Joe's!

Santa Baby!

2008-01-03T15:20:00.000-05:00

Every year that I can remember, Santa walked through the front door on Christmas Eve. Well, this year, even though I was in VA Beach, he found me!

As you can imagine, being away from your family for the first time over the holidays is tough. I've been fortunate enough to be with both parents on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day for 34 years. Now that Tom and I are together, we knew that we didn't want to be away from one another on Christmas but that meant that one of us had to compromise. Since we were out in CA for Thanksgiving, I thought this would be the perfect year to spend Christmas in VA Beach. So, we packed up Maura (Tom's sister), Cooper and all of our gifts and drove to VA Beach to celebrate Christmas.

Every family has its traditions, mine happens to be that I spend Christmas Eve with my Mom's family and Christmas Day with my Dad's. It's always been that way and it works for us. For Tom, they celebrate Christmas and HIS birthday on Christmas Day. So, when I told him about my traditions and what made Christmas so special to me, he went to work!

Tom's mom Patty arranged to have a friend from church walk through the door on Christmas Eve to surprise me and let me tell you, I was blown away and so touched. I think Nana even got a kick out of it!

But even more than that, what I realized this Christmas is that home is really where the heart is. And as cliche as that sounds, my family is growing and no matter where we are for Christmas, it's just a day and every day is special. Sappy, I know, but true. And it only took me 35 years, and being with the right person to figure it out.

Feliz Cumpleanos in Mexico

2008-01-03T14:39:00.000-05:00

A milestone birthday for both of us, plus a great excuse to take a week off and go some place warm, Tommy and I decided that we wanted to go to Mexico with all of our friends. So, in April (yes, Amy "the planner"), we sent out a note with our tentative plans and on Saturday after Thanksgiving we flew from Sacramento to Cancun.

We wanted a little bit of everything so we spent four days in Playa del Carmen, an afternoon in Tulum, two days in Holbox Island (the Mayan Riviera's best kept secret) and our last night in Cancun. Susan, Randy, Liz, Kerry, Annie, Juan and Erin joined us and we had a wonderful time. The weather was perfect, the beaches were gorgeous, the food was delicious and of course, we couldn't have asked for better company (except for all of you who are going on our next trip!).

Highlights were the tacos that I brought to the beach (took me a half hour to find an authentic taco stand off of the main drag, still don't know what was really in them), sangria at Zamas in Tulum, snorkeling in Playa, bottom fishing and the turtle that Susan caught, Liz and Kerry's birthday dinners, Antonio and Juan's ceviche shack right on the beach, the swing bar, the bluest water I've ever seen in Cancun (although far too rough to swim in) and of last but not least the upgrade to a suite the last night in Mexico (only because they "misplaced" our luggage in someone else's room for six hours).

Turning 35 isn't so bad afterall!

mmmm... mmmm... good!

2008-01-03T14:24:00.001-05:00

Tommy and I spent Thanksgiving in CA because we agreed to spend our first Christmas together in VA Beach. It worked out really well because Tom's mom met my parents earlier this summer out in NY and we hadn't had an opportunity to have Tom's Dad and Martha meet my parents. Lucky for Tom II and Martha, they also got to meet Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Patty, Uncle Bob, Bryan, Scott and the whole Barrow clan (over at Dad and Pam's) - it was probably more than they expected, but we all had a wonderful time!

On Friday after Thanksgiving, Tom and I headed into SF to meet with the caterer at Treasure Island. "Mmmm...mmmm... good" is all I can say. The food that the fabulous Steve Sarna and team of Wine Valley Catering prepared was to-die-for! We were so impressed that we chose most of the items that we tasted that day for our wedding reception. And, not only was the food amazing, but it was at least 60-degrees on Treasure Island that day and the view was spectacular! You could see everything from the Bay Bridge to the Golden Gate and everything in between. It was so surreal and made us that much more excited about August 30th!

Where did the year go?

2008-01-03T14:01:00.001-05:00

The last time I blogged, we were at the pumpkin patch - it's already January and I am way behind. Looking through our photos, there are definitely a few things worth mentioning. I will separate them out into 4 different postings - our tasting at Treasure Island, Mexican birthday trip, Christmas and Tommy's 35th birthday, and New Years. And then I'll tackle 2008!

Fall Foilage, Pumpkins and Apple Picking

2007-10-24T14:58:00.001-04:00

Growing up in CA, I just didn't get the seasons like we do on the East Coast and since Tom grew up here, he takes it for granted, until I suggested that we go to a pumpkin patch and then he went all out ... in fact, he's the one who suggested we pick apples - I'd never picked apples until Sunday, but boy were they good and so sweet smelling!

Friday night, we drove up to our good friends Bobby (Tommy's best man) and Amanda's country house in Livingston Manor (not too far from the Catskills, where "Dirty Dancing" took place). Arriving to an amazing dinner prepared by Bobby and his Mom Chris, we wined and dined, then crashed (it had been a really long week). The next morning we drove around the country side, did some shopping in the nearby town, Jeffersonville, the boys went to Best Buy (to get their wireless up and running) and then we all went to a bon-fire at our friends Lauren, David and Harrison's. We then came back to the house for another amazing country-home dinner, why does food taste so much better out in the country, in the mountains (Tahoe) or at the beach?

On Sunday, we went to the farm market where we bought fresh apple butter, home made dog treats and gourds. Later that day Tom, Cooper and I drove to Yorktown where we went to Stuart's Fruit Farm (http://www.stuartsfarm.com/) where we found an enormous pumpkin that we'll carve this weekend and apple orchards. Cooper had a blast - he was chasing the apples like they were balls, running them back to us as fast as he could. Little guy slept all the way home ...

A Winery in Williamsburg, VA - who knew?

2007-10-24T14:47:00.001-04:00

A visit to VA Beach to spend time with Nana and meet with Fr. Sal (who is marrying us) turned into a side trip to the Williamsburg Winery and Busch Gardens, both very fun and VERY different, as you can imagine!

We had a great time tasting (award winning, who knew?) wine at the winery and screaming at the top of our lungs at Busch Gardens while riding the Big Bad Wolf, Da Vinci's Cradle and the Loch Ness Monster - so much fun, but nothing like the Cyclone at Coney Island!

We even celebrated Oktoberfest with the Trail Clan, thanks to a delicious dinner that Kevin made for us!

Engagement Celebration

2007-09-14T10:54:00.000-04:00

What a special weekend, Tom had it all planned out, weeks before he proposed! The weekend began with the most amazing dinner at the River Cafe (http://www.rivercafe.com/) in Brooklyn. The view of the Manhattan skyline, service and food were to die for! On Saturday, Tom took one "for the team," our "team!" He bought tickets to the Yankees game. We had great seats and of course, the Yanks won! On Sunday we had a picnic in Central Park, food and wine provided by my friends at fuse who prepared a picnic basket for us, and on Monday we went to the US Open with our good friends Timmy and Christa! What a wonderful weekend, can't believe that we'll be married NEXT Labor Day!

Will you Marry Me?

2007-08-29T16:39:00.000-04:00

I had a feeling it was coming... we knew that this was for real and that we were crazy in love with one another, but I just didn't know when.

We had plans to go to Newport, Rhode Island for Tom's business school friends' (Yodia and Justin) wedding and while I knew that Newport was a very special place for him, it just seemed too predictable. We arrived on Friday night, checked in to our B&B, and walked down to the water just in time for last call. We got up the next morning, had breakfast at the Creamery (second best pancakes next to Grandma's) and then met up with the London Business School (LBS) gang for a picnic. Tom asked if I wanted to take a drive along the water - it seemed like the logical thing to do on a gorgeous day ... We parked at a spot where people set up chairs to watch the ocean and fly kites, and as we walked towards the water and Tom lifted me over the ledge that lined the beach, I had butterflies in my stomach - I thought, "this could be it, this would be the perfect place for him to do it!" But then I was distracted by the tide pools and my quest to find a star fish. Tom suggested that we walk out to a rock in the midst of the crashing waves and began talking about the ocean and how it's a lot like our relationship. He then said that he had a gift for me. I looked around, thinking what could he possibly be up to (I still had no idea what he was doing, I thought he had a card or flowers for me, I know - the flowers don't make much sense). He then pulled out a black box and I kept saying, "wait, what, huh, what are you doing, really?" (over and over) - he then explained that he had this pendant made for me - it was the diamond from the engagement ring that his Father gave his Mother and that he had their wedding bands melted down. I could not believe it! He then said ... "will you marry me?" really, really fast and as far as I know, I said "yes, of course!" but I don't remember a thing, I just cried and cried and held him and kissed him and told him how much I loved him and how I never thought that I'd be so lucky to find someone so special.

We then made a round of calls, stopped off and bought some champagne and sandwiches, went back to our B&B to toast our engagement and quickly jetted off to the sunset cruise to celebrate Yodia and Justin's marriage that would take place the next day. After the cruise and dinner, we went to the Viking Hotel (gorgeous hotel that dates back to 1926) and were congratulated by our dear friends Neal and Coye!

Sunday a.m., the celebration continued with brunch at the Chanler Hotel, followed by Yodia and Justin's wedding at St. George's, overlooking the ocean. It was truly a magical weekend and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with Tom - I am so lucky - we must've done something right!

Meet the Parents: take 1

2007-08-20T22:43:00.000-04:00

As relationships evolve and you head down that path ... it's inevitable for the parents to meet sooner than later; it just so happened that Amy's Mom (Carolyn) was in town with Amy's neice Alexis, Amy's Dad (Pat) and Step- Mom (Pam) were in town for Eric Curtis' (cabin cousin) wedding in CT and Tom's Mom (Patty) was in town to pick up Tom's brother Sean (who had been interning all summer at Bear Stearns), to drive him back to VA to finish up his senior year at UVA. What a coincidence, and really quite nice that it worked out this way! If only Tom's Dad (Tom) and Step-Mom (Martha), Amy's Step Dad (Richard) and Tom's Step-Dad (Kevin) could've been there - they were missed!

The plan was to go down to the Seaport for a concert (Amy's friend's band Taka Taka was playing) and have dinner, but summers (and overall weather) in NY are un-predictable and it poured so hard that we had to go to plan B - of course, there was no plan B, but thanks to Tom and Open Table (http://www.opentable.com/) we found a restaurant in the Meat Packing district that had availability for 9 people at 8:30pm on Friday night.

The rain stopped and we dined in the charming garden at Paradou, a cute little French place that had everyone raving the next morning! Wine, salads, wine, entrees, wine, wine, desserts - it was a ton of fun and not at all like that movie ... "Meet the Fockers!"

Just wait until Thanksgiving ...

Kids-For-A-Day at Coney Island

2007-07-30T14:02:00.000-04:00

"Coney Island is the Tom-Tom of America. Every nation has, and needs-and loves-its Tom-Tom. It has needs of orgiastic escape from respectability-that is, from the world of what-we-have-to-do into the world of what-we-would-like-to-do, from the world of duty that endureeth forever into a world of joy that is permitted for a moment." - Richard Le Gallienne, Cosmopolitan Magazine 1905

New Yorkers started visiting Coney Island via shell road during the 1830's and by the Civil War, there were over a dozen hotels and bathhouses on the island. The Cyclone, one of the oldest wooden roller coasters in America, was built in 1927 and cost 25cents a ride! Now, $6/ride and $4 if you want to get back on to do it all over again, the Cyclone (at 60 mph) is still going strong. However, Coney Island is run down and in dire need of a historic-preservation face lift! Hopefully the new developers who plan on closing the beloved Astroland the weekend after Labor Day 2007 will do it justice so that future generations can enjoy a day like we did "a world of joy that is permitted for a moment," a day filled with unlimited fun in the sun with good friends (Al and Jeannie) as we laughed, ate Nathan's famous hot dogs (the chili cheese dogs were the best), funnel cake dusted with powdered sugar, salt water taffy that got stuck in our teeth and of course vanilla frosties!

The Cyclone scared the bejesus out of Tom (Amy loved it) and Amy never once opened her eyes on the Top Spin. We watched as the locals got their groove on as the DJ spun records on the pier, the children were building sandcastles on the beach and the fisherman were catching blue crabs, porgey fish and hermit crabs!

Definitely worth the 45 minute trip on the F or D train - we felt like kids again, leaving it all behind, as we ran from one ride to the next, trying to get it all in before the charmingly seedy Coney Island as we know and love it goes away!

1st of 1,000 more ...

2007-07-27T16:12:00.001-04:00

The evening started out not unlike others before it. I changed into clothes more fashionably appropriate and met Amy out. She, of course, is always dressed well enough to go out straight from the office, but tonight there were two added surprises.

Amy had me meet her at 230 Fifth Avenue, the swanky mid-town rooftop bar where we had our first "introduction." (I call it an introduction because we disagree whether it was actually a date. She thinks it was, and I don't know how you go on a "date" with someone you don't know but are introduced to by family.) So I meet her at 230 Fifth, and find her with two interesting and unexpected qualities: firstly, she has on the same dress she had one year prior (for those of you in the know, it is the infamous "floral dress") and secondly, she had re-colored her hair blonde. Back to the way it was when I went head over heals for her!!! (Seriously, I was ok with brunette...)

It was near the garden bar on 230 Fifth's terrace that I returned her thoughtfulness with my first gift. I told her that the theme for my gifts as "Living with Me" and as such I know that I am not always all smiles. Therefore, I gave her an Oscar the Grouch hand puppet and encouraged her to bring it out anytime that I'm acting, well, rather surly.

On leaving the bar, I was given no clue as to what was up next. This was exciting, curious, and uncertain as I was beginning to get hungry. I eagerly looked forward to reservations at a restaurant Zagat's would list in capital letters. Turns out, I was totally off base. We were headed to a spa for something called a "couples massage". Now I don't need to edit this too much because the event was [mostly] PG-13. But, it was rather decadent overall and the most creative date I've ever had planned for me. After being shown to our respective changing locker rooms, we lounged by the pool for about 20 minutes and noshed on dried berries, peanuts and water. At the appropriate time, the therapists brought us into our room, a lavender scented space featuring exposed stone walls, a steam room, jet spa and the expected meditative lighting and music. The room also featured two tables and for the next 60 minutes we enjoyed (individual) massages that were somehow different than others I've had before because of the shared experience.

Once our therapies were complete, we still had the room for an hour to enjoy the spa tub and steam room. This was when I realized my next surprise - Amy had packed a picnic dinner. Great timing because the deer food we had earlier was no longer satisfactory. For the next hour, we ate, and bathed, and ate and steamed and then I ate some more and generally soaked up the luxury of the life I had hoped to be born into.

As we were leaving the spa, one of the hostesses gave Amy her second gift, which was a gift certificate to that very spa. I had no idea that we were heading there that evening but I'll take it as further proof that we are connected on many levels.

The rest of the gifts were slightly less remarkable so I won't go into detail - candles, an electric grill and flowers - but all were appreciated. So, as you can imagine, our one-year anniversary completely lived up to what I was hoping for - an experience as profound as my last 12 months with my perfect match!

Thanks for reading - stay tuned for our next piece on our day at Coney Island!

Sandy Hook, Jersey Shore

2007-07-11T16:57:00.000-04:00

If you're itchin' to go to the beach or just get out of the City, but don't want to rent a car or travel too far, we recommend you visit Sandy Hook on the Jersey Shore. Easy enough to get to, we caught the Circle Line Downtown Ferry at the Seaport, Pier 16. Make sure you get there at least a 1/2 hour before the Ferry departs because you just may be in line as the computers crash and that's not a good start to your day! A beautiful ride on the lovely Hudson River, we saw the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Staten Island and the Manhattan skyline. Once you get to Sandy Hook (about 35 minutes from Manhattan), a school bus picks you up and takes you to three beaches, one CLOTHING OPTIONAL (yes, nude beach and lots of people got off the bus for this one), two QUIET AND CALM, three FAMILY FRIENDLY BEACH WITH THE SEAGULL BAR AND GRILL where you can order the famous Sandy Hooker (malibu rum-based) blended adult-beverage. Too hot to spend more than an hour in the sun, we had lunch, laid on the beach and caught the school bus back to the pier where Amy then walked 15 minutes back towards the beaches to take pictures of the oldest Lighthouse in America! Built in 1764 you can take a tour of the lighthouse for 95 cents, now that's a deal - check it out! (http://www.sandy-hook.com/)

Welcome to our Blog!

2007-07-10T13:45:00.000-04:00

Welcome to our blog!

Tom thought we needed a place to share our adventures with family and friends both close and far away! I thought that was a silly idea but of course, give me a day or two (sometimes even hours or minutes) and then I think it's a fabulous idea! Thanks to my summer '07 intern Chris who introduced us to blogspot.com, we can now post pictures, thoughts, messages, recipes, fun places to go, things to do, etc. We may even just babble ...