lucky boy

When I first met Lucky, he was friendly, affectionate and so adorable. I instantly loved him.

He belonged to the neighbors who me and my parents grew close to. From time to time, we would take him in as a favor to the them. When they let him free in the yard, he'd run over to our back door and scratch on the screen. "Let me in!" he was saying. We would, of course, always let him in. Within seconds, he would throw himself on his back and demand for his belly to be rubbed. We always gave in to that too.

I have a ton of stories about Lucky. The day he was scared of a bunny. The day he sneezed in my face. The day he refused to be walked when it was snowing out (which was also the day he won a staring contest with my Mom). The days he greeted me by licking my toes. The day my Dad secretly fed him yellow rice and the evidence stuck all over his beard.

My Mom and I gave him a nickname - Lucky Buffalo (you had to be there). Sometimes, I called him My Little Boy Blue (don't actually know how that one came about, but it was a term of endearment nonetheless).

Though he was the neighbors' dog, he belonged to us too. He was a part of both of our families.

Little Lucky boy, may he rest in peace. He will be so very missed.

taste of home

My grandmother's back in town! This means home-cooked Puerto-Rican meals and frequent trips to the Latin grocery store, i.e. Goya in every aisle, ha! I was seduced by the varieties of guava pastes, cola champagnes (it's not what it sounds like) and coconut sodas. It took all my might not to clean out the shelves and bring back a Costco-sized load of everything.

She's staying with my parents so they will be the ones to enjoy her fried plantains, rice with milk and rice & beans on the daily. I'll have to make a point to get myself out there more often with plastic containers in tow, like the classy lady that I am.

My favorite are her arepas which is basically a variation of fried dough. Not only are they so good, but it's a taste of my childhood (chocolate milk is also a contender). I have yet to try another that rivals hers. It's just the right amount of crispness on the outside, pillow-soft on the inside.

I'm curious to know, is there any food or meal that brings you back to your childhood that you still enjoy now? Something that can't be replicated as your mother/grandmother/whoever makes (or made) it.

adventures in weekending: the unofficial start to summer

I welcomed summer last weekend with cheeseburgers, wine coolers, curly-topped cuties and sunshine. It's only the end of May, but it's shaping up to be a good season already.

These three-day weekends are joyous. I breathe a little easier, my outlook's a bit brighter and everything comes up roses. And that extra day to just sit home and do nothing is such a luxury. It should be like this all the time.

straight out of a j.crew catalog

Seriously. I can't take how stylish these three are.

Growing up, I always wanted my big sister's wardrobe. But lately, I've been loving the striped tees, colorful socks and the entire sneaker collection of my nephews. Fashionable little fellas, those kids. And just so darn photogenic.

Hope you all have a super weekend! See you on the other side...

adventures in weekending: janey's birthday party (and a little good news)

We helped celebrate my sister's birthday this weekend with not one, but two birthday cakes, close family and friends, a huge tub of Magnolia's famous banana pudding, a special gift from Jimmy Choo, some silliness here and there and excited talk about The Hunger Games (eeeeek!). Party animals were certainly in attendance, but one of them knocked out before the first guest left (while his little brother mischievously jumped on the bed right next to him).

And although many people didn't know it, the boyfriend and I were also celebrating his acceptance into the NYU grad program with a few toasts of our own. Yeah Bob!

adventures in weekending: busy days, lazy days

I can honestly say that not one minute of this weekend was wasted.  Whether I was at my sister's annual After Christmas party drinking mimosas, feasting on Mexican food, going on a bit of a home-shopping spree or watching a marathon of 24, it was well spent. I could definitely get used to these rare three-day weekends.

There were times when my feet were going to fall off from walking so much (and with heavy bags in tote).
There were times when I felt like me and the couch were one from sitting on it for so many hours.
There were times when I wanted to explode from from eating too much steak, cheesy potatoes and creme brulee.
And it was all so so good.

party rock is in the house tonight...

 As I've mentioned before, my nephew Mason, loves to cut a rug. He's got some pretty stellar moves for a 4 year-old. At least I think so. But I'm a little biased, admittedly.

Even when the party's winding down, this kid is still running on a full tank. Have a look for yourself:

Did you catch that fall? I thought he recovered from it quite nicely.

adventures in weekending: housewarming party, part deux

Usually, I find parties tricky to capture on camera. There's something about the constant craziness and just wanting to be in the moment (as opposed to capturing it) that makes it difficult for me to behind the lens all the time. But this time was different. This time, I was able to balance my photog tendencies with my wanting to be with my guests. I could also attribute this to me and Bob sharing the picture-taking responsibilities. Whatever it was, it worked out well. And some wonderful moments came of it.

We had our second housewarming party and it turned out rather well. I'll show you...

High-fives all around.

 Showcasing my super cute wine glasses.

And more wine glasses (they know us too well).

Chipotle salmon filets were a popular appetizer.

My nephew, Mason, tearing up the dance floor. Always the life of the party, that boy.

Dancing is serious business...

Or not so much.