Holiday Travel Archives - Page 3 of 3

My Second Super Secret Birthday Trip of 2013 — Complete!

Published on December 9, 2013December 9, 2013 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

Hi friends,
So this past weekend myself and Chris, my mom, sister and her boyfriend, my uncle, aunt and cousin, all surprised my stepdad for his 50th birthday with a trip to Syracuse (his alma mater) for a basketball game.
It was a pretty amazing trip — if I do say so myself! And while I’m not totally convinced that Robert didn’t see much of the surprise coming, at the end of the day we all had an amazing time, so that’s really all that matters, right?

^^ Surprise! We’re kidnapping you and taking you to Syracuse!
At least he had already dressed for the part 😉

^^ We couldn’t take our pooch Ranger with us,
but he supported the cause.

^^ Shenanigans will most definitely ensue when my mother is drinking!

^^ Awwwwwww!

^^ Auntie M and my cousin Nikki. Two amazing ladies.

^^ I think Robert was excited about our awesome seats (thank you StubHub!)

^^ The big 5-0!

Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, we also won the game 😉

We visited Faegan’s Pub afterwards, which was fun, and we stayed at The Parkview Hotel, which was a seriously short cab ride to the Carrier Dome, and a very good price (plus free breakfast!).

Surprise birthday celebrations are pretty much the best.

Anyway, up and coming this week:

A visit to a DIY cookie decorating/holiday party hosted by one of my favorite bloggers tomorrow
Date night at this amazing place, courtesy of an episode of Sex and the City that made me feel like I just haddddd to go there!
A visit to the David Zwimmer Gallery to see what all the fuss is about over Yayoi Kusama’s “I Who Have Arrived in Heaven” exhibit
Tasting The Great Pumpkin Drink at Please Don’t Tell on this list
A holiday get-together with family from upstate, Brooklyn, and even all the way from Calabria, Italy
Dinner at Rolf’s German Restaurant to check out all the awesome decorations
Drinks at The Flatiron Room (because I feel like after seven years in NYC and a wedding photo in front of it, I should at least try a drink there ….)
A very special Christmas celebration next Saturday with my family — and especially my nephew Rory for his first holiday trip into town! Oh my I have so many plans for that day!

We’re off to Vermont the day after Christmas for some snowboarding, and we’ll be heading to Iceland in February, which I seriously cannot wait for.

‘Tis the season for dreams, wishes and plans, my friends!

Bis bald!

Back in the Borough: A Glorious Walk to the Dentist

Published on December 4, 2013December 4, 2013 by Cheryl Lock3 Comments

December is absolutely the best time to be in New York City. (Well, to be fair, there’s no bad time to be here. Except maybe in the sweltering summer. Yes. I take that back. It absolutely stinks to be here in the summer.)

I digress. Sometimes, my friends, when you live in a city like New York, you get so distracted by all the fabulous holiday decorations walking to the dentist that it takes you an extra 1/2 hour to get there.

OOPS.

Ah well, what can you do. Here’s a bit of what I saw on my way to the dentist this morning.

^^ Lazy pigeons taking a nap on a pole.

^^A note about the horse and buggies around Central Park: I don’t agree with them.
That’s a whole other story. They sure are pretty to look at, though.

^^A hint about NYC holiday decor: Don’t forget to look up!

^^See? Up! Pretttyyyy!

^^A festive wreath in my dentist’s office.

^^My, my. That otter sure is fancy!

^^This little starburst decoration is hard to see in the photo,
but they’re so pretty, lighting up the streets at night.

^^And oh my goodness it wouldn’t be the holidays without the
Bloomingdale’s window displays! [Ed note: Please ignore
the horribleness of these photos, as they were taken with my
iPhone and I was trying to be somewhat inconspicuous.]

^^I think Italy was my favorite 😉

^^How cute is this couple looking at the displays? You know
how I like to take photos of random, unsuspecting people …

^^The NYC display wasn’t half bad, either

^^Who could be grumpy — even if you are heading off to the dentist —
with an entire holiday tree display set up right outside
your subway station? Not me, that’s for sure!

Bis bald, friends! And may your trips to the dentist bring you as much joy as mine did today!

Happy Thanksgiving, From Our Family to Yours

Published on December 1, 2013December 15, 2013 by Cheryl Lock9 Comments

Well friends, the holiday season is officially and truly upon us! Over the course of our almost seven years together (yikes!), the Thanksgiving holiday for myself and Chris has taken on a bit of a traditional feel. We usually have Thanksgiving with my mom’s side of the family on the actual day — where Chris runs the New Paltz Turkey Trot in the mornings and we make pumpkin soup to contribute to the meal — and then spend Friday with my dad’s side of the family for a second holiday feast.

Here’s a bit of what our holiday looked like this year …

Upstate New York Thanksgiving.

^^ The New Paltz Turkey Trot is held right around the super cute downtown shopping area.

^^ This lovely business decided to set up some fire pits outside the start line before the race.
It was a lifesaver in the 18 degree weather!

^^I loved taking shots here. Everyone is so nice and friendly, and so anxious to get their day of feasting on.

^^ Feisty running sneaks.

^^ And here’s my husband, coming in with the fast people.

^^ My mom’s dog was feeling thankful for my lap.

^^ Pumpkin soup beginnings …

^^ So thankful for this family

^^ Grams, taking her first sips of beer in over a decade. The end result?
“They’re making them more bitter than they used to!”

^^ Birthday cakes for two birthday boys

^^ A very happy birthday to my stepdad Robert, so will always be a kid at heart

New Jersey Thanksgiving.

^^ Our traditional NJ Thanksgiving Broccoli & Cauliflower Bake

^^ Chris and I brought back his favorite children’s book from Australia for Rory.
It’s called “There’s a Possum in the House,” and we’re told it’s now one of his favorites.

^^ And of course it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without Chris concocting up some cocktails.

So that’s it friends — another Thanksgiving in the books. The next few weeks before Christmas are so full of fun things, I can barely stand it. We have a Super Secret Birthday Trip next weekend for my stepdad (my second Super Secret birthday trip this year … how great am I at keeping secrets!), lots of fun dinner and drink plans and a weekend in the city with my nephew and the rest of our fam. Then it’s off to Vermont for my Aunt and Uncle’s holiday gift to us, and a celebration for our one year wedding anniversary.

Bis bald, friends!

Back in the Borough: A Day With Myself (Sort of) in NYC

Published on November 7, 2013December 17, 2013 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

Fall/Christmas in New York City is my absolute favorite time of year, and yesterday I took some time to do something I haven’t done for a while — walk around by myself. I walked from our Upper East Side apartment to meet a friend for lunch in the 60s (We ate at the Eat Here Now diner. It’s really tiny and packed, but the atmosphere was fun, the food was great and the big front windows allow you to people watch on Lexington ave right outside while you hang.), picked up some craft supplies at Sam Flax and spent a couple hours browsing the Christmas shops (yup, the Christmas shops!) and the ice skaters at Bryant Park.

^^ Ahhh, my favorite time of year at Bryant Park — and in the city, for that matter — has arrived! You will find me at the skating rink in my very own ice skates very soon, my friends!

^^ Not a bad backdrop for ice skating, if you ask me.

^^ Beautiful blue NYC skies.

^^ I love the atmosphere here this time of year. And the music! Love the old-timey music.

Afterwards I met up with more friends at the Haru Sushi near Union Square for a couple happy hour martinis and sushi rolls.

As a freelancer, I sometimes forget that I’m allowed to take a break every now and then. I often keep myself chained to my computer during business hours, and continue to check and respond to emails well into the night. But the whole point of taking this time to freelance was to have a little bit of flexibility. Yesterday just reminded me of how nice that can be.

Bis bald, friends! Hope everyone is making the most of fall while it lasts!

Pumpkins Galore!

Published on November 4, 2013November 4, 2013 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

photo (11) — ^^ Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere!

If you guys are anything like me, you’re akin to a kid in a candy store the second the calendar hits October 1. Who doesn’t love the crisp fall air, the changing leaves, an extra hour of sleep, carving pumpkins, pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin pie, pumpkin … anything!?

Which is why I’m ecstatic that my sister dragged the family to The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze at the Van Cortlandt Manor upstate. I cannot tell a lie — at first I was dubious. I didn’t actually believe that walking around and looking at some carved, lit pumpkins could be cool.

I can now admit that I was way wrong.

This exhibit features over 5,000 individually hand-carved pumpkins made into pretty much everything you can imagine.

Combine that with pumpkin and cider donuts and hot apple cider — which they also had — and you’ve pretty much got my perfect fall evening.

It’s hard to take photos of carved, lit pumpkins. In the dark. On your iPhone. But I gave it a whirl. Here’s some of what we saw last weekend ….

^^ I think these ridiculously adorable pumpkin monsters were my fave

^^ This creepy pumpkin-in-the-box would snap out every couple of minutes. Suuupppperrrrr creepy!

^^ A thoroughly impressive dragon made of pumpkins.

The exhibit runs for another two weeks — but good luck getting tickets, because they’re pretty much sold out. Next year, however, if you happen to be in the area during the time it’s running, I would highly recommend checking it out!

On the way back into the city early the following morning (to help my friend shop for a wedding dress … she found one!), I snapped this picture from the train:

Sheesh I love this time of year. I mean … come on now.

It’s also worth mentioning that on Sunday we watched Chris’s uncle run the New York City marathon (he came all the way from Australia to run) …. and he got a five-minute PR! Way to go, Matt!

Bis bald, friends! Hope everyone is making the most of these gorgeous fall days while we have ’em!

A Super Secret 30th Birthday Trip for the Man!

Published on September 12, 2013September 12, 2013 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

Hi friends!

So tomorrow is the big day — the day Chris and I fly out for his Super Secret 30th Birthday Trip! And yes, I somehow DID manage to keep the secret! (Well not the whole secret, I accidentally forwarded our flight information to him thinking it was information about a different flight. That was stupid.)

I put together these three envelopes for Chris to open when he got home tonight. Step 1 contained our boarding passes for our flight tomorrow. Step 2 contained our rental car information, becauseeeeeeee … Step 3 were our tickets to the Gentlemen of the Road St. Augustine Stopover Tour!

I’m totally excited for this. Not only will we be seeing Mumford & Sons, fun., Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and tons of other great acts, but I’ll finally get to show Chris St. Augustine, the town where I lived for a year and 1/2 after graduating from college. It means a lot to me to be able to share that with him.

I also booked a boat tour with Mike’s Yacht of Fun — so I can’t wait to report back on that!

Bis bald, friends! Pray for us to have good weather!

Our Final Day in Arizona

Published on July 11, 2013July 11, 2013 by Cheryl Lock3 Comments

Hi Friends,

So back to our last day in Arizona, which was last Saturday. (We caught the red eye home. There’s a story about that, too!)

We woke up around 7:30 a.m. all prepared for a hike up the Cholla Trail on Camelback Mountain in Scottsdale. Mina, however, had come home from her early morning run with her running club and was a bit worried. Everyone was telling her she was crazy, she said, that it was way too hot to take us out for a hike on that mountain … that surely it wasn’t a good idea.

Looking back at this now, I think it’s funny that I didn’t pay attention to their warnings. I mean … I HATE hot weather! I’ve never pretended that I like it. I do nothing but complain about it. Not liking something and allowing that to stop you from doing something are two different things, though, and I scoffed with Chris and Mina at the thought. “We’ll be totally fine!” I laughed.

Boy was I wrong. But I’ll get to that.

Anyway, we stopped off at the Gilbert Farmer’s Market in the morning to grab breakfast before we headed out. This allowed me to take some photos of the cute downtown area, as well:

So that’s the downtown Gilbert area in a nutshell. I thought it was very cute, and all the people we met seemed to be super friendly. I give it an A+.

After our breakfast it was on to Scottsdale for this doomed-from-the-start hike. I think I need to not make a big deal out of what happened, because honestly it could have been a lot worse, and I think I caught it in just enough time before that happened. Essentially the hike is about 1.5 miles up and 1.5 miles back, so all in all, not too long of a hike. However, by the time we started at 10 in the morning, it was already 100 degrees outside.

Me no likey .. to say the least. The second we stepped out of the car I felt like I had been punched in the face by a heater. Dry heat, my you-know-what. It’s a myth, to me at least, that dry heat makes anything better.

But I digress. So as we started into this journey of ours, I was perfectly fine. I was taking it slow, stopping along the way to snap photos of our beautiful surroundings:

Then, suddenly, at about 15-20 minutes into our (strenuous, if you ask me!) hike, I started to feel it. To be honest, I can’t even really describe to you what it was, exactly. I felt like someone had hit the ‘off’ switch to my body, and I simply could not go any farther.

Now if you know me, friends, you’ll know that I don’t like to give up. I’m competitive and stubborn (annoyingly so, some times), and throwing in the towel less than halfway through this hike is pretty much the last thing I wanted to do.

Which is why I knew something was really wrong … because that’s exactly what I did. Realizing that we had quite a while to go still in this upwards climb, I knew that there was no way that even if I made it to the top (which to be honest was highly unlikely), there was no way in hell I’d be making it back down. My legs were shaking. I felt like I couldn’t even be bothered to talk I was so exhausted.

And so we turned back around. And just as quickly as we started our last hike in Arizona, I ended it. Chris, in all of his loving husbandness, offered to run (RUN! In 100+ weather! If that’s not love, I don’t know what is), back to the car, turn it on, blast the air and drive to pick us up. The next stop on our list for that day was Mina’s parents’ house for lunch, and I laid in the back seat of Mina’s car for the 20+ minute drive there, just doing everything I could to cool down.

By the time we arrived at her parents’ house, I was starting to feel a bit better, but I have to say that I think that’s really because I made us stop as soon as I started to feel evenly remotely off. I never felt nauseous, or got a headache, it was just that my body felt physically unable to move anymore.

I suppose it could have been much worse, right?

Besides that bit of scariness, we ended up having a lovely rest of the day. Mina’s parents are Persian, and they cooked us the most delicious lunch. Then we went back to Mina’s place and hung out in the pool a bit, before heading out to Nando’s Mexican Cafe to have the final couple margaritas of our trip. (Oh, and a tequila shot, of course!)

Spending only two full days in Arizona felt like a bit of a jip, to be honest, but at the same time we managed to cram quite a bit in. Mina and I would love to do a little elementary school reunion of sorts in Arizona next year with a couple other of our close friends. Maybe do the Grand Canyon, or Fossil Creek, which was closed while we were there this time because of fire hazards.

And that was it, my friends …. the end of our little getaway! It was short but sweet (except for the heat exhaustion thing!), and we’d love to make it back some time soon for more hiking adventures.

Oh and so about the flights. Randomly, and for reasons that were never explained to us, Chris and I were upgraded to first class on our red eye back! It was sort of a waste of first class seats, since we pretty much slept the entire time … but still, I’ll take it! I’ve never slept more comfortably on a flight in my life! Maybe, finger’s crossed, this will happen to us on our trip to Australia in September?

What? It could happen ….

July 4 2013: Charlotte, N.C. and Arizona

Published on July 10, 2013July 10, 2013 by Cheryl Lock4 Comments

Hi friends!

The few days since Chris and I got back from our trip have been a bit crazy, but I really wanted to take some time to post thoughts from our trip as soon as possible. So without further adieu, last Wednesday Chris and I were in a cab and off to La Guardia to catch our flight …

Continue reading “July 4 2013: Charlotte, N.C. and Arizona” →

Arizona In Instagram Pics

Published on July 7, 2013July 7, 2013 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

Hi friends!

Hope everyone had a fabulous holiday weekend! For reasons that I will go into in more detail in my full trip post, I ended up taking the majority of my photos on this trip with my iPhone … which of course meant posting them directly to Instagram.

So I figured I’d just post a quick preview of things to come in my full-on post by uploading all of the Instagram pics here. But before I do that, just some highlights from our trip:

We spent 12 hours in Charlotte after missing our connecting flight to Phoenix because of rain delays, but that’s okay because we got to eat a wonderful brunch and check out the downtown area because of it.
We went on amazing hikes, ate delicious food and drank lots of tequila.
I experienced a slight case of heat exhaustion … not fun, my friends! And after all that research I did to avoid it!
We did lots of swimming in my friend’s pool.
We were randomly, and for reasons still unknown to us, upgraded to first class seats on our flight back from Phoenix. Not too shabby!

Here’s a taste of what’s to come …

^^Rain made things pretty, but is not optimal for flying.

^^Bloody Mary's in Charlotte on our pit stop to Phoenix. — ^^Bloody Mary’s in Charlotte on our pit stop to Phoenix.

^^Biscuits and grits. This is Charlotte.

^^Catching up with the person who is probably my oldest friend.

^^Porous shoes on a 7-mile hike = lots of stopping to empty them out.

^^Sedona hike--unbelievable. — ^^Sedona hike–unbelievable.

^^Spinach enchilada with a mango margarita.

^^Bye-bye Sedona. It's been real. — ^^Bye-bye Sedona. It’s been real.

^^Gilbert Farmer's Market. — ^^Gilbert Farmer’s Market.

^^Vegan quinoa breakfast bowl with strawberry scone and iced coffee.

^^99 degrees? Check. I will be hiking to the top of this mountain. Wish me luck. (Hint: this is where the heat exhaustion came into play... duh duh duhhhh!) — ^^99 degrees? Check. I will be hiking to the top of this mountain. Wish me luck. (Hint: this is where the heat exhaustion came into play… duh duh duhhhh!)

^^View from about 1/4 mile up Cholla Hike, Scottsdale.

^^Who got a free upgrade to first class on the way home? This guy! (And the gal he was with!)

So that’s it for now, my friends! I’ll be back soon with the full details of our (amazing and very hot!) trip.

Bis bald!

Making the Most of Summer … Starting With a Trip to Arizona!

Published on June 25, 2013June 25, 2013 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

Hello Fossil Creek Canyon! I think I will visit you, thank you very much ... — Hello Fossil Creek Canyon! I think I will visit you, thank you very much …

Hi friends!

Welcome officially to summer! I must admit something that I realize makes me relatively unpopular — I normally hate the summer. (My husband is either laughing or shaking his head right now. We have a running joke that he’s going to count the number of times I complain about summer this summer. If you’re reading this husband: This doesn’t count …)

I know, I know. Summer means visits to the beach and sleeping under the stars and spending hours outside in the sun. Problem is … when you live in New York City, it can be hard to fill your summer days with these activities, and if you instead end up spending most of those summer days within the confines of this concrete jungle (Jay-Z’s words, not mine), those days are actually nothing short of hot, sweaty and stinky.

I’m sorry, but it’s true. I have no illusions of what the city is like in the summer.

So my solution to my souring mood in the summer is to plan lots of exciting trips for this year. Next weekend my sister and I are heading to Bradley Beach while my sister-in-law (who’s visiting with her boyfriend from Australia … a wahoooo!!!) are in Boston, and then Chris and I fly out to Arizona to visit an old friend of mine for the long July 4th weekend.

In fact, said friend just sent me and Chris the itinerary for our trip. It includes a 4 a.m. wake-up call on July 4th so she and Chris can run this race, followed by a barbecue and swimming and lounging about with drinks in-hand. Then on Friday we’ll be heading to Strawberry, AZ, to hike Fossil Creek Canyon. I’m beyond excited for this outing … I just hope I can keep up with those two, who are, let’s say, slightly more in shape than I happen to be at the moment. Dinner Friday night will be in Old Town Scottsdale, which sounds lovely as well.

Needless to say, starting the summer out with some trips planned outside of the city makes me able to look forward to this season a bit more than I have in past years.

And speaking of trips … Chris and I have started working on what could potentially be some very exciting travel news in the upcoming months. I’m not going to share here just yet, since we’re only in the very beginning stages of planning, but let’s just say … I really, really hope we can make it all work! Promise to share more details as soon as we know more about what we’re actually doing.

Okay bis bald, friends! Hope you all have some amazingly fun plans for the summer, as well!

Photo courtesy of turnuptherad

P.S. Isn’t the tune for the Jersey Shore ads quite catchy? I kind of love it–go visit the Jersey Shore!

Back in the Borough: Memorial Day Weekend Madness

Published on May 18, 2013 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

Hi friends!

As the holiday weekend fast approaches (which I will gladly take after having JURY DUTY this upcoming week!), I’m getting excited for the plans Chris and I are making. On Friday night we’ll be heading to the Mets game (complete with a fireworks show!) with friends.

(P.S. We did this last year as well):

Then we’re renting bikes to ride in Central Park on either Saturday or Sunday and heading to a Brooklyn barbecue on Monday (also something we did last year, as well).

Hope you guys all have some fun plans for the holiday weekend, too!

Bis bald!

A Valentine’s Day Trip to Tarrytown

Published on February 18, 2013February 22, 2013 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

Hey friends,

Chris and I just arrived back from our Valentine’s Day trip to Tarrytown, a quaint little town about 45 minutes north of the city, and I have to say–I loved everything about it. Since it’s winter it was obviously a bit freezing outside, and some of the stores in the town and some of the historical sites were closed for the winter months, but still, we managed to have an awesome time just the same.

Here’s what we got up to.

Continue reading “A Valentine’s Day Trip to Tarrytown” →

A Valentine’s Day Weekend Retreat

Published on February 16, 2013February 16, 2013 by Cheryl Lock10 Comments

Hey friends!

So Chris and I are about to leave for our first Valentine’s Day weekend as old marrieds 😉 We are heading to the Tarrytown House Estate, and I’m super excited! Post soon to follow with the details.

Hope you’re all having a lovely Valentine’s weekend … bis bald!

I made this tasty treat for Valentine’s Day….yum!

Click here for the full recipe.

Life Lately: January 2013

Published on February 3, 2013February 3, 2013 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

Hey friends!
Hope your 2013 is off to a fabulous start. Here’s a little bit of what our life has looked like lately:

We started the year with brunch in our fancy hotel room at The Standard, courtesy of my mom and stepdad. Thanks guys!

We’ve celebrated THREE 30th birthdays so far, and one 100th! (But I’ll get to that later…)

We celebrated married life on our first full day of being husband and wife at the new bar that opened on the corner of our street-The District.

We started apartment hunting, which meant we needed some cocktails to ease our nerves. Working with brokers is scary!

We held Jen’s baby shower at Cake Bistro & Bakery in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania.

My dad got the baby all this Army gear. I think he’s a little excited to have his first grandson…wouldn’t ya say?!

Penny had to spend a day at the vet getting tested for asthma. She spent the rest of the night in her carrying case and wouldn’t come out. I think it’s safe to say she was mad at me…

When she finally did come out, she and Nugget did some bonding.

Grand Central celebrated its 100th birthday on Feb. 1, 2013.

Mom and I tasted some cakes for our wedding party celebration in April. Yummmm!

My husband bought me purple flowers to celebrate our one month of marriage.

We celebrated one month of wedded bliss by getting drinks at The Guthrie Inn, an awesome, tiny little cocktail bar on Park between 97th and 98th. The owner also owns Earl’s Beer & Cheese, the restaurant right next door that Chris swears by.

The view of the Hudson on the way back to the city from my mom’s house.

Bis bald, friends! Hope you have fun plans for February–especially if you’re in love 😉 Chris and I have made reservations at the gorgeous Tarrytown House, which just happens to be where we attended a wedding last year, as well.

See ya’ll soon!

Life Lately

Published on December 18, 2012December 18, 2012 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

So friends, December is rapidly passing us by, isn’t it? Seriously, where does the time go?

Anyway, with the holidays and, you know, our WEDDING!, coming up, things around the Connor/Lock household have been pretty insanely busy. I do love the city around the holidays, though, and Chris and I picked up our Christmas tree the other day and I’ve decorated the apartment. Despite the busyness, we’ve been trying really hard to stop and smell the Christmas tree (does that analogy work?) from time to time.

Here’s a little of what we’ve been up to lately in the city that never sleeps …

We love our little 94th St. Christmas tree!

I had these lovely ladies over for some holiday drinks. In lieu of an actual fireplace, I played the YouTube yule log over and over again on TV.

For my sister's baby gender reveal party, I was the person who got the cupcake with the blue frosting. It's a boy!! I'm having a nephew! — For my sister’s baby gender reveal party, I was the person who got the cupcake with the blue frosting. It’s a boy!! I’m having a nephew!

On December 7, Chris and I took a little trip to City Hall to get our marriage license. Our MARRIAGE LICENSE! Ca-razy!

And this was our ticket. I will proceed to frame it and hang it in our teeny abode.

My sister and her boyfriend came to visit last weekend and we took in the scenery at Bryant Park. I love it there during the holidays.

Friends at a beautiful Brooklyn wedding I attended this past Sunday.

Little details like the white tea lights and wine corks really brought the night to life.

You guys KNOW how I love my lights! Isn't this chandelier from the wedding venue gorgeous? — You guys KNOW how I love my lights! Isn’t this chandelier from the wedding venue gorgeous?

Cute little A & B cookies for Allison and Boris.

What? I'm not doing anything wrong? — What? I’m not doing anything wrong?

It's hard to wrap gifts when this cutie keeps distracting me. And sitting on my supplies. — It’s hard to wrap gifts when this cutie keeps distracting me. And sitting on my supplies.

On another note, our little Nugget had surgery recently. We're happy to report that his cast is off, and today was the first day he climbed in and out of his cage all by himself. Go Nugget! — On another note, our little Nugget had surgery recently. We’re happy to report that his cast is off, and today was the first day he climbed in and out of his cage all by himself. Go Nugget!

So that’s been December in a nutshell, basically. This Friday Chris and I will head upstate to celebrate the holidays with my mom and step-dad, then we’ll head to New Jersey to be with my dad, step-mom, sisters and brother-in-law. After that we head back into the city to get ready for our New Years Eve nuptials. That means I may not make it back here to post again before I become Mrs. Christopher Vincent Connor.

Woah.

Happy holidays friends! I hope everyone has a great time filled with family, friends and delicious foods! See ya’ll in the New Year!

Bis bald!

A Bachelorette Party for the Books: I’m the Luckiest Gal Alive

Published on November 20, 2012February 22, 2013 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

Hey friends!

So just a super quick update here, as it’s Thanksgiving week and I’m swamped and exhausted! I just wanted to let the world know that this past weekend, my two sisters and about a dozen of the best girlfriends a gal could ever ask for swept me away to a surprise bachelorette weekend in Hamptons Bay in the Hamptons.

I was so surprised! It was relaxing and fun, and there were drinks and a hot tub and a fireplace and movies and an amazing Mexican dinner–and lots and lots of games and prizes and love. Lots and lots of love.

I don’t have any photos, but my friends and sisters took some so when I get a couple I’ll post them.

All I have to say is, when you amazing friends and family in your life, everything else will always be okay. And I’m truly blessed to have everyone in my life who I do …

Bis bald, friends!

A Last-Minute Labor Day Trip

Published on September 6, 2012September 6, 2012 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

A row of sunflowers on the drive back from New Paltz. I made my stepdad pull over so I could take a picture. He obliged. Good man.

Hi friends,

So after a full week of dealing with some seriously hard-core jet lag (I mean, we’re talking serious jet lag here!), I’ve finally managed to drag myself out of the foggy haze.

It’s always worth the jet-lag in the end though, isn’t it? I can’t believe my trip to Italy is already a thing of the past. So sad.

Anyway, after pulling myself through the haze, I was facing a 3 and 1/2 day weekend, and I was feeling … antsy. Chris and I had plans to head to Far Rockaway with some friends for one last beach-filled weekend, but I bailed at the last minute. So instead, as Chris caught the subway to meet up with our friends, I hopped the train and headed upstate to my mom’s, where we took in a wine and crafts festival in New Paltz (which has seriously become my new favorite place to spend my falls, with its wineries, hiking trails, breweries and gorgeous fall foliage), ate dinner at The Gilded Otter and just generally chilled out.

I even managed to wake up early Monday morning and drag myself out to the back porch swing with my blanket, coffee and the book I’m currently reading.

I truly believe that only if you actually live in a city can you really appreciate what it means to get out of the city every now and then. I mean, I spent my entire high school career living in this same house, and never found as much solace in its back yard as I do these days.

So that was my Labor day! What did you guys get up to?

July 4th Weekend…In Photos

Published on July 10, 2011July 11, 2011 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

Hi friends. So we’re back from Prince Edward Island! It was a whirlwind trip that culminated in a 7 a.m. Sunday morning flight back into the city. But that’s okay, because the early flight leaves us with enough time for brunch at Jane, which we are all getting ready for right now.

While we’re waiting, I figured I’d throw up some photos from our adventures last weekend. Here are a few highlights:

DSCN1084 — Our first beach stop on the Jersey Shore—Seabright

DSCN1086 — We ate lunch at a great little restaurant in Seabright called Dive

DSCN1104 — The Spirit Line lunch cruise we took on Saturday gave us great views of the skyline

DSCN1143 — On Sunday it was off to Brotherhood Winery and....

DSCN1168 — On the way home from Newburgh, I snapped this photo of the sun setting over the Hudson at the Beacon train station

DSCN1186 — Then it was back to the city to catch the fireworks over the Hudson from the rooftop of the Saatchi & Saatchi building

So that was last weekend! Stay tuned for a Prince Edward Island update soon…but I’ll say this—it’s as quaint, beautiful, and serene as you would imagine it to be.

Bis bald, friends!

A July 4th Addendum

Published on June 30, 2011 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

If, by chance, your July 4th weekend will be including a game or two of Wiffle ball, be sure to check out this awesome WSJ piece on the 22 Rules of Backyard Wiffle.

Play away, friends!

Happy July 4th Weekend!

Published on June 30, 2011 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

I hope you guys all have fantastic plans for the holiday weekend! Over on our end, Chris’s mom arrived in last night from Australia, and we couldn’t be happier to be hosting her. This is her first summer in the city (although her third visit in total), let alone her first July 4th. As such, Chris and I felt it was only proper to give her a real America weekend, complete with family, friends, and tons of fun, of course. Here’s our list of activities.

Friday: We’ll be renting a car so we can take a leisurely drive along the Jersey Shore (we’ll be starting with Sandy Hook and making our way down Ocean Avenue to get closer to my parents house).

Saturday: There is an undisclosed activity being planned by my step-mom (hi, Judy!), and hopefully some time to just chillax at the house and hang out in the great outdoors.

Sunday: We’ll take that sweet little rental car and head to upstate New York to link up with my mom and step-dad for some winery visits (you know how we love them!). Depending on how much time we have we’ll try to hit two or three, but we’ll definitely start our trek with Brotherhood, America’s oldest winery. Then we’ll head over to the Gilded Otter Brewing Company in New Paltz for dinner, then home for a little outdoor s’mores action.

Monday: On the actual holiday, we’ll be hanging out at my mom’s and step-dad’s, cooking up some delicious barbecue with the fam. Hopefully at some point we’ll be able to find some fireworks somewhere as well. The city fireworks start at 9:20 p.m., but I don’t think we’ll be back in enough time to find a good spot to camp out.

Anyway, that’s us! Plenty ‘o pictures and deets to come. Bis bald, and hope ya’ll have a great one!