Seaside Beach Vacation Rewind...Part I

Were home and back from the beach...isn't it super depressing when you come home from vacation? Not only have you left the sun and sand, but yet you have to unpack and return to normal life. But only until next time, right?
We had an incredible time in Seaside last week- incredible weather, quality family time, and celebrating one of my friends' marry the man of her dreams. Here is a recap of our beachside fun:
Saturday:
-hit the road early in the AM to avoid the masses and believe it or not, CC's first roadtrip was a success, as she slept most of the way {thank you!}...had a few bouts of fussiness, but overall we were happy with how well she did
-partook in some much deserved Pickles for lunch and then strolled around the Arts Quest festival
-indulged on Angelina's pizza and sipped on some cocktails before calling it an early night

Sunday {Mother's Day}:
-pure perfection! Mom and I were treated to massages and pedicures and spent the afternoon relaxing then headed to Great Southern for our first of MANY seafood dinners

 Ryan and Rachel came in early for the week, too so we
got to spend some great quality time with the Grays!

 Mom and I headed to our spa day!

 Dinner at Great Southern

 Mimi and Pappy! Best vacation duo ever

 The famous Grits A Ya Ya...amazing!

Monday:
-hit the beach early for primetime fun in the sun... spent all day lounging under the umbrella, walking the shore, and making sure little bit was having a good time. {she mostly sat under the sunbrella and then would nap while Mimi held her-spoiled rotten!}
-had the boys cook dinner and called it a night, but not before taking a little walk to our favorite gelato eatery

Tuesday:
-put in more hours at the beach and then drove to Panama City to let Gran and Papa keep Caroline while the four of us went out to dinner...her great grandparents only hung out with us so they could get their hands on their sweet baby!

I'll be back soon with a recap from the second half of our trip so stay tuned!!

Bright Lights, Big City...NYC Trip Rewind

I am slowly but surely recovering from this weekend's non-stop funfilled madness of a whirlwind trip to NYC...but WOW, was it worth it! I can't say enough about how much of an adventure it was from start to finish--lucky to have an incredible group of friends that Jeff and I love to travel with!
Here we are starting out bright and early on the plane Friday morning--keep in mind we all look exhausted because we got up around 3AM to catch our flight!

 Above the city in the plane...I never get tired of seeing this gorgeous place!!

Upon arrival at the airport, we worked our magic and got a limo to shuttle us over to our hotel, The Crowne Plaza, located right in the middle of Times Square--perfection! After we got checked in, it was time to hit the city and take in all the sights. Our first stop was right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Broadway, Junior's for lunch, and then to Toys R Us to see the giant indoor ferris wheel.

 Then we headed to hop on the  City Sights NY bus tour to take in everything uptown--Harlem, Central Park, Rockefeller Center, and loads of other landmarks. Here are some of my snapshots:

The boys in the back of the bus

Now by this time, I am getting quite ancy as 2 of the group members had "disappeared" though Lauren had no idea what was about to take place...her boyfriend Andy had been scheming for weeks on when and how to propose and talked to Jeff and I about a few options. He ended up renting a car/driver to chaffeur them around town, while Lauren thought he was just taking her to Saks to do some Christmas shopping. Low and behold, they were dropped off in Central Park where he asked her to marry him--woo hoo!!
After our tour on the bus ended, we made plans to meet at FAO Schwartz and when we walked in, someone had a little announcement they wanted to make...can you tell Lauren is elated? They have been dating for 6 years so it's about time they make it official!! It was just so exciting being able to share in this very special moment in their lives and I know we were all as giddy as could be to celebrate her brand new bling ;).

That evening, we went back to the hotel to get ready and I was able to surprise Lauren with her first engagement gift...an ornament I had packed away in my suitcase that says "Just Engaged" and her first bridal magazine--just a little something to commemorate such a special occasion! After we all got ready, we met in front of the hotel's gorgeous Christmas tree to take some fun group pictures before dinner.

Good looking group!

Me and my ladies all dressed up and ready to go

Fast forward to Angelo and Maxie's and some VERY happy bellies after a wonderful dinner and champagne toast for our newly engaged friends.

 The husband's monster ribeye

 Surf and turf for me ;)

 And of course, the Apple Crisp for dessert--amazing!!

 Toasting to the newly engaged couple...the future Mr. and Mrs. Andy Lawson!

Saturday morning started off with us walking to Columbus Circle to indulge in one of my favorite bakery's treats...Bouchon! We then hopped back on the bus for the downtown tour of the city--we took in the Empire State Building, Herald Square, Greenwich Village, and then SoHo before hopping off to do some major shopping that afternoon. We walked through tons of shops purchasing a few treats, and then headed to Little Italy for some authentic italian food. Then it was down to one of my locales--Chinatown! I think my friends saw how nuts I am, mingling with the "fake purse men" and working magic to make some deals...yes, I thrive on stuff like this. A few of us were able to snag some new bags and jewelry before we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the night's festivities.

 Can you see the "tiny" ball?? They had just put it in its place
for the big New Year's festivities

 Only the best department store ever...Macy's in Herald Square

 Gorgeous window displays

 my amazing pizza for lunch!

Jeff had a little snafoo with his balsamic vinegar--haha

 A fun parade going through Little Italy and Chinatown

For dinner, we had reserved a table at 48 NYC, a fun lounge in Midtown where we could sit back and relax a bit before our big night out on Broadway. The apps were incredible and the ambiance was perfect for our group--not to mention us girls love to get dressed up! Then it was off to see The Lion King...one word--INCREDIBLE! If you visit NYC, you absolutely have to see it. We were all blown away by the music, the costumes, and of course the set design...perfect show! Afterwards, I called it a night and went to the hotel, while everyone else went to see the trees in Rockefeller Center and have some late night cocktails and pizza...yes, pregnant lady had to get some sleep.

Sunday marked our final day in the city so we started off early to get as much knocked out as possible. We had brunch at Pastis and then hopped on the subway to take in everything downtown--the World Trade Center site, Century 21,  Wall Street, and the Financial District. Then the boys headed to a pub to watch football while us girls did our last shopping at Macy's to take home ornaments from the trip.

 The tasty brioche french toast 

 Jeff and Aaron in front of the bull

 The NYSE

This trip was fun from start to finish and I have our fantastic friends to thank for it...it was so special to see New York during Christmas time and I think we had a successful adventure for their first NYC experience! I know we'll all be able to look back on this trip for years to come with really fond memories {and way too many laughs and inside jokes}--tremendous fun with my best friends--and of course feeling lucky to have had one last "adult trip" before someone makes their arrival next year, too ;)