Surprise parties are THE best!! The insane amount of planning and
organizing (and lying) that goes into it can be daunting, but the end
result is SO much fun!! After much debate and discussion, we ultimately decided to attempt a double surprise party weekend for Mom. Our first surprise involved just our immediate family. McKinley invited Mom and Dad over for a game night with him and his roommate, JK. This is a fairly common occurrence so certainly no red flags there. What Mom didn't know is that Jordan and his crew along with Chris and I would be hiding in the kitchen waiting to jump out and surprise her upon arrival. Worked like a charm!
Mom was no doubt surprised...especially since she had called me just a few minutes before while I casually pretended to be enjoying a relaxing weekend at our apartment in NY. I'm good, friends! Put me on the surprise squad ANY day! :) That Saturday afternoon all the siblings just hung out and entertained the kids. I worked with Brinley and Landon on being quiet as a mouse when we surprised Grandma and Grandpa. They did awesome while we waited to spring the surprise!
It was a lot of fun to play games and just hang out that night. We told Mom we were planning to go to church with her and take her out for a family lunch the next day. Surprisingly, she didn't ask a ton of questions. We all thought we were in the clear. She didn't suspect a thing.
And we were right!! Church was great. Mom was extremely happy to have us all there together - a rarity these days! We got some fun family shots outside the church before the rain began. At that point, we headed over to Old Hickory for our second surprise.
The hostess group was a little lacking on the subtleties and nearly gave us away, but the New Yorker in me took over and just barged through to the banquet room. Mom said she thought we might have invited her sister to join us, but she never expected to see a whole room full of family and friends. Since I was in the group that arrived with her, I didn't get a look at her facial expression. The pictures say it all though. Mom was absolutely thrilled to be able to visit with so many wonderful people for the afternoon. We were all relieved we managed to pull it off - a feat we had doubts about from the beginning!
Have you ever planned a surprise party? How did it go?
Chris and I made a trip to Kentucky this past weekend to surprise my mom for her 60th Birthday. There is a post to come with all those fun and exciting details, but one of the secondary events that occurred while we were in town happened to be a little impromptu birthday party for my niece!
I can't hardly believe that little Brinley is now a big four year old! She is definitely one of a kind - such a smart, independent, and funny little gal. I loved having some time to play and interact with her in person this weekend. Our time together is never long enough, but it sure was fun to hang out with the little lady that made me an aunt! Fortunately, it won't be long before we see her again! Can't wait til next time!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my favorite PRINCESS of them all!!
It would have been impossible to fit one more event into our April calendar. Lesson learned as we proceed with caution with summer approaching! We did have TONS of fun during our insanely busy month though! We hosted my parents for a few days, hit up a slew of movies at the Tribeca Film Festival, and saw a thought-provoking show with friends who were visiting the city. In the midst of all the fun, our date nights prevailed! I set up a double date with friends of ours while Chris planned a surprise weekend getaway for us!
Back in April of 2010, Christopher and I had our first date at Brother Jimmy's on Lexington and 31st so it was only fitting that I booked our double date at that location. We had fun rehashing the story of that night with Rachel and Lionel as well as chatting about a whole array of things from Survivor to FitBit Mania to sports/books. It was a great night together with friends we have both spent the past few years getting to know individually. We all met at a Bible Study group about three years ago. As it turned out, Chris and Lionel worked in the same area and meet for lunch from time to time. And Rachel and I ended up in a book club together! It's rare that we spend time with couples that we both know equally well so that made for an extra fun night.
Chris did an amazing job of putting together a fun weekend trip to Mystic, Connecticut. Click HERE to see all the fun we had at the aquarium, Olde Mistick Village, and walking around the historic downtown area. We had a fantastic weekend away, but Chris really blew me away with the ultimate adventure date during this trip. He planned a penguin encounter for us at the Mystic Aquarium. We were able to spend an hour learning all about the African penguins that are on exhibit there as well as pet and play with our own little penguin friend! I wrote all about the experience HERE. It was such a thoughtful and fun-filled date!
What does the challenge entail? Well, I'm glad you asked. There are 26
letters of the alphabet and Mia and I challenge you, during the course of
2016, to read a book that starts with each letter. For example,
Atonement (A), The Bell Jar (B), Catching Fire (C), and so on. Makes
sense, right? You don't need to go in order - if you want to start with
S, go for it. On the last day of each month, we'll host a link-up for you to share
your ABC Reads. We will award one point for each letter you review AND a
bonus point for linking up with us! At the end of the year (or when
the first participant reviews a book beginning with each of the 26
letters), the winner will be awarded a $30 Amazon gift card. So, what
do you say? Do you accept our ABC Reads challenge?
It was a slow reading month for me. We had SO much going on that I barely had time to catch my breath let alone finish a book. The one I did manage to complete was fantastic though! Hopefully, I'll make up some ground in May. For this month, I completed the following letter: S.
Here are my thoughts...
Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
This book was incredible. A wealth of knowledge...explained in an easy to understand and absorb manner. There are basically three keys to change - directing the rider (our brains), motivating the elephant (our hearts), and shaping the path. Everyone has an emotional elephant side and a rational rider side. It is equally important to speak to both sides of individuals when attempting to affect change. The book has numerous examples that illustrate various methods.
To direct the rider it is important to find the bright spots, script critical moves, and point to the destination. When working on that rational side, it is best to investigate what is already working and duplicate it. Often we focus on those doing it wrong and try to correct them instead. I really thought the "find the bright spots" concept was novel. Obviously, being specific can help our brains focus more clearly. For example, instead of saying let's eat more healthy change the perspective to let's be sure to include at least one vegetable each night for dinner or let's only purchase whole grain bread. Script small and specific moves to work toward the big picture goal. Lastly, give yourself direction. It's always easier to change if you know why it is worth changing!
To motivate the elephant, find the feeling, shrink the change, and grow your people. Finding the feeling often involves incorporating the senses - sight and touch specifically. Showing someone the difference can be a powerful motivator. A great example of shrinking the change explained in the book revolved around cleaning your home. It can be a massive task that can spin you into emotional distress! But, tackling one room or space at a time for a set amount of minutes can make it seem possible. Plus, setting the timer for 10-minutes and going for it in the bathroom will more often than not leave you with a completely sparkling room...even if you go over the time limit you set. The key is making it small enough to motivate your "elephant" to get started! Growing your people has more to do with creating a sense of identity and honing in on things people with that identity do or don't do. Group think is powerful!
I was aware of the Rider/Elephant way of thinking before reading this book, but I found the final target of shaping the path to be critical. Shaping the path revolves around tweaking the environment, building habits, and rallying the herd. As a runner, I know that it is much easier for me to make it out the door if I lay out my clothes/shoes the night before. Something so simple can change the environment enough to make the difference between me getting out there or me staying in bed a little longer. Similarly, if I can make something a habit by doing it long enough that my brain just operates on autopilot, it makes it SO much easier to complete those tasks. Building tasks like eating breakfast as soon as I wake up or reading my devotional in the morning as habits frees up my mind to not have to devote energy toward thinking about or motivating myself to do them. The power of habit is important - especially when trying to make a life change! Rallying the herd is simple - we all know that behavior is contagious! When making a change, you should rely on the herd to help promote and encourage others - even if it means seeding a few people in the beginning stages.
I definitely recommend checking out this book. It has several extremely thought-provoking insights and examples throughout. I would suggest it for absolutely anyone!
Which letters did you cross off your list this month?
A weekend getaway can do wonders for a person - especially when they live in the hustle and bustle of New York City! Chris did a great job planning just that for us last weekend. We took a quick trip to Mystic, Connecticut. It is a little over two hours away...and the perfect place to relax for a couple days!
We began our adventure with a trip to the Mystic Aquarium for a surprise penguin encounter that Chris planned for me. You can read all about it HERE - such an awesome experience! After the encounter, we spent time checking out all the other exhibits and even managed to catch the last sea lion show for the day! The aquarium focuses on education which was unique and quite interesting. I felt like I was learning all day!
After the aquarium, we popped next door to mill around Olde Mistick Village. We stopped in Bleu Squid for a sandwich and some tasty cupcakes before making a loop around the shops. My one suggestion for anyone visiting the area is to come hungry! There was a chocolate shop, tea tasting, various honey blends to sample, and even a local coffee shop! No shortage of treats to devour!
We stayed at the Hilton near the aquarium and enjoyed a live band as we ate dinner. The hotel also had a really neat outdoor fire pit area that we took advantage of before heading off to bed for the night.
On our second day, we headed to the historic downtown area. Grabbing a slice or two at Mystic Pizza was on the top of our list. Neither of us had seen the 1980's movie that was filmed at the restaurant, but we were certainly familiar with the popular pizza joint. And it did NOT disappoint! They advertise a special ingredient in their sauce. We couldn't put our finger on the exact difference, but we gobbled up our pizza pie in no time!
We spent some time browsing around the local bookstore before making our way down to a homemade ice cream parlor near the drawbridge. It was a perfect day to enjoy a scoop as we ventured across the bridge and around the river for a bit. As luck would have it, our timing worked out - we actually got to see the drawbridge rise for a boat! Pretty neat!
We capped off our weekend trip with a round of mini-golf in a nearby town as we made our way home. I started the game off with a hole-in-one. The lead was mine throughout the course. And then at the last hole, I sabotaged myself...and we ended the game in a tie! I couldn't even make up the insanity that ensued on that final hole. Maybe next time, right?
As huge Modern Family fans, we knew we couldn't miss Jesse Tyler Ferguson's new limited run one-man show on Broadway! He plays a multitude of characters throughout the show - something like 40 different people! His main character, Sam, spends his days taking reservations at one of New York's most exclusive restaurants. Sam's a struggling actor and has a bit of a family dilemma as well. Clearly, Sam is juggling a lot!
We really enjoyed the show! It was amazing to watch Jesse Tyler Ferguson keep all the characters straight. Honestly, I can't even imagine how he kept it all together on stage for an hour and a half! Super talented! Not to mention the array of accents and voice tones he had to use throughout the performance. Jesse Tyler Ferguson was simply fantastic!!
After the show, I convinced Chris to wait around with me to meet the star at the stage door! Jesse Tyler Ferguson was incredibly kind and humble as various people offered their feedback on the show and asked for photos and autographs. Definitely happy to have stuck around for the opportunity to engage with him.
Happy World Penguin Day!! Perfect planning on Christopher's part since he surprised me with an awesome penguin encounter at the Mystic Aquarium this weekend. We had a wonderful experience with our new penguin friend.
We learned A LOT about penguins during our hour long encounter. We were also able to pet Mr. Penguin. And help the aquarium with some training by playing pretend veterinarian!
The most interesting portion of the day involved learning about the naming system for the penguins at the aquarium. They are named using beads attached to one of their flippers. The first bead is either blue or pink and indicates gender. Gender can't be known by looking at the external body of the penguin. It requires a blood test that occurs within the first year of the penguin's life. The Mystic Aquarium assigns each penguin a two color name based on when they arrived at the aquarium. Our penguin's name was Green Red because he was the 30th penguin at the aquarium.
We later learned about the mating habits of the penguins. And discovered that Green Red's mate is named Green Green. She is the 33rd penguin at the aquarium. They recently hatched some baby penguins that were just introduced to the exhibit this past week. They are the proud parents of Purple Purple and Purple Silver. We were able to catch both Green Green and Purple Purple when we visited the exhibit during the afternoon feeding session. In the photo below, you can see that Purple Purple has yet to be identified as male or female based on the white bead proceeding the naming beads. We also learned that it is during the first yearly molt that the baby African penguins develop the signature black stripe across their chest. Notice that Purple Purple currently doesn't have the stripe that Green Green and Green Red possess. I told you we learned a lot! :)
Mystic Aquarium also does a lot of work to assist in keeping the African penguin from becoming extinct. Sadly, it is currently an endangered species in the wild. We learned about the aquarium's various efforts on the coast of Africa. And discovered several ways we could help locally - recycling and using reusable grocery bags!
Interacting with Green Red during our encounter was such a special experience. I have always loved penguins (and had a similar encounter experience at Sea World with my parents when I was a teenager), but as an adult this experience was much more educational. I will certainly be looking into ways to go above and beyond to protect these amazing and precious creatures! I hope you'll do the same!
Aren't penguins just adorable? What is your favorite animal?
