Thursday, July 30, 2009

Mom's visit!

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My mom came to visit Rich and I in NYC last weekend, and we had a blast! The only other time she's been to the Big Apple was when she and I were touring colleges when I was a high school junior, and that trip was quite the adventure. Neither of us had any idea what we were doing, which provided some comical experiences.

Let's just say this trip was the opposite of that. Thanks to my new knowledge of the city and Rich's generosity, she got to see how awesome New York can be. Rich hooked her up with a room at the Palace, and the first night she was there we had an awesome meal at the traditional Italian restaurant Il Menestrello. I stayed with her at the Palace the first night so we could be up bright and early to take the Circle Line tour around Manhattan, and that night we had dinner with Rich's parents at the Chart House in New Jersey. We had another amazing meal, but the best part about the restaurant was it's marvelous view of the New York skyline.

The last day she was there we went to brunch and then to the matinee of "Hair." Ok, maybe I should've done more research before picking a play. I knew Hair was about the '60s and Vietnam war and all that, but I wasn't prepared for how ... sexual it was. Let's just say the full nude scene took us all by surprise, among some other parts. But the play was still very good and we all had a good time. We finished off her trip with dinner at the classic New York steakhouse, Smith & Wollensky.

The trip went by so fast! Two and a half days is nowhere near enough time to see all that New York has to offer, but we all had a great time and now we know what we want to do when she comes back! It was really special to experience it with her. And a big thanks to Rich for making it all possible. =)

Friday, July 24, 2009

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

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Here it is! eFlirt Expert's first real press - and it's in the Washington Post!


Laurie also had an interview with the Boston Globe, and hopefully that will be hitting news stands this weekend or next weekend too! Press = exposure which hopefully = clients! Woot!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Family, fun and sun

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So, it's been almost exactly a month since I last posted - which could be the longest I've ever gone since starting this blog - but I have a good reason! For the last three weeks I was on vacation surrounded by family, fun and sun. The first week I was in Orlando for my grandmother's 80th birthday and the last two weeks I was in Lavallette in the Jersey Shore with Rich and his family.

Some highlights:
  • Rich got initiated with the Hartmans with little to no injury, haha. No, just kidding, the visit went flawlessly. It was the first time he'd met everyone except my dad and they were all very accepting. Even Uncle Rick.
  • I got to take Rich to see a little of Orlando through a native's eyes when we went to my favorite restaurant, Cafe Tu Tu Tango, and to Pat O'Brien's at CityWalk.
  • I also got much closer to his family while at the Shore. His kids and I bonded a lot. I've spent a lot of time with his family before, but this was by far the longest at one time. Thankfully, I think they still like me.
  • I had forgotten how much I missed the beach. This trip came at just the right time - I was really stressed out about my job situation (or lack thereof) and needed to get away for a while. Some sand in my toes and sun on my skin did just the trick.
  • After loving the beach so much, I was actually really worried about how I'd feel when I came back to the city. But thanks to some promising news with eFlirt Expert and the knowledge that I'll still be able to work from home for ICE, I at least knew that I'd have some work to do. And as we were driving home, I got a perfect view of the New York City skyline and it took my breath away like always. I suddenly felt refreshed and ready to take on the future.
  • I started a couple freelance stories while on vacation that I'm pretty excited about. I don't want to say too much on here yet, but I think if I do the right research and interviews they could be glossy sellers. Hopefully.
So that's where I've been. Rich and I are headed to dinner with a good group of great friends tonight, and I'm really excited about it. I belong here.