A Much Needed London

  

Well I'm back home in NYC, and as I was reviewing pictures from the trip (trying to select which ones to use in my post this morning) I realized how quick it all went. Some of the pictures are from my very first day there, but they feel like they were taken just yesterday. With that said, In my one week there, I had a chance to strengthen friendships, visit/bond with family, and was able to recharge my battery. My friends joke saying that I basically took a vacation from a vacation as I'm not exactly working, but the truth is - NYC has been stressful and really not so easy. This (London) was exactly what I needed.

The pictures above are really just some random pics from the city. Later in the week, I'll post about more specific events: my friend, Andre's birthday, two different areas, Tooting and St. John's Wood, as well as family and (of course) the Queen.

Memories

Well - this is it. My last day in Louisiana...at least for a very long time. Tomorrow morning at 6:10, I'll be catching my flight to NYC which means tomorrow at 6:10, I'll be questioning possibly the biggest decision I've made yet. It's very scary to uproot an entire life and move to one of the biggest cities in the world, but as for now, I have no hesitation that this is absolutely the right decision. I have so many wonderful memories from Covington full of family fun, craziness, and love. I will miss them terribly (probably to a level that I can't yet comprehend), but it'll be okay. It'll all be okay.

Jeri's Corner! (Birthday Lunch)

Sunday, after the Red Dress Run, I invited a few of my closest friends to my parent's for some apps, drinks, and lunch. Despite the fact that we were all a little hung over, we all had a good time hanging out and laughing (especially with MawMaw) as we recounted the weekend's festivities.

After we ate grilled chicken and sausage, salad, and black bean salsa, we all stuck around for some cupcakes that we butchered cut into fourths for easier sharing (and champagne). A quick GREAt Jeri's corner idea: hand-written cards for sauces, dressings, and ingredients. It adds a personal touch to something that's ordinarily pretty generic. All in all, I'd say it was a pretty great afternoon. Now, as I write this back in Baton Rouge, I'm nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life (dramatic enough for you?)

PS - The picture of the 6 of us is somewhat a joke - picking at the fact that our lives are so "wonderful and perfect". Orchid, anyone? #besties 

My New Place (take 4)

One year ago, when I moved into my house on Capitol Heights, I thought I was finally done with moving. It's the biggest pain, it never goes as smoothly as you think, and there's always at least one unexpected something-or-other to make things worse than they already would be. What a joke. Since vacating my house, I've now completed my 4th move in ONE month. Thank God for wonderful, generous friends because that is who I've been leaning on. Thank you Patrick, Megan, and Michael for your hospitality while I got my life back in order! (Yes, I know that equals 3, not 4)

Last night (after a particularly long day at work then two client house calls for The Mended Nest) I moved for (hopefully) the last time for at least a few months. My Uncle Tommy was nice enough to let me move into his place, and I couldn't turn down the offer. Then of course, there's the added bonus that his house is extremely nice. It's completely my style: 12 foot ceilings, white walls and trim, dark floors, triple crown molding, super clean and simple. Since he works in NOLA and stays there frequently, I'll have the house to myself for a few nights out of the week. Well...me and his 4 dogs! I'm really looking forward to my time here. I'll have plenty of time and space to blare some music, pour a glass of wine/pop open a beer, and start on some Mended Furniture projects. It's morphin' relaxin' time!

Happy Birthday, Mark!

Yesterday, my brother, Mark (middle) turned 21! Jeri, my dad, Frank, and my brother, Christian (left) all went out to eat at this superb downtown Covington restaurant, Del Porto. Renovated my my all time favorite architect, Matt Voelkel (owner of Studio MV), Del Porto was the perfect place to celebrate Mark for this epic birthday.

We usually have big family gatherings for birthdays since so much of our extended family lives close to us in Covington. While those are always a blast, it was nice to have a little change and enjoy the company of my immediate family. It was so nice to just sit and chat over great food and overpriced wine. It's times like these that I realize how blessed I am to be a part of such a great family. Cheers!

PS - if you go here, you'll see my favorite house that Matt's designed. Obsessed.

Brunch with Mariee' - Feelings Cafe

OMG, it's Monday already? UGH. At least I can relive yesterday at my desk over and over and over. Mariee', Jeri's mom took my cousin/basically brother, Alex and myself to Feelings Cafe in New Orleans for brunch. Alex and I are the two oldest grandchildren on my mom's side other than one other cousin who lives in London. The point is we had her to ourselves for a long time before my brother came along 5 years later. We have such a special relationship with her, and yesterday was the first time in a while we were all free to get together. The food, the drinks and the company were all top notch. We had an absolutely wonderful time.

Afterwards, Alex had to go play in a soccer game, so MawMaw and I had the afternoon to ourselves. First, we visited the house where she grew up on Music St. (below). According to her, it's totally different now with the colors and ornamentation, but either way it's a pretty cool old house. It's deceivingly small - it's camel back style, and the top portion in the back held 4 bedrooms. Not too shabby! We finished the day off by driving around New Orleans and doing a bunch of nothing. I loved it. Before we left the city to go back to the Northshore (Covington), we stopped for coffee and cannolis at Angelo Brocato's. OMG. If you've never been...GO! They make them fresh right in front of you, and it's hard to think of something better than fresh cannolis, coffee, and MawMaw.

Weekend Recap - Caroline's Christening

Happy Monday! These are some pictures from our Sunday morning and afternoon when we went down to New Orleans for Beau's niece, Caroline's christening. First, we all went to Mass, and immediately after was the Baptism. The church, St. Francis Xavier, was absolutely beautiful and the ceremony was so wonderful and intimate (as you can see in the pictures above).

Afterwards, all 50 (light exaggeration) of us went to eat at Mandina's on St. Charles. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to snap any pics of my turtle soup or messy-but-delicious-as-hell roast beef poboy OR Beau's sweet Italian sausage poboy...because I was too busy stuffing my face. If you haven't been to Mendina's then GO!!

As always, we had such a great time with Beau's families. We love them all and are so blessed to be part of such wonderful people. BTW - how cute is Isabel (above)?!

...As Seen on HGTV

Does this house look familiar? It should if you're a true HGTV fan! A few months ago, Beau's cousin, Taylor and his family were featured on the popular HGTV show, House Hunters as they were in search of a "Getaway Home" in New Orleans. #mustbenice.

Well, this is the house on Magazine St. I keep mentioning when I post about our New Orleans weekends. More often than not, it's where we sleep when we're down there. It's beautiful - located right in the Garden District/Uptown (I can't REALLY tell the difference) on Magazine St., I can't tell which part I like better: the house or the neighborhood.

With it's 100ft. ceilings (seriously - they're so high), original hardwood floors, and stunning windows, this house is incredible to be in. I just feel so fancy. Furthermore, Taylor and his mom, Kim have done a great job decorating, if I do say so myself. My favorite parts: the pops of color. Generally, I'm afraid of color, so maybe I should be taking notes? Best part (and this has totally happened - no lie) people will stop you as you're coming out/walking in and say, "OMG - is this the house from House Hunters?". How cool is that?!

Lord it's like a [Moss Family] Christmas...

Christmas morning, Beau and I ate breakfast and hung out with the Hollands and Jenkins until about 10am, then we hopped in the car and drove westbound for THREE hours to get to Lake Charles (Beau's hometown) to visit his dad's side. TOTALLY worth the drive! The whole Moss family is awesome and reminds me so much of mine: loud, funny, big (in terms of quantity), and craaazy! His aunts, uncles, and Mimi are all wonderful, but it's the cousins that bring the family gatherings to another level. I think there are two thousand 17 cousins on that side, and they're all around the same age, and are all great. For this Christmas, even cousins from out of state came in to visit, so we got a chance to visit with everyone...and had they not, Jingle Booty would have never been introduced to my life...

So I know I have mostly random food pictures, but I get a little nervous whenever I whip my camera out at a party - I feel like everyone's watching thinking, "put the camera up, weirdo". Furthermore, it's hard to take pictures when I'm laughing hysterically. Amongst other games, some of Beau's cousins created a little game called "Jingle Booty". The idea of the game is to get as many jingle bells out of an empty Kleenex box that's belted to your butt...by shaking it like...a salt shaker. It. Was. Hilarious.

After the family get-together, Beau and I met up with his dad, stepmom, and twin brothers for a little gift exchange at their house. Amongst other things, they gave us an incredible patio set (table and chairs) for our newly poured patio! Yay yay yay! Then that night, we slept like kings in their new addition/guest house they just finished building! It was so neat to see Mended Nest furniture in it's natural habitat (I recently finished an end table for Beau's stepmom).

So all in all, I think this was one of the best Christmases I've ever had. Seeing my family and both of Beau's in one weekend was exhausting, but so much fun. We're blessed for so many reasons, but family has to be my number one. We love them all. Merry Christmas!

Christmas with the Jenkins and Hollands!

So after spending Thursday night and Friday morning in Covington with the Caraglianos, Beau and I headed south to New Orleans to visit the Jenkins (Beau's sister's family) and the Hollands (Beau's mom, stepdad, and brother). Laurel, Beau's sister (Jenkin's Family Journey), lives in a beautiful house on Fairway Dr., and that's where we spent Christmas Eve and day. We had such a great time sitting around drinking wassel, playing with Beau's niece, Isabel, and enjoying family talks and yummy food.

It was so enjoyable because we had absolutely nothing to do...and major rarity. At home, we usually get stuck working on some sort of project, but there we got to truly relax! We went to the movies a few times and went out to eat, but mostly hung around the house and just enjoyed each other's company. Beau has the most loving family and it's always a joy to spend time with them.

Christmas eve was my favorite day/night. We went to Mass right around the corner and then came home for a delicious Christmas meal...and then exchanged presents! There's nothing like watching a three year old's excitement when opening Christmas presents - I loved it! Of course, Isabel had her presents from Santa on Christmas morning, but these were from Mia (Rose), Bops (Bob), her mommy and daddy, and "The Uncles" (Beau, Bobby, and me). 

So, after enjoying a little more family fun Christmas morning over coffee and breakfast, Beau and I hopped in the car and headed west to Lake Charles, LA for the last leg of our Christmas journey - Christmas with the Moss family!