Shes growing!

Today I am 22 weeks and 1 day pregnant. Pretty crazy!!! I feel like it is going super fast. Here are some 20 week pictures for you:

I am actually still feeling kind of crappy. I definitely have my good days and my bad days. I will say the bad days are pretty bad. I am ready to just feel "ok" again. While the nausea is slowly starting to fade, other fabulous side effects of pregnancy are starting to rear their ugly head. Back pain...round ligament pain (for people that don't know what that is...it's what is most commonly referred to as "lightening crotch")...acne...etc etc etc.

I have to say, I am very envious of the people that say they LOVE being pregnant. Do not get me wrong...I am so so SO excited to be having a baby and I feel very lucky that we got pregnant so easily...but this is not what I would refer to as "fun". I know once she gets here all the ugly side effects of pregnany will dissaper from my memory...but right now this is not easy and certainly not fun.

One thing that is fun....the baby is kicking up a storm! She is totally going to be a little swimmer (with the way she is kicking I am predicting her stroke will be butterfly)... or a Rockette (although I doubt with her parents height she will get past the first auditions). Eric has felt her kick a few times as well which is of course very exciting.

I think we have also decided on our furniture. We just have to put in the order!

Today we made our first big baby purchase! Not only did we make a purchase but we got one hell of a deal. I had a craving after the Martha show. For some reason I wanted a hot dog. Eric and I leashed up Toby and heading to a hot dog place about 15 blocks away. On the way up we stopped at a new baby store that had recently opened. They happened to have a floor model upholstered glider that was in PERFECT condition for 50% off. This is like a top of the line 700+ chair and we got it on super sale. It is actually EXACTLY what I was looking for in the exact fabric and color that we wanted. It was totally fate! Now we have a big ol' chair in our small apartment just covered by a sheet until we can get somewhere that has a room for the babies nursey.

As far as bedding goes. I found a fabulous vendor on etsy.com that is going to custom make our bedding with some super sassy fabric AND Michaels girlfriend Eliza is going to make us some custom artwork for the nursey as well ( I am SO excited about this, her work is AMAZING). This babies room is totally going to be a million times better than my bedroom!

So there is your update! A couple other exciting things going on that I will have to update you on when everything is set in stone. Stay tuned :)

Chillin' with my girl Martha

I know ... I know. It has been a while. I will spare you the apology and just say that I will TRY and post more often.

Anyways..onto the excitement of the day.

Today my friend Jenna and I were in the studio audience for the first (in studio) episode of the Martha Stewart Show.
We showed up around 8am and there was already a line down the block. It was crazy to see the weird mixture of random Martha Stewart fans. You had the crazy Martha psycho fansd, the angry husbands that you could tell were just dragged there by their wives, even the local scrapbooking club.

Once inside you had to go through a through security check. I am talking FULL purse check and a metal detector! This was serious business I guess. We were all herded into the "waiting area" where you were made to fill out random waivors and watch past Martha shows on TV.

About 30 minutes before the show started we were allowed into the studio. Jenna and I had prime seats. Totally in the center a few rows up. We had a full view of everything going on.

Check out the in studio kitchen cooking before the show

They were totally playing...lets "warm you up" music in the studio. Definitely NOT things that I imagined being played at Martha Stewart...Usher..Rihanna...etc. It was also funny people watching and checking out the older woman in front of me trying to clap (off beat may I add) to the beats of Usher.

After about a 10 minute warm of up the crowd (an explantion on how to clap...turn your cell phones off...get excited...bla bla) the live show started!

It was a very uneventful show to be honest (tomorrow is Perez Hilton...dang! missed him by one day!!)...especially for her first show of the season. There was a chef on who made some ice cream (not that we got to taste it or anything), Martha's snarky daughter (they totally ripped on each other the whole time), a crafting segment, a cake decorating segment (once again...not something we got to taste) and thats about it!

After the show Martha answer some questions from the audiance...

and then we were hurried out the door. We did get a bag full of Martha swag but nothing huge. A crafting tool, kitchen gadget, some scrapbooking crap and a gift certificate to Michaels.

OF COURSE I tivo'd the episode and you totally see me and my orange shirt clapping and smiling several times. If you missed it I have it on the tivo...you always have an open invitation to come over any day and check out my famous-ness!

You want what?

Cravings are weird.

Right now there are things that I would not touch with a 10 foot pole. Chicken for one totally grosses me out. I was watching my favorite channel the other day (the food network of course) and someone was doing something with chicken and I almost got sick right there. It is so weird. Someone was telling me the other day that its your bodies natural way of protecting itself. Which makes sense I guess....I don't want salmonella...so stay away from chicken.

I used to think that pregnancy cravings were just an old wives tale. I mean please...how could you crave something so badly that you wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it?

Well...now my life is consumed with cravings. Seriously...its ridiculous. The second I think of something I need to have it. What is strange is that a lot of my cravings are for things I have not had in years or never even liked.

Lets see...what is currently on my list...

1. Vanilla Ice Cream. I used to hate vanilla ice cream. If someone bought a neapolitan carton I was totally the girl that would eat all of the strawberry and chocolate and leave the vanilla for some other sucker. Now its all I want. The other day Eric ate the last of my vanilla ice cream and I had to remind him of the rules. You know? The rule that you DO NOT eat the last of a pregnant womans ice cream?

2. Taco Bell. We talked about this before. But it still shocks me how much I enjoy it every time I eat it.

3. Spaghetti-o's. What? This started today. I did not see a commercial..no one was talking about...just all of the sudden I wanted...no CRAVED spaghetti o's

4. Pretzals and Queso Dip. I am sorry...that is just good stuff. The problem is when I start to eat it I can't stop. So...its not an every day thing

5. Necterines. I am sure you are happy to see at least 1 healthy thing on my list. I am in love with necterines right now. Good thing the random dude on the corner sells them every day.

I think thats it for now. I am sure I will have a million more cravings over the next 6 mths...what will be next?!?! Your guess is as good as mine!

Happy 4th of July!

I miss BBQ-ing! It is the 4th of July and all I want to do is have a relaxing day off and end it with a nice BBQ.

Sadly, that is not really possible in our small New York City apartment. No backyard ... No balcony ... No BBQ.

I have however heard about those "rule breaker" new yorkers who do a little fire escape bbq-ing. Totally against the law...but I think I may have to take the risk and buy a small hibachi grill.


No "small scale" fireworks here either. All you have is the crazy televised Macy's fireworks along the river. Apparently people start claiming their space pretty early in the morning. I think I will pass on that one. However, you can see the river out of our kitchen window. So its possible we will get some fireworks after all. We will see....

Eric and I are going to still try and "stove" bbq tonight. I have to admit I have a fabulous burger recipe that is always a hit. So we will make some burgers, do some homemade fries and even cook up some baked beans. Then...its early to sleep for me as I have to work tomorrow...fun fun.

If you are still looking for a burger recipe I totally reccomend this one! They are delicous and super juicy.

Best Burgers EVER

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons evaporated milk
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat grill for high heat.
2. In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, evaporated milk, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, and garlic using your hands. Form the mixture into 8 hamburger patties.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill patties 5 minutes per side, or until well done.

Today was a good day!

I know .... I know. I have been super lazy lately and have not updated this blog. To be honest...I have not been lazy...I have just been really busy! So...over the next couple days I will try to get caught up but right now I just have to write a quick blog on why today was a good day.

So, I hate taco bell. I think it is gross. Even when I am drunk and its 2am I really do not want taco bell. I have just always thought it was pretty nasty.

This week...ALL I have wanted was Taco Bell. I could taste the Nacho Bell Grande in my mouth. I was craving it...BIG TIME! Sadly I knew of no Taco Bells in the area. It almost brought me to tears. I even tried to get nasty nachos from a different "fast food" taco place and it paled in comparison. I went to the Taco Bell website and plugged in my zip code. There was nothing in my area. It was possibly the saddest I have ever been.


Then today I go to order lunch. I usually order from www.seemlessweb.com. It is this fabulous website with all the restaurants that deliver to your area. It stores your credit card...so when you are hungry just pop on seemlessweb.com order your food and its there in no time! I love it. Super easy and you do not have to talk to anyone on the phone. Bonus!

Anyways..back to the story. So I go online looking for food and I am scanning the newly added restaurants and something miraculous happens. One of the restaurants is a Taco Bell!!!! I was filled with happiness and immediately ordered up my Nachos. 20 minutes later I was the happiest girl ever. They tasted just as I imagined they would...No...they tasted better. Am I crazy for going on and on about Taco Bell...maybe. But I do not care! It totally made my day and now I want more!!

So why else was today a good day?

I love the show Gossip Girl. Yes...I am aware that I am not 15. But I cannot help it...it is totally my guilty pleasure TV show.

ANYWAYS....I was walking home from work today and realized that they were filming an episode a block away from me! Um...fun. Nothing was going on when I walked by. I think they were filming at the sassy hotel down the block. About an hour later Toby needed to go on a walk so I decided to stroll on by the trailers. They were basically shutting down and packing everything up. Oh well. No "sightings" tonight.

Then...as Toby and I were strolling by Mr. Chuck Bass himself walks right next to me!
Don't worry I totally played it cool and waited until I was around the corner until I called my friends to share the star sighting news.

Who knew my block was so cool!

Well thats it for now. I am tired. I promise...I will try and write more later!

Honk Honk

I admit it. I miss my car. I come from a state whose whole economy is focused on the automobile industry. So driving has been a big part of my life since I was young.

Getting a new car was a big deal. I remember posing by my dads new convertibles and thinking how cool it would be to have one of my own when I grew up.

When I graduated college I followed the path of many Michigan residents and went to work for a car company. Cars became my life...I talked to people on the phone about them...shmoozed with dealers...learned everything anyone could know about a Jeep Grand Cherokee...drove way too many miles....and launched a car brand in an international market. Cars were my life.

Even when I left Michigan and Eric and I went on tour...a car was still a major player in tour life. Every few weeks we would pack up ol' Bruiser (our nickname for the Jeep) and travel to the next town. We spent a lot of time in that car.

When we found out we were moving to New York we obviously did not need a car anymore. First of all...having a car in the city is an expense in itself. Apartments do not come with places to park a car...and parking on the streets is basically impossible. If you do find some kind of lot to park it in....it is like having a 2nd rent to pay each month. So we sent ol' Bruiser to a friend and came to New York car-less.

I was very nervous coming here. I have had a car all my life and I honesty like to drive. I have never really had to take public transportation and the thought of learning the subway and bus system was a bit scary. I guess I was just nervous that I would get on the wrong subway and end up someplace I did not want to be.

But...after being here a few months now I actually think I am starting to "get" it.

First of all....every morning I walk out my front door and head to the bus stop on the corner. I get on the bus with all the other working people and head up to 5th avenue. The buses here are much better that than the buses in San Francisco. In San Fran you always seemed to run into a very scary toothless cracked out person. In New York...its basically people just heading to work. I take the same bus to and from work every day. Pretty easy! (oh...as a side note..I also stop in the Trump Tower for a Starbucks every morning as it is across the street from work. I have not seen ol' Donald yet..but I will let you know if I do!)

As far as the subways...they really do not scare me anymore. Transfers? No problem. I have to admit I was very proud of myself...a few weekends ago I was meeting some people in the Village and one of the subway stops was completely messed up. I was able to re-route myself and actually did not even get lost...and I gotta tell you...it was a crazy re-route! I had to get on a weird bus and everything!

So I guess I am finally getting into the swing of things here. I do not feel like a tourist at all. So thats a good thing. I think once it starts to warm up I will really start to enjoy my time in New York.

Bottom line...yes I miss my car...but I am learning how to survive without it.

One more thing....

I know it is just a marketing thing...but I think its funny.

Our family likes to dance!

Don't send a lame eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Where is the power button on this phone?

I loathe talking on the phone.

I remember where I was in high school and all I wanted for my birthday was my own private line. I begged and pleaded for my very own line. When I finally got it .... I thought I was super cool. I mean come on...I had my own personal phone number. I got a totally awesome phone + answering machine and it was all mine. I would record a new answering machine message like every other day. I swear from the time I got home to the time I went to bed I was talking on that frickin phone.

Then everything changed.

The job I had out of college was working customer service for a car company. In theory it was great. The company titled it as a "training" period and the best way to be trained (in their eyes) was to be completely immersed in the product. The paid you a lot of money and since this was basically training, the customer service center was full of recently graduated college kids eager to advance in their careers. You did not take your work home with you. It was just a 8 hour shift of answering phones, email and letters. After work it was just a bunch of kids waiting to blow off the frustration of getting yelled at on the phone 8 hours a date. After work was a lot of fun.

During work...was hell on earth.

For 8 hours a day I was constantly screamed at. I have never been called so many fowl names in my entire life. Sweet old men would resort to nice phrases like: "Your a dumb son of a bitch and a whore too" (And that was the nice guy!). Awww....doesn't it just warm your heart? The first few months I was shocked that America had such a dirty vocabulary. My virgin ears would be tarnished for life. When someone called with a positive thing to say I honestly would not even know how to answer the call. I was so used to being yelled at....

After finally getting out of the dreaded call center I went out into the field and became a District Manager. This meant that instead of having customers call me all day on a hardline phone, I now had car dealers calling me all day on my cell phone. And if they were not calling me....I was calling them begging for something.

As time went on my love affair with the telephone began to drift away. The second I got home from work the last thing I wanted to do was be anywhere close to that phone. Still to this day I hate talking on the phone. After several years of bad phone experience all I relate to having that thing next to my ear is negative.

I used to be a great phone person..talking for hours just chit chatting with friends. Now...I cant really remember the last time I had a conversation on the phone that lasted more than 10 minutes. I will be the first to admit I am very short and to the point on the phone. I know some people think I am being rude...but I honestly do not even realize I am doing it. Bottomline...I hate the phone. Good thing Eric and I see each other in person every day!

Here is the Good News:

I am an IM addict!

And text messages? I am a whiz at T9.

So...moral of the story...If you IM me....or text me...I promise you will have a much better conversation!

Happy Valentines Day!!!

I am not a huge fan of Valentines Day. I just feel like it is a holiday created just so Hallmark can make money. But on the flip side ... who doesn't like to get a nice card or flowers? I will take those any day of the week!

Today was my second day as a working woman. I am still trying to get adjusted to waking up early. Since Eric works until about 11pm, most nights we are up until 2am and then sleep until 10ish. Ah the life of an actors wife! Now that I am a working girl I have to get back on the "normal people" schedule. I have to be at work around 8:30 so I am definitely getting up much earlier than normal. I woke up to a nice card waiting for me on the table this morning. It was a nice way to start the day.

So I hopped on the bus and headed off to work....

Today I felt like I gained 20 pounds. I walk in to work and there are some random truffles on my desk, then someone brought me a cappuccino (with whole milk I assume), then the salon had set out fancy chocolates for the guests and of course I had to try one, then someone dropped off a slice of the famous NYC Juniors Cheesecake. I mean it is famous...and I had never had any...I needed to at least try it...right???

THEN I get a special delivary. A nice box from my sweet husband. Some delicous chocolate covered strawberries
So...obviously today was a very chocolate....pound packing on...day! Ah well...tomorrow I am working out so maybe I will burn off a strawberry or two.

If you did not know...one of my favorite things is goat cheese. I love it. I could eat it in everything! So, I got home from work today and I walk in to see candles lit in our apartment and Eric in the kitchen cooking.

It was very very cute. He had made an amazing goat cheese linguine with roasted chicken and asparagus. He had slaved over the stove for several hours and it all turned out AMAZING!. I must admit....it is very nice to come home to dinner on the table! I could definitely get used to this kind of treatment!
So now I am just relaxing on the couch with the dog and an extremely full stomach.

All in all...even though I hate valentines day...this one turned out great. A ton of chocolate....a nice card....dinner on the table when I get home? Who could ask for anything more!

Matchmaking....New Career Choice???

Who knew little ol' me could be such a good matchmaker.

Sometimes you just KNOW things will work out. You just get a feeling that you need to make something happen. I got this feeling over 2 years ago with my friend Lorelei. Lorelei and I met when we both worked for Chrysler. Over the years we have grown closer and I feel very lucky to have met her. We share many of the same interests and although I HATED my job at Chrysler I do feel like it added many great things to my life...one of those being the friendship with Lorelei. We traveled to Spain one year for New Years, she opened her home to me while I was being transfered for work, spent many nights boozing it up and getting taco bell and she was there when I married Eric on the Beach.

At a wedding in the single days

New Years in Spain

Martinis in Traverse City

Tailgating at Michigan State

In Florida

Lets back up for a second. My friend Liz has a brother named Seth. I have know their family since I was elementary school. They are one of the best families around and every time I am over at their home or going out to dinner with them they just make you feel like a member of the (already huge) family. Seth is an amazing person.....

Over 2 years ago when Seth & Lorelei were both single I just KNEW that they would be perfect together. I don't know why...I just had this "feeling". I bugged my friend Liz everyday to have her brother call Lorelei. I think this went on for over a month. Finally Liz relayed the message and Seth gave her a call.

I guess after that the rest is history. They just clicked!

Last week, Seth got down on one knee and asked Lorelei to marry him.

I was so ecstatic to hear the great news. They make an amazing couple and it is all due to me...just kidding :) But in all seriousness I have known Seth's family for so long...It almost seems like Lorelei is marrying into my family! I am so excited for them. When she called to tell me the amazing news I started crying...just because I knew they were perfect for one another and their relationship was just ment to be.

Lorelei...I am so happy for you guys. I guess the amazing memories of drunk nights at the fever and century club at your pad are behind us. But, I know there are many more great memories to come!

Congrats you guys. I am so excited for you both and I know you will live a long happy life together!

Stop Biting!!!

For as long as I can remember I have been biting my nails. It is a gross habit I will be the first person to admit that. I have tried EVERYTHING to stop biting.

That gross nail polish with the aftertaste....bit through it

Tobasco on the nails...not a deterrent

Fake Nails...bit them too

For my 18th birthday I even asked for an appointment to get hypnosis to stop...we were never able to find someone.

To make matters worse. I have very short, stumpy fingers. In college my roommates used to refer to them as "cocktail weiners". So..I need the long nails to make my fingers look a bit more presentable.

In college I got into the fake acyrilc nails to help my hands look not so gross. Basically I paid the big bucks every 2 weeks and then quickly after getting them done I would bite them until they looked HORRIBLE. Since I bit them...I also had to deal with going into the nail place every 2 weeks and being ridiculed by the nail ladies. Yes...I know my nails look bad...please do not gather in a circle around me and laugh and point. I even had one lady tell me she was going to bring me in some cheerios so I could chew on them instead of chewing on my nails.

So from college up until now I have been spending between $25 - $60 every 2 weeks to get my nails done. Thats a lot of dough. I could have bought a ton of things with all that extra cash. Biting your nails is a gross habit I know that. It makes your hands look gross and it is not very lady like to walk around with your hands in your mouth.

Now we are in New York. Surprisingly there are not many places to get fake nails. There are about a million nail places on every block...but most of them only do natural nails (aka manicure /pedicure). So...I have decided that my resolution this year is to drop spending all that money on fake nails that I bite off and let my real nails breathe.

So far it has been about a month. I am getting better about not biting my nails but it is hard! I mean I have had this nasty habit my whole life!!! I am trying to get weekly manicures to help them look good and to maybe help me not bite them. Slowly but surely they are growing. Sadly I did some damage to my nails with all the years of acrylics....but they are getting better by the day.

Check it out...I actually have semi-proper looking nails...

If you ever see me biting my nails I give you full permission to slap me!

Is there a Dr on the Subway?

I had my first celeb encounter on the subway today. It was VERY exciting.

We were on the way to the East Village on the B train. I sit town and immediately across from me is the one and only Neil Patrick Harris aka Doogie Howser MD.

My friend had actually met him and hung out with him on the past and we were talking quietly about how she should approach him. Sadly...he got off at the next stop.

It is super fun to know that EVERYONE takes the subway in New York.

Who will I see next...stay tuned!

You installed WHAT in your studio apartment?

This past December I turned 30. I was not very happy about it. It probably did not help that Eric had to work 2 shows and it was like my 3rd day in New York (therefore...did not have anyone to hang out with). Needless to say my 30th birthday was not very eventful. Toby and I chilled with a bottle of wine and watched some reruns on TV. Definitely not the big blow out that most 30ths are. Eric and I did have a very yummy brunch though...so at least we had that!

Bottom line...not a very exciting birthDAY.

But a few days later my gift arrived.

So what do most people wish for on their 30th birthday. Jewelary? Clothes? A new Marc Jacobs purse? Yes ... those would all be nice. But this year...I got a very fun ... different.... fabulous gift!

You see, ever since I have started to take my S-Factor classes I have been telling Eric how I wanted a pole for home. That was obviously very hard to have on the road...its not easy to move a big bulky stripper pole from place to place.

Once we got to NYC I continued to bother Eric for one. Please keep in mind...we live in a small studio apartment. Probably not the ideal place for a large pole in the middle of the room.

Let me just interject this story by taking you back to the beginning of my blog days when I first starting talking about these stripper aerobics classes. My favorite comment was from my grandma in reference to the post. Here is what she had to say:

"Hi Sarah - I just finished reading your latest blog - Don't worry you can't shock me - what you do behind closed doors is your business - as long as you aren't stripping in public or pole dancing on stage it will be fun - who knows
you might get a pole for home & entertain Eric - See I'm modern!!!
Love you both,
Bubi"

Well Bubi...I guess you predicted the future because now Eric and I are the proud owners of a shiny black pole right smack dab in the middle of our pad. The day after my birthday a huge box that was about 10 feet tall was delivered to my door. Eric told me I was not allowed to open it until he got home...but the packaging spoiled it. I mean...what else could be in that box?!?! It took us a few tries to actually figure out how to put it up in our apartment (considering the stud finder we had was a piece of crap)...but now it is up...extremely sturdy (go eric!) and there for all my practicing needs!

Being that it is black it actually blends right in with the furniture...well not really...but it does fit in with our design theme I guess......

We are almost done decorating our place...so hopefully I will have some pics of the entire apartment soon!

Better late than never!

Eric and I never took a honeymoon. Basically he only got a week off for vacation while on tour and that was reserved for our wedding. Don't get me wrong...our wedding in Punta Cana was AMAZING...but every newly married couple deserves a honeymoon right???

Well...we finally booked one! So it will be our *late* honeymoon/one year anniversary vacation all in one!

Usually when I go on vacation I know exactly where I want to go. I have researched EVERYTHING on tripadvisor. Torn apart various websites and know everything about where I want to go. This time I had no idea. Good thing I had the best travel agent in the world.

If you are planning on taking a vacation I definitely suggest you contact Marcie at Beach Bum Vacations. I came to her like a lost little puppy not knowing where I wanted to go. She sent me a plethora of itineraries outlining everything about the resort. It was great to have all this info at my fingertips. Once you contact her you will never want to book your own vacation again! Thanks again Marcie :)

SO! Where are we going?!?!?

On April 28th Eric and I will be hopping a plane and setting our sights on the fabulous Sandals Whitehouse in Jamaica. I have never been to Jamaica and am super excited to just chill on the beach and relax.

Check out the beach....

We are very excited to finally take our much deserved honeymoon. Now we are just counting down the days!

Puggle Meetup!

So let me preface this blog by saying that I KNOW that I have not blogged in a while. If you did not know my computer met it's demise my falling off the kitchen counter and breaking on the floor. So...I have been computerless for about a month. My shiny new black macbook arrived yesterday so hopefully I will get all caught up.

**end sad computer breaking story**

One of the nice things about New York is that they have random groups for everything. There is a national site called meetup.com which is basically a site that lists gatherings for EVERYTHING. You like clowns...lets all meetup and discuss it. Enjoy brussel sprouts? There are a group of people that enjoy them as much as you do! Well last sunday Eric, Toby and I went to possible the best kind of meetup around. A Puggle meetup!

We did not know what to expect. We took a cab ride down to Soho and entered this cute looking store. They advised us to go upstairs to the playroom and when we looked through the door we could not believe what we saw. There were probably about 40 - 50 puggles in the room. It was insanity. If you have never met a puggle let me explain. Most of them are super crazy and LOVE to play. They also have part beagle in them...so a lot of the dogs have a pretty loud bark.

It was a hilarious 2 hours. A mass amount of puggles just running around this room. Toby was so happy. He had a permanent smile on his dog face the entire time. Needless to say...when he got home he immediately went to sleep for several hours. Puggle meetup is the best thing to happen to NY Puggle owners and it is definetly going to become a monthly event for us!

Happy New Year!!

Happy 2008!

So ... I have not written in a while...maybe that should be my New Years Resolution? To blog more? Eh...we will see.

So as you probably figured out we are all moved and getting settled in New York City. I will have to write later and give you a tour of our tiny apartment...but I will wait until it actually looks cute. Right now it is just in a state of disarray.

So the week of my move to New York was totally a blur. Lets see:

*I flew in on a redeye and took my first New York taxi by myself in morning rush hour

* Toby flew on a different flight than me (he flew Continental since they are supposed to be the best airline to fly dogs on). I was pretty much freaking out flying him. He does not like his crate so flying him under the plane was causing me much distress. Our friends dropped him off at the airport and reported that he was a very good dog. His flight got in at midnight the same day I flew in. Eric and I rented a car and left in plenty of time to get to him on time...or so we thought.

The moment we got into New Jersey (keep in mind it is midnight) there was some of the worst construction traffic we had ever seen. We were literally stuck in a parking lot on the freeway for over 2 hours. Tobys flight time came and went....and I began to have a nervous breakdown (please keep in mind I am going on no sleep). I was literally balling my eyes out in the car worrying that Toby was not ok and that the people at the airlines would think we were the worst pet parents ever.

We finally got to the airport around 1:30am (Tobys flight got in at 12:15). Eric runs to the pickup area fully thinking that Toby would be there freaking out and barking. He looks...and there Toby is ... chilling in his crate just taking a nap. The ladies at the counter were like...he has just been sleeping the whole time. Who knew we had such a good dog??

*The next day we found out that Eric's grandmother had sadly passed away. We quickly booked a flight home for the funeral and were lucky enough to find someplace to board Toby (On Christmas Eve!). Our trip to Michigan was very short (I believe it was a total of 36 hours) .. it was very nice to see both of our families .. we just wished it would have been under better circumstances.

So you can see...my arrival into NYC was quite a whirlwind. But now the whole family is here and we are just trying to get our apartment to look like a home vs. a college dorm room.

Our New Years was very "Sarah & Eric". You see ... we are self-proclaimed big dorks. Here we are in New York ... the New Years capital of the world and what do we do? Stay in.

We got some carry out, rented some movies and cuddled on the couch with Toby. Its sort of our idea of a perfect evening.

I also made some Yummy Pomegranate Sangria (see recipe at the bottom). In one of my food network watching marathons Bobby Flay made this delicious Sangria. I knew I had to whip some up.
I was totally ghetto. I had no pitcher...so I had to make a makeshift pitcher out of an old water gallon jug. Classy huh???

But I gotta say it turned out great and it was the perfect way to ring in the New Years.

So as Fireworks were going off in the distance and the millions of people were celebrating in time square just a few blocks away...we were happily sipping Sangria all snuggled up on the couch.

Pomegrante Sangria
from Bobby Flay


1 bottle fruity red wine
2 cups pomegranate juice
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup Triple Sec
1/4 cup simple syrup (equal amounts sugar and water, heated until sugar dissolves, cooled)
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1 large orange, halved and thinly sliced
1 green apple, cored, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup red grapes, sliced in 1/2
Combine all ingredients in a pitcher, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 48 hours before serving. Serve over ice.