Another New York Fourth of July

Another year was spent in one of my favorite cities, New York, for the fourth of July. The first week went quick, but the second flew by, and it was the 4th before I knew it.


That day is filled with so much. As an American, the pride you feel for your country is unspeakable, but as a fireworks family? It’s just hard to put into words.


There’s so much that happens in preparation for this day – starting back in April. It’s a long road to victory.


For us folks in New York, two weeks of preparations culminate in the most spectacular display hosted by Macy’s, and that morning only marks a long day ahead of thoughts for safety (which our company prides itself on) and nervousness that everything goes off without a hitch.


For Amélia and I, this year was a bit different. 


We began the morning in our festive red, white, and blue.

Even the hubs joined in before heading off for last minute preparations.

In years past, we always made the bus journey to Weehawken, NJ for the most beautiful backdrop of the NY cityscape behind a gorgeous display of fireworks, but not this year.


We hung out that day at the park for a little while where I overheard my girl bragging… She was asking another little girl if she’d be seeing the fireworks because “My daddy shoots the fireworks, and they go boom, boom.” Proud 6th generation fireworker right there!


Later that night, after seeing off the bus, she and I strolled over to the Shake Shack for a take away dinner to chow in the suite 

almost show time

and watch the Macy’s production on television.

What a treat! We usually end up missing out on the performances. This year I got to watch my girl in all her glory dance along to Taylor Swift while we anxiously awaited fireworks. 


We also got a bit of the recap of Usher’s curation and his trip to So Cal to view our product. Fun seeing all the pieces come together.

the back of hubby’s head at a product test with Usher

Just the night before, the hubs and I’d toasted to another fantastic New York Fourth of July, and from beginning to end the show was fantastic. 

Another New York Fourth of July

Another year was spent in one of my favorite cities, New York, for the fourth of July. The first week went quick, but the second flew by, and it was the 4th before I knew it.


That day is filled with so much. As an American, the pride you feel for your country is unspeakable, but as a fireworks family? It’s just hard to put into words.


There’s so much that happens in preparation for this day – starting back in April. It’s a long road to victory.


For us folks in New York, two weeks of preparations culminate in the most spectacular display hosted by Macy’s, and that morning only marks a long day ahead of thoughts for safety (which our company prides itself on) and nervousness that everything goes off without a hitch.


For Amélia and I, this year was a bit different. 


We began the morning in our festive red, white, and blue.

Even the hubs joined in before heading off for last minute preparations.

In years past, we always made the bus journey to Weehawken, NJ for the most beautiful backdrop of the NY cityscape behind a gorgeous display of fireworks, but not this year.


We hung out that day at the park for a little while where I overheard my girl bragging… She was asking another little girl if she’d be seeing the fireworks because “My daddy shoots the fireworks, and they go boom, boom.” Proud 6th generation fireworker right there!


Later that night, after seeing off the bus, she and I strolled over to the Shake Shack for a take away dinner to chow in the suite 

almost show time

and watch the Macy’s production on television.

What a treat! We usually end up missing out on the performances. This year I got to watch my girl in all her glory dance along to Taylor Swift while we anxiously awaited fireworks. 


We also got a bit of the recap of Usher’s curation and his trip to So Cal to view our product. Fun seeing all the pieces come together.

the back of hubby’s head at a product test with Usher

Just the night before, the hubs and I’d toasted to another fantastic New York Fourth of July, and from beginning to end the show was fantastic. 

New York: Week Two

While Amélia and I were running around the city, daddy was working hard on the pier to get set up for a spectacular fireworks show for the night of the 4th.


Because the guys and gals who set up that show work extremely hard, and are rightly proud of what they accomplish for the celebration of America, we hold a hot dog day for them and their families one afternoon at the work site.

Ferry ride to the pier

our little firecracker

5th and 6th generations

The next couple of days flashed by in a blur. It seems that the closer we get to the 4th, the quicker the days go.


There was a day subwaying

to the Children’s Museum, 

body movement’s make music?!

giant toilet teaches all about healthy body waste?! Interesting. And great for a newly potty-trained toddler.

and a lunch afterward at Peanut Butter & Co. This place is over. the. top.

Amélia and I became subway experts moving from the 1 train over to the B train to eat pb&j’s, and then on the E back over to our hotel (thanks to my iPhone and an app). I think this year was the year I’d subway’d the most with three of those rides in one afternoon!

That evening was our pyro appreciation party and dinner (what I wore fashion post coming up). A fun night looking back on the previous year (via slideshow) and congratulating the team of hardworking individuals, and just hanging out with everyone before we light up the sky.

Later that night, the hubs and I snuck in a date night. What’s better than a cold beer with old friends in a city across the country, and then a romantic walk along the river with my love?

 and a little drooling over this sexy beast…

“Remember When” was the name that CHANGED COLORS! All we kept saying was “Remember when we were poor?” Because that was the only good explanation we could come up with for the naming of this thing.


The last few days leading up to the 4th were filled with more park dates,

a dinner at John’s Pizza in Times Square, 

 and Central Park where we visited the zoo, 

watching the penguins

sleepy polar bear

red panda

lemur

the Children’s Zoo

where she couldn’t stand still long enough for me to snap this, but was fascinated with all there was to see and touch,

and maybe not touch? After snapping this pic (above), my kid touched the birds! Thank gawd they didn’t bite… we moved on quickly after that.

We moseyed on over to ride the carousel, 

and strolled the park.


The hubs and I managed another date night… on the 3rd of July! 

in a beer garden… where I drank champagne and was eaten alive by mosquitos. Wish I’d photographed that! All better now, but man.


With drinks in hand, we toasted to a great 4th, and that’s what we got…

New York: Week Two

While Amélia and I were running around the city, daddy was working hard on the pier to get set up for a spectacular fireworks show for the night of the 4th.


Because the guys and gals who set up that show work extremely hard, and are rightly proud of what they accomplish for the celebration of America, we hold a hot dog day for them and their families one afternoon at the work site.

Ferry ride to the pier

our little firecracker

5th and 6th generations

The next couple of days flashed by in a blur. It seems that the closer we get to the 4th, the quicker the days go.


There was a day subwaying

to the Children’s Museum, 

body movement’s make music?!

giant toilet teaches all about healthy body waste?! Interesting. And great for a newly potty-trained toddler.

and a lunch afterward at Peanut Butter & Co. This place is over. the. top.

Amélia and I became subway experts moving from the 1 train over to the B train to eat pb&j’s, and then on the E back over to our hotel (thanks to my iPhone and an app). I think this year was the year I’d subway’d the most with three of those rides in one afternoon!

That evening was our pyro appreciation party and dinner (what I wore fashion post coming up). A fun night looking back on the previous year (via slideshow) and congratulating the team of hardworking individuals, and just hanging out with everyone before we light up the sky.

Later that night, the hubs and I snuck in a date night. What’s better than a cold beer with old friends in a city across the country, and then a romantic walk along the river with my love?

 and a little drooling over this sexy beast…

“Remember When” was the name that CHANGED COLORS! All we kept saying was “Remember when we were poor?” Because that was the only good explanation we could come up with for the naming of this thing.


The last few days leading up to the 4th were filled with more park dates,

a dinner at John’s Pizza in Times Square, 

 and Central Park where we visited the zoo, 

watching the penguins

sleepy polar bear

red panda

lemur

the Children’s Zoo

where she couldn’t stand still long enough for me to snap this, but was fascinated with all there was to see and touch,

and maybe not touch? After snapping this pic (above), my kid touched the birds! Thank gawd they didn’t bite… we moved on quickly after that.

We moseyed on over to ride the carousel, 

and strolled the park.


The hubs and I managed another date night… on the 3rd of July! 

in a beer garden… where I drank champagne and was eaten alive by mosquitos. Wish I’d photographed that! All better now, but man.


With drinks in hand, we toasted to a great 4th, and that’s what we got…

New York: Our First Week of Two in the Big Apple

We’re no strangers to air travel. In fact, my little girl has been jet setting since 2 1/2 months old, so flying is old hat and fortunately she does really well.

So, we landed in New York, but for me, getting acclimated to time change is always a toughie. 


Since Amélia’s little and has really no sense of that change, it makes it easy to keep her on Pacific time – a life saver for our late dinners – making an 11 p.m. EST bedtime seem more realistic; even if I do get looks from New Yorkers when pushing a toddler in a stroller around town at 10 p.m.


That said, the first few days are a big adjustment for me. Staying in until she wakes around 10 a.m and not eating lunch until about 3 with nap at 4 is so unusual when I’m juggling east and west coast times. 


After a full day of being low key – hanging at the Winter Garden (or what was) – watching the boats and helicopters, and playing in the park with nana, we put into practice this new schedule. 

Then it was ‘Look out NY’ as we hit the ground running.

On the agenda for our first night? Dinner at a favorite Italian spot in Greenwhich Village, where we’re a bit of celebrities, and our first taxi ride of the year – where we also lost piglet. 

The next day, Amélia wasn’t up until 10ish, so we headed to the splash pad and park first thing.

This park is up near Chelsea pier, so it’s nice exercise for me – you better believe I got in some running – and a really fun park for the kiddos. I think it’s one of our favorites.


After a few hours in the sun, we were both ready for lunch. There’s this new bakery just north of the Winter Garden that has an amazing Greek salad and tuna sandwiches. 


For dinner that night, we drove up to Terrytown for steak and lobster at a friend of our crew members home. Fancy! I’d never been up the river, so that was a treat to see another part of New York.

Friday,  was a BIG day uptown. 


Nana took Amélia to American Girl to pick out her new Bitty Baby,

then on to lunch in Rockefeller center, 

a brief stop by Dolce and Gabbana,

 and ice cream in Trump Towers.

We actually wound up with a bit of an early dinner that night, because everyone was tired, so we spent the night in relaxing before bed.

After a restful night, we walked up a few blocks from the Winter Garden to a really cool park I’d never noticed before, but not before stopping at a sidewalk cart for a lamb swarma and hot dog.

We sat and ate and fed the ducks Amélia’s hot dog bun before spending an hour or so at our new park.

 There’s even a little fountain there to get wet and beat the heat.

Our first week went pretty quickly just getting acclimated to what would be our ‘home.’

Stay tuned for more adventures…

New York: Our First Week of Two in the Big Apple

We’re no strangers to air travel. In fact, my little girl has been jet setting since 2 1/2 months old, so flying is old hat and fortunately she does really well.

So, we landed in New York, but for me, getting acclimated to time change is always a toughie. 


Since Amélia’s little and has really no sense of that change, it makes it easy to keep her on Pacific time – a life saver for our late dinners – making an 11 p.m. EST bedtime seem more realistic; even if I do get looks from New Yorkers when pushing a toddler in a stroller around town at 10 p.m.


That said, the first few days are a big adjustment for me. Staying in until she wakes around 10 a.m and not eating lunch until about 3 with nap at 4 is so unusual when I’m juggling east and west coast times. 


After a full day of being low key – hanging at the Winter Garden (or what was) – watching the boats and helicopters, and playing in the park with nana, we put into practice this new schedule. 

Then it was ‘Look out NY’ as we hit the ground running.

On the agenda for our first night? Dinner at a favorite Italian spot in Greenwhich Village, where we’re a bit of celebrities, and our first taxi ride of the year – where we also lost piglet. 

The next day, Amélia wasn’t up until 10ish, so we headed to the splash pad and park first thing.

This park is up near Chelsea pier, so it’s nice exercise for me – you better believe I got in some running – and a really fun park for the kiddos. I think it’s one of our favorites.


After a few hours in the sun, we were both ready for lunch. There’s this new bakery just north of the Winter Garden that has an amazing Greek salad and tuna sandwiches. 


For dinner that night, we drove up to Terrytown for steak and lobster at a friend of our crew members home. Fancy! I’d never been up the river, so that was a treat to see another part of New York.

Friday,  was a BIG day uptown. 


Nana took Amélia to American Girl to pick out her new Bitty Baby,

then on to lunch in Rockefeller center, 

a brief stop by Dolce and Gabbana,

 and ice cream in Trump Towers.

We actually wound up with a bit of an early dinner that night, because everyone was tired, so we spent the night in relaxing before bed.

After a restful night, we walked up a few blocks from the Winter Garden to a really cool park I’d never noticed before, but not before stopping at a sidewalk cart for a lamb swarma and hot dog.

We sat and ate and fed the ducks Amélia’s hot dog bun before spending an hour or so at our new park.

 There’s even a little fountain there to get wet and beat the heat.

Our first week went pretty quickly just getting acclimated to what would be our ‘home.’

Stay tuned for more adventures…

Final New York Preparations

photo credit

…So as I still have a long list of things to finish up I decided to update on the New York preparations. 

Packing will be fairly easy because I sent a bag ahead last week with most of my outfits and shoes on a truck our company sends out early. So much easier (and cheaper) than checking two big bags!

But I have a girlfriend staying in my house for the next two weeks. It’s supposed to be non-stressful so she can care for our dog and cat… y’all, I don’t know about you, but even though my house is clean I still feel like it isn’t clean enough. 

On the list of last minute prep? Besides laundry for my checked bag? Vacuuming, mopping, cleaning out the fridge, washing dishes, washing sheets, emptying all the trash, and general tidying.

The only thing that’s making this a little easier? It’s raining. That means Amélia isn’t going to bug me at 9 a.m. to go in the pool, be pushed on the swings, write chalk on the sidewalk, you know ANYTHING outside that would distract from the inside house duties. 

On the other hand, I might have double the pick up by the end of the day. Looks like Netflix will be on ALL DAY. *sigh*

Well, it’s just past 830 a.m. and I’m on my second cup of coffee, so the procrastination life update on the blog must come to an end. 

I’ll see you lovelies from New York with some fashion updates, and mine and Amélia’s adventures around the city. Keep up with us through #AmeliadoesNY and #SouzafourthofJulyinNY.

Until then… if you’re in the NY area I highly {somewhat biased ;)} recommend checking out the fireworks show on the Hudson. If you can’t be there in person, you can view it on television. In the meantime, check out how our company, Macy’s and Usher have worked together to make this year’s show spectacular!… 

Happy Monday!

Final New York Preparations

photo credit

…So as I still have a long list of things to finish up I decided to update on the New York preparations. 

Packing will be fairly easy because I sent a bag ahead last week with most of my outfits and shoes on a truck our company sends out early. So much easier (and cheaper) than checking two big bags!

But I have a girlfriend staying in my house for the next two weeks. It’s supposed to be non-stressful so she can care for our dog and cat… y’all, I don’t know about you, but even though my house is clean I still feel like it isn’t clean enough. 

On the list of last minute prep? Besides laundry for my checked bag? Vacuuming, mopping, cleaning out the fridge, washing dishes, washing sheets, emptying all the trash, and general tidying.

The only thing that’s making this a little easier? It’s raining. That means Amélia isn’t going to bug me at 9 a.m. to go in the pool, be pushed on the swings, write chalk on the sidewalk, you know ANYTHING outside that would distract from the inside house duties. 

On the other hand, I might have double the pick up by the end of the day. Looks like Netflix will be on ALL DAY. *sigh*

Well, it’s just past 830 a.m. and I’m on my second cup of coffee, so the procrastination life update on the blog must come to an end. 

I’ll see you lovelies from New York with some fashion updates, and mine and Amélia’s adventures around the city. Keep up with us through #AmeliadoesNY and #SouzafourthofJulyinNY.

Until then… if you’re in the NY area I highly {somewhat biased ;)} recommend checking out the fireworks show on the Hudson. If you can’t be there in person, you can view it on television. In the meantime, check out how our company, Macy’s and Usher have worked together to make this year’s show spectacular!… 

Happy Monday!

The Truth of the Matter

The truth of the matter, y’all, is that most days I feel like a chicken running around with my head cut off.

If you have a child(ren), you know it’s no easy feat to keep a home clean, healthy meals prepared, run errands, stay fit, manage a job (in or out of the home), and even fit in lunch with friends all with a toddler. And some days it’s down right exhausting.

I recently received a text that went something like this:

She: “Can we get together when I get back?”

Me: “Sure! You are a busy girl. We will miss you, but let me know the minute you are back in town and we will be right over!”

She: “I get back the 23rd. I’m afraid to ask when you leave for New York.”

Me: “The 25th, but maybe we can swing by the day before? We will try and make something work.”

She: and I literally LOL’d “I’m jealous of your organizational skills if you’re able to drop by the day before you leave, but I’d love it!”

OK, y’all, I pride myself on having it all together or at least looking like I have it all together. 

Honestly, I do try to keep my life like a well-oiled machine, somedays I’m successful, others? 

Thursday, my mom took A just so I could get to the market. Generally, she’s always in tow for those trips and mostly she’s a great helper.

But these days she pretty much refuses to ride in the buggy.

A typical shopping trip now means walking slowly while she “helps push the buggy,” and at least one trip to the potty, leaving my groceries unguarded. Not that I think anyone would happily take my healthy-filled buggy for their own!

A week ago, I ran into a department store to pick up a new swimsuit for birthday weekend and ended up with A in the bathroom 3 times. Once, I’d already had all my clothes ready to try on and had to find a check out counter to drop them.

It’s not just shopping.

My house is usually tidy… oh that’s right, in my mind because I have a toddler who decorates daily with legos spread all over (damn those things in the middle of the night), a play shopping cart, baby stroller, blankets, pillows, and whatever else can be strewn about. Vacuuming really is a chore in this kind of chaos.

Keeping up with daily tasks can be a major grind. When everything goes smoothly, it’s all good, but it’s a delicate balance balancing act.

So, yeah, organizational skills. Um, if you count shoving things into closets, hiding the clean, unfolded laundry in the laundry room, and piling dirty dishes in the dishwasher before people come over. Or waiting to mop my floors until they’re really sticky and I’m disgusted from hearing (and feeling) that unsticking, peeling sound. Or fitting my well organized weekly cleaning schedule into an entire day.

I’m in awe myself that I can get healthy meals on the table just about every night. 

My house may not always be picture perfect (and working to be OK with that), but when I look around? I know I’ll miss these chaotic moments, and the truth of the matter is I won’t give a damn about organization when all the clutter is gone.

The Truth of the Matter

The truth of the matter, y’all, is that most days I feel like a chicken running around with my head cut off.

If you have a child(ren), you know it’s no easy feat to keep a home clean, healthy meals prepared, run errands, stay fit, manage a job (in or out of the home), and even fit in lunch with friends all with a toddler. And some days it’s down right exhausting.

I recently received a text that went something like this:

She: “Can we get together when I get back?”

Me: “Sure! You are a busy girl. We will miss you, but let me know the minute you are back in town and we will be right over!”

She: “I get back the 23rd. I’m afraid to ask when you leave for New York.”

Me: “The 25th, but maybe we can swing by the day before? We will try and make something work.”

She: and I literally LOL’d “I’m jealous of your organizational skills if you’re able to drop by the day before you leave, but I’d love it!”

OK, y’all, I pride myself on having it all together or at least looking like I have it all together. 

Honestly, I do try to keep my life like a well-oiled machine, somedays I’m successful, others? 

Thursday, my mom took A just so I could get to the market. Generally, she’s always in tow for those trips and mostly she’s a great helper.

But these days she pretty much refuses to ride in the buggy.

A typical shopping trip now means walking slowly while she “helps push the buggy,” and at least one trip to the potty, leaving my groceries unguarded. Not that I think anyone would happily take my healthy-filled buggy for their own!

A week ago, I ran into a department store to pick up a new swimsuit for birthday weekend and ended up with A in the bathroom 3 times. Once, I’d already had all my clothes ready to try on and had to find a check out counter to drop them.

It’s not just shopping.

My house is usually tidy… oh that’s right, in my mind because I have a toddler who decorates daily with legos spread all over (damn those things in the middle of the night), a play shopping cart, baby stroller, blankets, pillows, and whatever else can be strewn about. Vacuuming really is a chore in this kind of chaos.

Keeping up with daily tasks can be a major grind. When everything goes smoothly, it’s all good, but it’s a delicate balance balancing act.

So, yeah, organizational skills. Um, if you count shoving things into closets, hiding the clean, unfolded laundry in the laundry room, and piling dirty dishes in the dishwasher before people come over. Or waiting to mop my floors until they’re really sticky and I’m disgusted from hearing (and feeling) that unsticking, peeling sound. Or fitting my well organized weekly cleaning schedule into an entire day.

I’m in awe myself that I can get healthy meals on the table just about every night. 

My house may not always be picture perfect (and working to be OK with that), but when I look around? I know I’ll miss these chaotic moments, and the truth of the matter is I won’t give a damn about organization when all the clutter is gone.