Day 29: Spend As Much Time At The Beach As You Can!

Ginger looking wistful

June is almost over! And soon the summer will be over, too, and I'll be back at work and the seasons will change and before you know it, we'll all be in boots and winter coats again.

Okay, okay, I'm being dramatic. But the point is, summer is short and I've realized you have to live it up while you can! I only have these three months to sleep in, goof off and spend weekdays at the beach. 

Today was another gorgeous day in Westhampton -- it feels like every weekend day here has been perfect and sunny. We couldn't pass up the chance to get some extra time at the beach before we had to head back to the city. So Shawn and I and our two friends spent the afternoon hours enjoying the sunshine and salt water and sea air. In late afternoon we headed back to the house, packed up and made our way back to the city. 

It was a lovely, fun weekend and it ended too soon. Luckily, we're heading back to the beach again on Wednesday to start the Fourth of July festivities!

Day 28: Drink More Wine

Let's be honest. I don't need any excuse to drink wine. And this summer, we have been drinking lots of wine. We're lucky that our house for the summer is conveniently located a short drive from a number of wineries on the North Fork of Long Island, and we stumbled upon a really beautiful one that we love the very first weekend we spent in Westhampton.

Today, after a few hours on the beach and lunch, we picked up the dog and brought her with us out to Martha Clara Vineyards. She loved sticking her head out the window during the drive, and she frolicked in the grass while the group of us hung out on the lawn of the winery, eating cheese and crackers and drinking yummy wine.

Ginger with her head out the window of the car

Winery glamour shot

Mia famiglia

Sadly, the winery closes around 7 p.m., well before sunset on this gorgeous late June day. We stopped at a farm stand on our way home to pick up some corn, veggies and a pie, then had a big grill out with even more wine for dinner. By the time we ate it was dark, but it was such a fun day that we were hardly tired. 

I know it's early in the summer, but I already feel like I'm getting more into wine and more knowledgeable, too. I can't wait for our trip to Napa in a few weeks! Now, the only thing we have to remember is not to drink too much at the winery if someone has to drive back home...

Day 27: Weekday At The Beach

I am so spoiled! For the second week in a row, I am in Westhampton on a Friday.

Despite poor cell reception and wireless internet connection at our share house, Shawn has set up office here for the day, so we get some extra time in the country. We drove out East last night and spent the night in the house all by our lonesome for the night. It was quiet and dark at night, but around 7 a.m. a group of carpenters went to work on a neighboring house that's being built. Couple that with Ginger throwing up in the middle of the night and squawking birds outside our window, and we didn't get a great night's sleep. (I was also glad we were the only ones in the house once Ginger woke us up in the middle of the night and we started scrambling to find paper towels and cleaning supplies)

Later in the afternoon, our friends joined us in Westhampton. I drove Shawn to a nearby golf course where he met up with his friend Mark to play 9 holes, and I met Mark's girlfriend Lauren at the train station. We drove down towards the beach and had dinner at our favorite surf shack spot. It was the first night we didn't cook dinner at the house, but we were hungry and it was the right thing to do. It was a great summer Friday.

Day 26: Dog Days

Ginger in the courtyard, enjoying some city grass (she's saving it for later)

I'm loving my time off this summer because I get to spend as many hours as I want with Ginger during the day. She's getting quite spoiled. She loves her time in the country in Westhampton or Stamford, and enjoys lounging in the courtyard in front of our apartment building off leash. If both Shawn and I are home, she has started refusing to go for a walk unless both of us go along with her. This is a particular problem because Shawn used to be able to walk her in the mornings before I would get out of bed and since Shawn works from home sometimes I want to just take her for a walk alone while he does work or takes conference calls.

But despite the bad habits that are forming, this is a precious time for me and my girl. Since I started school, I haven't gotten to spend too much time with her beyond my vacations, and most of the time we have spent together involved me on the couch with a computer on my lap and her sleeping/hiding under the couch. Playing and walking and hanging out outside is a much better use of my bonding time with my dog. I'm going to miss it when I go back to work full time in the fall.

Day 24: Visit With Family

This is Maile. She was born in late Januray but I just met her for the first time today. Her family lives about three hours from me, which is not far but not close enough to see them on a regular basis. For previous visits, I've taken the train or bus and stayed for a night or two -- sometimes even bringing Ginger. But that was before they had two babies. Now I like to visit for a day at a time, and it's one time when having a car would be nice.

So, today, my parents picked me up in the city and we drove together to see all our family that lives in the area -- my uncle, four cousins, three of their spouses and 12 kiddies. It was a crazy day of babies, sunshine and pizza, but I left, as always, wishing I lived closer to that crazy crew. As Shawn and I continue to make our home and establish our life here in NYC, I doubt we'll ever pick up and move toward the Philadelphia suburbs. But, you never know. 

If nothing else, today's trip reminded me to make time for the people I care about. It might be a hassle to drive 6 hours in one day to spend a few hours with a close friend or family member, but what you will remember are those precious moments, conversations and laughs. You will never regret making those trips, no matter how long the drive. 

Day 22: Sunday In The City

I've spent the past few weekends out of town, either at the beach in the Hamptons or back home with my parents in Connecticut. I'm not complaining, but it is nice to have a long weekend day stretch before me in the city.

But, since it was one of the few days we had in the city, we packed it full of as much stuff as we could.

The day started with a walk for Ginger. As the day heated up, we headed to brunch with friends. I love brunch, but it's something we don't do when we're out at the beach. It's purely a city dweller indulgence; when you have nowhere to go and nothing to do all day, drink mimosas and stuff yourself full of eggs, pastries and bacon.

Stuff ourselves we did...which wasn't necessarily a good idea since Shawn was playing hockey later in the day. But the meal sustained us through dinner, so that was good.

Since Shawn was playing hockey later in the day at Chelsea Piers, we decided to hit some balls at the driving range at Chelsea Piers together first. It was fun to show off my new golfing skills, but I definitely overdressed in my new golfing outfit. Sunday afternoon is the perfect time to wander in off the street and hit some golf balls, or go on a midday summer weekend date at the range. There were people in jeans or short skirts or flip flops. Some people hit balls barefoot. It was quite the eclectic crowd. Shawn and I had some fun and I only slightly destroyed the mat once with a big driver (if I was on grass I would have left a big divet, which my golf pro told me was okay!).

After golfing practice, I had a new experience: watching Shawn play hockey at Chelsea Piers! In the three-plus years we've been together, I can count the number of times I have seen Shawn play hockey on one hand -- and when he's on a regular schedule, he can play two or three times a week. But his weekly men's league games are not a spectator sport. It's like going to the gym or the park to watch your guy play pick up basketball. It's not that interesting, there's not really any seating and there's no one else there watching. Also, because it's hockey, it's cold! And, it smells. Hockey players and their equipment STINK and your nose is assaulted if you're just standing near a locker room or an equipment bag. The rink and locker room areas at Chelsea Piers are all pretty close together, so the locker room smell permeated the cold rink as well. There was no escaping it. I am so lucky my husband leaves his hockey gear in a Chelsea Piers locker and not in our apartment -- though that probably contributes to its awful, awful smell. In a sport full of smelly kids, Shawn is one of the smelliest.

Regardless, I had a fun time. There were a few other guys who I knew who were playing, so it was fun to see everyone on the ice. There were two other women spectators and I very much enjoyed sitting next to an older lady drinking white wine out of a plastic cup (like they sell at Madison Square Garden and similar venues) and reading her Kindle. When Shawn wasn't on the ice, I played Candy Crush and tried to get into a smaller and smaller ball to stay warm. I was also very amused to see that, even though there was no one watching them play, the guy manning the scoreboard and penalty buzzer still played short clips of Top 40 songs between plays, during time outs and after goals were scored.

I won't be running back to see Shawn play again, but it was a fun way to spend a Sunday with my hubby. Definitely a summer treat.

Day 21: Concert Date Night

What a treat! Tonight Shawn and I made a trip to Madison Square Garden that actually didn't involve hockey. :) We had pretty awesome seats to see Billy Joel play one of his monthly concerts. It was so fun!

"New York State of Mind"

I love living in a city where this amazing experience is just down the street from my apartment. In the early afternoon we were at the beach, and by 8 p.m. we were drinking beer at the Garden. How lucky are we?

Day 20: Weekday Beach Day

Yesterday, my friends and Ginger and I drove out to the beach, but the weather didn't clear enough for us to even set foot on the actual beach. But today, today was glorious.

After a big breakfast with pancakes (!), eggs and bacon I cooked on the grill, we managed to get onto the beach before noon. We stayed all day -- sunning, chatting, playing paddle ball. We left in the late afternoon because we had to pick up Shawn at the train station.

Breakfast of champions

Rock star paddle ballers

Going to the beach during the week was such a treat. The beach was nearly empty and there were hardly any other cars on the road as we drove there. But, as we left the beach, we realized it had filled up as the day went on. And as we drove back towards town, we noticed that all the houses along the beach that seemed empty earlier in the day now had cars parked in front. We had beat the summer Friday beach rush and had enjoyed a quiet, relaxing day. And the weather! It was gorgeous. We couldn't have asked for a nicer beach day.

And the day ended as perfectly as it began. After picking up Shawn, we stocked up on some more groceries and cooked up another big grill feast. Then we drank wine and played Cards Against Humanity, which devolved into Charades, until bed time.

The girls

Another successful and fun day at the beach, as the weekend has just begun.

Day 19: Beach Trip with the Girls

Today, I packed Ginger up in a rental car, picked up two of my former roommates and took a trip to our share house in Westhampton. One of the benefits of not working is being able to pick up and go to the beach any time I fancy, although I don't like going alone. This weekend worked out because the three of us both had a few days off.

Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate. As we left the city around 11 am, the rain started to fall. By the time we got to Westhampton, it was pouring. We went to lunch, dressed for the beach because we were being optimistic. But since the rain didn't clear up, we explored the cute downtown instead, went grocery and wine shopping and, as the weather finally cleared up, grilled up a big feast for dinner.

It was a lovely, relaxing day at the the shore. I'm so grateful for this summer off in order to experience days exactly like today.

Bonus: Ginger is getting to be so good in the car!

Day 18: Ginger's Brand New 'Do

I've spent the last few days doing errands, catching up with friends and completing some things on my to do list. Nothing too special to report. But, today, Ginger got a summer haircut and it was a pretty exciting highlight of the day.

Before:

After:

Cute! 

Day 16: Lobstah Date Night

It's a summer Monday night in the city -- what to eat for dinner? Shawn and I were looking for something low key but special. We wandered around the West Village for a little bit and ended up in a restaurant Shawn goes to a lot but I had never been.

After looking over the menus and deciding what we wanted to eat, the waitress told us the special for the evening -- lobster bake, and there were only two orders left! We ordered them right away. What a find!

Day 15: Gratitude For Dad

I try not to get too emotional in this public forum, but if there is one thing to get emotional about, its Dad. Since meditating on graditude is one of my goals for the summer, I thought, what better subject for my gratitude than my father on Father's Day?

I am grateful to have a father who has loved me and cared for me since the moment I was born (and before that, too). I am grateful that his caring, compassionate and generous nature was the role model I had of love growing up -- it undoubtedly shaped what I looked for in a life partner. I am grateful that my dad has always been my biggest fan, cheering me from the audience at dance recitals and the sidelines at basketball games and every single field hockey game I played in high school -- home and away. I'm grateful that he still managed to move me into my freshman year dorm the day after he was in an accident on his motorcycle; that's a good example of how selfless he is for the people he loves. I'm grateful that he loves Shawn and Ginger. I'm grateful that he walked me down the aisle at my wedding and was silly with me during our father-daughter dance, just the way I wanted it to be. 

I'm grateful that, even though Shawn and I are two capable 30-somethings living on our own, my dad will still make time to come over and help us hang shelving -- and be able to do in 10 minutes what we couldn't manage to do in two days. I'm grateful to have a dad who can fix just about anything and make magic out of metal.

But most of all, I'm grateful that despite two heart attacks and numerous other health scares (and motorcycle accidents) my dad was still able to be there during one of the most important times in my life. And nine months later, he was there to see me graduate from business school, too. 

I know how lucky I am to have both my parents alive and well. I know how special it is that I can live an hour away from them and still have the job and the life that I want. I never want to be far from my parents becuase they love and support me, and my dad is always so happy when I come home and just hang out there for a few days.

The night after my graduation, I spoke to my dad on the phone. He thanked me for inviting him and my mom and my brothers to the graduation and the brunch after. Now that Shawn and I were married, we were creating our own little family, he said, filled with our friends, Ginger and our future kids (I guess). No, I told him, my family included him and my mom and my brothers, and it always would. He didn't have to thank me for including them, they would always be wanted and expected to join in. I'm not sure if that message made it through to my dad, but I hope it did.

Love you, Dad. Happy Father's Day.

Day 14: Reunited!

How I  missed this face!

Day 13: End Of The Run For The Stanley Cup

We are a family of Rangers fans. It's the only professional sports team that Shawn and I can both agree on, and he loves hockey, so it makes it easy to root for them. Even Ginger is a fan.

This hockey post-season has been super exciting for me because the Rangers eked out win after win to make it all the way to the Stanley Cup finals! Then, in a very depressing series of games, they proceeded to lose their first three games against the Los Angeles Kings. They pulled out an amazing Game 4 win to make it back to LA for Game 5 tonight -- Friday the 13th, a full moon and Ranger goalie Henrik Lundqvist's 666th game. Luck was against them, right? We were hoping for the best, but the Rangers suffered a heartbreaking loss with an expert shot on goal during the second sudden death overtime. It was an epic game. But, ultimately, a loss for our beloved blue shirts.

Welp, there's always next year. Until then, I will cheer myself up by watching this LA Kings fan eat it on the ice after the game. HA.

(gif via Deadspin)

Day 11: Learn How To Golf

Part of being a couple is doing things that your partner enjoys. Shawn loves to golf yet I never considered taking it up. It seemed too complicated, too difficult and too expensive. It involves too much stuff, from clubs and bags to clothing and shoes. Even getting to a golf course when you live in NYC is complicated. I never played as a kid or in my 20's, wasn't it too late for me to pick it up now?

After seeing Shawn play for the past three years and realizing that many of my girlfriends also play, I figured out that it's never too late to learn to play golf -- especiallly not in your early 30's. Learning a new sport would let me have more adventures and fun times with Shawn, and might even come in handy in my career. 

Since I had all this free time this summer, I figured now was the perfect time to take some lessons and learn what all the fuss is about. Shawn's parents live in a golf community in Florida, so I even had a place to go to learn. Yesterday, I flew down to spend a few days in Florida and take three days of golf lessons. 

Today was my first lesson. Being a former field hockey player, the feeling of swinging a club was somewhat familiar -- even though its been over a decade since I graced a field hockey field. Learning something new is fun and challenging -- exactly what I feel like I need this summer. I'm looking forward to learning more, practicing and playing my first game with my husband (although I think I want to start with just 9 holes). 

Day 10: Travel While I Have The Free Time

 Ask someone what they would do with three months off, and I believe most people will answer, "Travel." It's the first thing that came to my mind. But, since I am not currently earning a paycheck, and haven't for the past two years, I don't have the funds to go traveling the world. Plus, I would miss my husband and dog too much -- and Shawn doesn't have the time to take off work and join me on my hypothetical travels. So, though I will be traveling this summer, it won't be to far off climes. I'll be sticking close to home, heading out to the Hamptons where we have a share house for the summer or visiting friends and family.

Today, I flew down to Florida where I'll be staying with Shawn's parents for the rest of the week. I'm taking advantage of my time off and my in-laws' hospitality and lovely home located on a golf course in the middle of a country club. In fact, this trip is checking many things off my to-do list; while I'm here I'll be working out, eating better, relaxing and learning how to golf, all while escaping NYC.

 Bring on the sunshine

Day 9: Make Time For My Husband

I distinctly remember telling Shawn that I was planning to go to business school on the day we met. I said it matter of factly in an effort to make myself less desirable to him. Clearly, it worked.

Instead of running away when my plans for going back to school became reality and not just plans and dreams, Shawn stuck by me and helped me through my rough two years of school. And they were rough. At first I was underwater, overwhelmed and spending late nights meeting with study groups on campus or working on spreadsheets and marketing projects in our apartment. Near the end of my nonstop first semster, we got engaged, and the stress and work of planning a wedding compounded with the stress and work of making it through school. Once we got married last summer, I still had one year ahead of me, filled with less work but more social and club commitments and an internship two days a week.

Needless to say, we've spent much of our marriage too busy to spend time together. Now that only one of us has any real commitments, I figured making time for each other would be a no-brainer. But in the past few weeks, as I've adjusted to not having to get up and go to school or work every day, I've realized just how much work making time for Shawn, and getting him to make time for me, will be. 

Now that I've identified this issue, I told Shawn I wanted him to make this a priority, too. Since I'm leaving tomorrow for Florida (without Shawn or Ginger), I was pleasantly surprised when Shawn made extra time for me today. We went out for lunch together, something that was a pure luxury. He took time to step away from his desk (which, since he works from home most days, is our kitchen table) and took me to Soho for a decadent Italian meal. Later, we took Ginger for a walk together and cooked dinner together as we watched Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The game was depressing for two Rangers fans, but spending the evening just sitting on the couch with my hubby was heartwarming. It was exactly the kind of love and attention I needed before leaving town to spend a week with Shawn's parents (more on that later). Today, I'm a happy wife.

Day 7: Rest

I'm only half joking -- but it seemed fitting for the seventh day. Am I right?

We're headed to the Hamptons today for a weekend of sunshine, beach and Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. It's the third weekend in a row we've gotten to go out to the beach. I'm feel very lucky and spoiled rotten.

Ginger likes it, too.

Day 6: Work On Updating My Wardrobe

Do you ever look at your closet and hate everything in it? This happens to me more often than not these days. I hold on to a lot of clothing for sentimental reasons, and others because I hope one day to fit into them again. Then there is the in between -- clothing I don't even particularly like but wear because it fits me, covers what needs to be covered and generally gets the job done. What fun is that?

So, I've made one of my goals this summer to get rid of the old, faded, ugly and unstylish. While I don't have a lot of money to blow on new clothes before my paychecks start, I want to start shopping in new stores and work to define my own style.

Today, after a lunch with friends, I made a stop at a new store and picked up some new things. I'll have to return two out of three of the things I bought since the dressing room line was too long for me to want to wait on (this is typically the way I shop) but I felt good about starting off on conquering this goal. 

In the end, the clothes will be just one part of a complete, upgraded adult life. Regular exercise, better diet, less drinking, spending quality time with my husband, meditation -- these are all part of what I want from my lifie once I get back to a working schedule. I'm on my way.

Also...this

Tonight, 10 pm, flatiron, I'm walking alone. a man walking past me calls me sexy and then tells me to watch my back. Scary. #YesAllWomen
— Amanda Ernst Kallet (@amandanyc) June 6, 2014

Day 5: Catch Up With Good Friends

I am so incredibly lucky to have the most amazing friends. And I mean amazing in that they continue to love me and want to hang out with me even though I have been busy and selfish and turned down invites to see them for the past two years. Amazing because they are smart and driven and successful. Amazing because I can spend hours catching up with them over drinks and mac and cheese and it can feel like only a few minutes passed -- and only a few days since we last spent time together.

Tonight I got the chance to catch up with the lovely Mel, one of my former roommates, and celebrate graduation, new jobs, new relationships and summer. And we ate the most delicious dessert: an ice cream sandwich flight (pictured above). Who cares that we had promised to eat healthy? All bets are off when you're catching up with an old friend.

Friends: take note. I want to see all your pretty, shiny faces in the weeks ahead. Make time for ice cream sandwiches (or something similarly yummy).

Day 4: Say Yes To Different Events

I'm a homebody by nature. I love nothing more than sitting on the couch with my dog watching one of the thousands of television shows that I like to watch. From time to time, I get invited to events, but I've turned down a lot of things in the past two years because there were literally three different school-related things to do every night, not to mention all the homework and reading I had to do on a fairly regular basis.

Tonight, I decided to attend an event organized by my undergrad university's alumni office. My alma mater, Boston University's College of Communication, recently hired New York Times media columnist David Carr as an adjunct professor. The event tonight was a networking reception followed by a panel led by Carr. Shawn and I went together; it was a fun thing to do together since we're both in the same industry. And, we ended up meeting another couple there -- the woman was a recent MBA grad who worked in advertising (like Shawn) and the guy worked for my company as an editor. Small world!

Normally, I would have found some excuse to not go to this kind of event. This summer, I want to make time to try new things, meet new people and grow my network even more.

Day 3: Go To The Gym

Two years in business school can wreak havoc on a waistline -- especially the waistline of someone like me who hates going to the gym even when I have the time and the energy. It's been over two years since Shawn and I moved in together, which is when I quit the gym and started eating excessively and drinking daily (mostly his fault). By the time I had started school six months later, I had already gained a significant amount of weight.

Last January, I re-joined a gym in an effort to get into shape for our wedding the following August. I managed to drop some pounds before the wedding thanks to better habits and anxiety -- but not because I got better at going to the gym. And, all the weight was back again after we ate our weight in butter and cheese in Europe for two weeks on our honeymoon. I even added some more in the last few months of school!

Flash forward to now -- its summer, we have a place to stay at the beach every weekend and I can't bring myself to sit on the beach in a bathing suit. I won't feel comfortable in my own body until I can look in the mirror and recognize myself again. Therefore, one of my biggest goals this summer is to go the gym. Combined with eating better (and less) and drinking less, going to the gym will help me get back to fighting weight.

Today, I woke up early, took the dog for a walk and got my butt to the gym. I was showered and dressed and ready in time to meet a friend for coffee at 11:30 and I felt incredibly accomplished. Will I be able to do this every day during the summer? Not likely. But if I get into the habit of going to the gym 3-4 days a week, I will be happy.

'

Day 2: Practice A New Signature Look

I got married last August. In the months leading up to it, I was dying to change up my hair but I wanted to "look like me" at my wedding, so I held off. In January, I chopped off several inches of hair and got an ombre dye job -- slightly blond at the tips. It was a welcome change and I loved it!

Before: November 2013

After: January 2014

A few weeks ago, I had my ombre highlights updated and lightened even more to give my hair a blonde, summery look. The latest dye job dried out the ends of my hair more than it had the time before (I also didn't get a hair cut this time around because I want to grow my hair out a little more again). After some trial and error, I realized my new hair looked best when I did double duty with hot tools - either running a straightening iron or curling iron through it. I like the "beachy wave" look -- think the way everyone's hair looks on Grey's Anatomy -- but I could never accomplish it on my own.

I started reading up on tips and tricks for the best ways to make and keep curls. For my graduation I did my own hair and I thought it came out pretty good!

So one of my goals for the summer is to practice curling my hair and getting good enough at it that I can accomplish it in the morning before work or in a few quick minutes before I go out at night.

Today, I did my hair before meeting a friend for lunch. The curls didn't stay for very long (I have to work on that, too) but this is what it looked like when I was done:

Getting better!

Also: adding "Practice Taking Selfies" to my summer list. But down somewhere near the bottom.

Day 1: Start A New Blog

Well. That was easy.