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?