This post is late – one month exactly now. Sorry Candy. But lets hope I can make up for it with my tribute to a wonderful city and an even better friend.
The end of the summer and first half of September were very trying for me. I am the first to admit I was not myself and let my stress surface and take its toll on all of those around me, my family, my friends and even my job. I had surgery; not the kind that is super invasive but enough to make you think.
My surgery was scheduled for the day before we were supposed to go to Montreal for one of my oldest and bestest friends ”special” birthdays. There was really no other time I could schedule my procedure, as I liked to call it, and no other weekend to celebrate with Candy. I had to do both. My procedure was actually pretty quick and complete on Thursday Sept 10 at 3pm. We were on the road bandages in place, bottle of Tylenol by my side on Friday Sept 11 at 10:30 am. The support of Mike, my parents and Aunt Jubes and knowing that I was going to spend a great weekend with my friends got me through the day and motivated to get better real fast. I am big on having something to look forward to.
I had never been to Montreal. –And sorry to say, I did not know one of my best friends in the whole wide world was born there. I thought she had just picked Montreal as a fun destination city to visit. I had no idea that she was going on her birth tour!
We had an amazing weekend. The feline phenomenon took Montreal like no other. The weather, the company, the cuisine, the shopping (now that got me up and on my feet pretty damn fast) and learning something new about a dear friend were exactly what the doctor ordered.
Montreal is beautiful and easy to get to for a long weekend. I highly recommend you make the trip. Stay in Old Montreal in one of the boutique hotels and submerge yourself in the architecture and the culture. You swear you are in Europe. No one seems to be in a hurry to go or do anything and the ease of long days that flow right into a nap and then great late dinner are contagious.
Spending time with family and friends is always the best medicine whether you are sick or not. Make the time to do more of it. I am absolutely fine now and healing quite nicely. The only memories I will have from this experience are good ones - I am lucky for so many reasons and visiting a new place with old friends is definitely one of them.
Montreal: It’s young, it’s old, it’s daring, it’s comfortable, it’s hip and it overflows with tradition. It will always be there. Just like a great friendship.
Happy Birthday Candy. xoxo Coco
Filed under: Events
I do not normally blog about any of my events or clients but it has been a while and this one was just too damn fun to miss.
Yesterday, I spent the day in Washington DC sightseeing with Santa Claus. Yes, you read correctly, Mr. Claus himself. I might add, he was dressed in full Santa garb. Poor thing it was so hot and stinky humid. But unlike me, he did not have the problem of what to wear when it’s not quite fall, but not summer either. Seasonal transitions are tough on us fashion slaves.
Santa (and entourage – he is a celebrity after all) rode the Metro, traveled all over downtown in a pedicab, passed out fun prizes and games at GW University and in front of the White House, and even got to meet and hang with Slapshot at the Kettler Ice Rink (where the Washington Capitals practice – who knew Santa was a hockey fan?!) and sit at the news editor’s desk at WTOP.
I had never “cast” a Santa before. And finding one in September is harder than you think. I researched online and found a couple talent and entertainment sites that had a few good Santas. We picked our Santa because he had gone to Santa School (I swear I am not making that up). Wonder what room and board is up to in the North Pole as it’s insane here in the States.
Our Santa was a true professional – he was a joy on the phone (loved getting the message Mr. Claus is on line one), in emails (signed all of his, merrily,) and most importantly, in person. My colleague and I were discussing how Santa manages to find the kid in everyone and he always produces a smile.
So why was Santa in DC you ask? To announce the 3rd Annual Salute to Our Troops. I know I have blogged about this event before. It is the program I have produced with Microsoft for the troops the past two years. This is the first year we are hosting in DC, the past two have been in the Big Apple. So while producing a series of super fun events with a great client and working for a such a worthy cause, I am also getting the opportunity to explore and conquer a whole new territory.
Santa thanks for being you. Readers for more info on Salute and what I am working on in DC, check out www.Salutetoourtroops.org.
And listen up. . . it is true, he keeps a list. But he is huge on clean slates and redemptions. It’s September, you still have time!
HO HO HO!
Filed under: My Cookie Jar
Okay haven’t blogged in a while – summer has been crazy and now just about over. I was unpacking my toiletries yesterday afternoon when we got to the Cape and realized I have some new tried and true products to share with my fellow product whores.
Here are my summer- into- fall picks and the 10 products I am loving right now:
1. WARREN TRICOMI – Protect – Calming Serum. Bought this last month in the Hamptons with my friend Jodi. Needed a quick fix to tame and gloss the mane, seeing I was forced to do it on my own while on vacation and of course had nothing with me (come on when have I ever done my own hair while away). Anyway I love this stuff and will admit it really does the trick. Jodi and Jackie (2 brunettes with similar locks – give it a try).
2. JERGENS Natural Glow Foaming Daily Moisturizer. It is light and does not streak. Perfect to keep that summer glow going for a few more weeks and on your legs well into the fall. Booties are all the rage ladies. Wear with bare, tan and toned legs and later with black tights.
3. SARA HAPP The Lip Scrub. This I bought in Park City. The altitude and dry weather had my lips needing some extra TLC. Now I am hooked and use it once or twice week regardless of the climate. Warning you need just a little and scrub gently.
4. OBAGI C -Therapy Night Cream. My hero. This night cream is a must for any girl who loves the sun and the look of a tan, but does not like the prolonged after effects and/or hyperpigmentation. Plus it has vitamins C & E to tackle all of life’s radical damages. After one week of use, your skin will look more even, brighter and glowing. I use it year round.
5. CAUDALIE Instant Foaming Cleanser Fleur de Vigne. This I have been using every morning now for two months. I normally use Sonya Dakar Ultraluxe Wash, but the heat and humidity warranted something lighter and less oily. Voila. It puts me in a good mood every day.
6. BLISS ingrown eliminating pads. Enough said.
7. SMITHS Rosebud Salve. This is not necessarily a new product for me, but I have found new uses for it this summer. It not only keeps my lips super soft and shiny, but combats blisters and unruly eyebrows too.
8. NARS Blush/Bronze Duo in Sin and Casino. I just bought this. This handy compact duo now resides in my bag. It makes you look sunkissed (casino) and like you just know what (sin) all day and night.
9. BUXOM Lips in Dolly. I wear this lip gloss every day. I am now on my 8th tube. It is my all time favorite color and gives you that Angelina pout thing too. Back up gloss for night and with a smoky eye – Giorgio Armani lip gloss # 1. This baby looks sheer and innocent enough, but there are tiny metallic specks that when your lips hit the light just right. . .look out.
10. MRS. MEYERS Fabric Softener in Basil. Don’t laugh – not your typical beauty product I know, but this stuff makes your sheets, towels, pj’s and panties smell so good, you just want to be more beautiful to be in them.
[SING OUT LOUD] “Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam, and the deer and the antelope play.” (There is a deer playing in this picture, make sure you click on it to enlarge the photo.)
Park City = by winter, a western state luxury, destination resort for powder skiing and mountain wonderland for the avid outdoors man in the summer. Sounds like just the kind of vacation place for this city rat. I can run miles in heels, power shop in less than 30 minutes and organize an event for thousands blindfolded, but sad to say, I am not the outdoorsy type and I am not a good skier. Not to mention, I have never really been out west (unless of course the Four Seasons in Vegas counts). I do not own a pair of hiking boots and my mountain bike boasts a zillion cob webs in my garage. Yet, each time I have visited Park City, I have had more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
My very first time was this past January – I went to see Sarah and GT’s new home and to brush up on my skills on the slopes. My last time on skis was over 5 years ago in Vermont. I thought I did great. The other three on this particular trip to Twin Farms informed me it was really a hill that I had “completely and totally mastered” and reminded me that I was on a private um,,,hill, with a private instructer and accompanied by a professional hockey player who made it all look so easy. Anyway, out west, I too had a private instructor and was supported by my dear girlfriend Sarah. After a half day lesson I was ready to tackle those double blues. And in case of an emergency (ie I find myself completely out of control and/or with my tips pointing straight downhill) I can strike quite the bullfighter pose if needed. Needless to say, I was quite skilled in the apres ski rituals and loved the lodge at Deer Valley. Big fire, yummy wine, great people watching. . . see this was my type of place.
Second time was a couple of weeks ago right after July 4th weekend – once again to see Sarah and GT but this time to share in their wedding day! I was a bridesmaid, or as Sarah insisted on calling us, a friend of honor. So with all my “bridal I mean friend of honor duties,” I did not get that much time to explore the mountains in the summertime (I really wanted to try zip-lining in Olympic Park. . .so maybe next time) but I did manage to see a few critters that I don’t get to see every day here in Beantown or on Cape Cod. Every night driving home we would see a few deer and one morning I saw two elk (deer with goatees) just strolling right in front of the house. And I swear the bunny rabbits out there are bigger than some medium size dogs. The last day we saw a moose. Now that was pretty cool, although poor giant creature was injured. Don’t worry, we called highway patrol and reported, “there is a moose down on Rte 150.” Again, not a typical call to make living in the city.
I had a blast.
The wedding was gorgeous, the bride stunning and the views breath taking. It truly made me want to be more of an outdoorsy type. And even tried organizing a group one morning to take a power walk with me. Let me tell you, you get winded out there and pretty quickly.
But most importantly, we had a great time with the newlyweds and their friends and family. And bonus, I got Mr. Even Less of the Outdoorsy Type to promise me that we would go back in the winter so I could once again hone up on my ski skills and so that he could wait for me by that big old inviting fire in the lodge.
It’s here! The sun is finally our friend again and boy does it feel great! Better late than never. Let the tan and the fun begin. . .
Happy 4th to all!
Spoon (spoon) v. 1. To cuddle in a spoonlike position.
Had to share this Kodak moment because no one would have ever believed me otherwise! Me, Grover and Grover’s new all-time favorite toy got it down pat (no pun intended) last night.
Grover was curled up in the crook of my arm with his back and little butt all cozied up to me. He also brought his new best friend (a birthday gift) to bed with him and positioned that thing underneath his paw and cozied up to him. It was a three way spoon.
The salty air does wonders for me. I sleep like a baby when we are on the Cape. And apparently so does my pooch.
Filed under: Events
This past weekend we celebrated “Sarah and the City” – a NYC fun filled weekend for a bride to be. Sarah is a very good friend of mine and I am one of her bridesmaids, although we are not calling ourselves that, just simply bridal friends. Honestly it has been a while since I have been a bridesmaid, so this title suits me and my age just fine.
Our sex and the city themed weekend started on Saturday with a lite lunch, rose wine (my summer fav) and some shopping. We then all checked into the Great Jones Spa (truly one of NYC’s best pampering spots because of the wet spa and a man named Jacob – more about him later.) I gave everyone a short to do list for the weekend. Shocker I know, but what can I say I am the event planner. One of my jobs was the bubbles and the girls were in charge of booking the spa appointments and bringing the snacks.
This spa has memories for each of us. Mine mainly revolve a man named Jacob. I was very tempted to tell Sandra to book me a massage with him, however at the time I could not remember his name. All I remembered was his exact resemblance to actor Simon Baker, his hands, his fabulous accent and a boyish grin that truly made me blush. And before this weekend, I did not really know Sandra all that well, so I figured she would think I was a crazy lunatic stalker if talked about him like this. Not to mention she had to phone the spa and give that description. 
So I kept quiet – first time for everything. We arrived at the spa and I of course started babbling about my male fantasy masseuse. There we were all sitting in our robes waiting for our names to be called and then to look up and see whose magic fingers we got. I was the first called. Held my breath, winked at the girls, looked up and there standing before me was the spitting image of Paul Giamatti. Short, bug eyes and all. Certainly not Jacob. But what could I do? 
Turns out my guy was just as skilled, but the fantasy part was left in the waiting room. Sandra, our lovely singleton of the group, ended up with Jacob. She walked back into the locker room with such a glow I did not even have to ask her. You biatch was what spilled from my mouth. You get transported to another world by the Mentalist and I got Mr. Sideways. After 15 years of marriage one would think they would let me take the hottie.
After our treatments, we returned to the wet spa with a bottle of Veuve-Clicquot and some yummy snacks. Three hours later we left. Now that was a great effort and day.
Part two of our girly weekend was dinner and dancing. We made a rezzy at Sushi Samba on 7th Avenue South. Saturday night, gorgeous spring weather in NYC and we picked one of the loudest, trendiest bridge and tunnel meet tourist spots around. But they have a fantastic deck and indoor/outdoor seating area on the 2nd floor. And Sarah and I have frequented that place for years to imbibe in a mango capirinhia or two. So it was the perfect destination to start our evening.
Our night was pretty fun, but very civilzed too. We devoured our shrimp tempura, spciy tuna and tuna taccitos and had a few rounds of our mango cocktails too. Now it was time to dance off the calories!
We walked and walked that night looking for the best places to salsa dance and ended up at a club called Aspen. Not really what we had in mind, but we all agreed it was appropriate because of its rustic theme. Sarah is getting married in July in Park City – so it fit. And we danced the rest of the night away.
Sunday morning came pretty fast. Well faster seeing we got in Sunday am, but still it was a bit hard to get out of bed. Sarah and I woke and immediately went to Starbucks for grande lattes. Our brunch was at 1pm so we had some time to chill and let the coffee do its job.
And look at us, we clean up well don’t you think? We had a lovely, leisurely bridal brunch at Avra on the upper east side. This was one of Sarah’s requests. And once again, the weather cooperated so we dined al fresco.
“Sarah and the City” was a success and we had a blast celebrating with her before she becomes a MRS!
Sarah always says I am her “most fun married friend,” well soon my dear you will be one of mine.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Hello handsome. Where have you been and why aren’t you on my foot? Meet my latest crush. This particular one is in black, but I covet his younger brother in gold.
He caught my eye last week as I was killing time in NYC and decided to peruse the shoe department at Barneys. Mike was with me and he actually fell in love with this shoe too. Or at least he acknowledged that this 5.5 inches of pure bliss was fierce and understood my obsession. . . well almost. But it was a good start.
There was a young woman trying them on next to the bench seat where my not-so-overly enthusiastic, but obliging husband had parked himself while I dashed around. She did not buy the shoe, which I am actually glad because personally, I don’t think she could have done this filly justice.
For me, it was love at first sight. However I used restraint and left my latest lover safely on display. I am simply going to wait until everything that is anything goes on sale in just a few short weeks. Then I will move in for the kill.
Each spring, two of my BFFs and I spend some quality time in NYC celebrating birthdays, shopping, gossiping and having fun. Most recently, we have established a fun shoe tradition. We all buy the exact same pair of shoe and sport it around all season. And we tend to purchase ones that are not super trendy so we can wear them again and again too. And every time we wear them, we think of each other. Now that is a bonus on our ROI. Prada has been our pick for the past few years, but this season I think a new candidate is in town.
So girls, what do you think of my Pierre Hardy fishnet sandals? Do you have a new crush too?
Filed under: Events
Yes I am almost famous. As some of you may now know, Michael is back in the music industry managing a band called Endway. Last weekend, we decided to go with them to NYC. They were playing at Justin Timberlake’s bar and restaurant Southern Hospitality in NYC and my husband aka band manager of the year thought it would be a great bonding experience to make the trip with them. When I say make the trip, I mean really make the trip.
We were supposed to leave Boston at 12 noon. It was 2:30pm and Mike, Brian (the keyboardist) and me dressed in my “band look” were still outside sitting on our stoop waiting for our ride. Now you know that I travel back and forth to the big apple all the time. Preferred methods being the shuttle or Acela. But there is a first (and last) time for everything. This time my mode of transportation was a used grey van, otherwise known as the Endway tour bus. Two of the bench seats had been removed leaving room for all the equipment in the back and the newly acquired futon mattress between the back and front seats.
We hit the road about 3pm – just in time to hit all the traffic on the Pike and through Hartford. The drive was long, muggy and not very comfortable. Not the boys fault, the van suited their needs just fine. It got them where they were going and provided a place to sleep if their manly physiques and boyish charms failed them on the road. But um, check out two of them above, as you can imagine this rarely happens. Anyway, Mike and I were two added bodies, making it that less comfy and more of an inconvenience times two. Needless to say I was cranky.
We stopped only once for a bathroom run and to get some food. I was hoping for a TCBY, they settled for hot dogs. The rest stop we visited hosted a Knights of Columbus bake sale of sorts. So no fro yo for me, but Gold help me, no hot dog either. Now I was cranky and hungry.
At about half past 8, we finally checked into our hotel. I learned more in those five and a half hours about members of the opposite sex, then I did in college, in all my years of dating and in my 15 years of marriage. And trust me they certainly don’t teach you this stuff in sex ed class, in relationship books or even on reality shows. Life on the road with a band is a whole new type of education.
Personally, one I don’t think I’ll be signing up for the follow up class anytime soon. I am much happier simply meeting them at all their local venues and thinking I know it all.
I was in NYC this past weekend too but flew in on good old US Air. Of course I still went to hear and see the boys. They are like my newly adopted kids. Let me tell you besides the education, there are many other experiences that go along with suddenly having 5 twenty-something year old good looking boys around all the time. It makes you younger for sure. So there I was back in this joint yelling and dancing with Labbadia, Traci and other friends. I have no problem admitting I am having a blast with them and know Mike is too. But I also have no problem telling you, my hubby and them that I am past riding in the back of any van. Soon when our boys transition from band members to rock stars, they will feel the same way.
They are almost famous because they are rising stars. I am because I now get to say, ”I’m with the band,” it just does not necessarily mean that I rode in with them.
Filed under: Fashion
Yes my friends, a jumpsuit. This spring and summer, when I am asked what I am wearing to an event or for a fun night out with my hubby or posse, that will be my answer.
I must admit, I too was skeptical about these babies, but after my young, hip salesgirl at Barneys told me to “just try it on,” I was hooked.
Last month, I was shopping for my trip to St Barths. Because of the horrendous economy and my schedule, I had not been shopping in a while. But I had a gift certificate from Christmas to one of my all time favorite stores and decided my vacation to this trendy, hot spot needed something fabulous and new. I tried on a bunch of pieces – tops, pants, shorts, skirts and dresses. None of which I really loved or loved enough to pull the trigger. My twenty-something rail thin stylista asked me where I was going. When I told her my destination, I thought she was going to jump right out of her boyfriend jeans she was so excited. “Oh my God, I absolutely love St Barths. . .I was potty trained there.” I felt like replying when about 10 years ago, but refrained. She obviously had spent some time on this chic island and could therefore be of use to me.
She then pointed me in the direction of the central mannequin. This tall also rail thin plastic creature was sporting a jumpsuit. And convinced me that this would be perfect for my trip and become one of my favorite things to wear all season. I tried it on and immediately felt rail thin, glamorous, current and oh so chic.
My jumpsuit is black with spaghetti straps, a drawstring waist and long wider legs. A new designer to the scene. . . and is fierce. The tie belt is great alone or with a bigger belt over it. I suggest opting for black if you are a newbie to this look. It is easiest to dress up or down and the most flattering.
I wore my one piece wonder out in St Barths with super high gold heels, chunky gold jewelry and a tan. I felt like a million bucks and had quite the night as a result.
Now that we are finally enjoying some good spring weather and my social calendar is filling up again, I can’t wait to wear it again. A great cropped leather jacket will complete the look one night and a huge waist cincher with some funky gladiators another. The possibilities are endless.
I know this is a leap of faith. But go ahead, make the jump!
