This Park is for the Dogs!

Well, it's official - Bella made her first trip up to Central Park a few weeks ago. She was loving it - or so we thought. I got back to our house and was looking at some of the pictures we took. I came across this little gem of Bella and I on a bridge in the park and clearly we were boring her as can be evidenced by the yawn on her face. Spoiled much?

Where have I been?

The question really is, where haven't I been? These past few weeks here have been crazy busy. We've had lots of visitors and have spent our days hitting up many of the city's tourist spots for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th times.

So I was excitedly thinking I would get back to blogging by updating you on something I had been pumped to attend for the last couple months - the Bears vs Giants game at the Meadowlands. John's two brothers, Mike & Jim, came out to attend the game. The Bears were starting off their season great at 3-0 so we had high hopes for this game!

We hopped on the train to take us out to the Meadowlands. The weather was a little questionable but I wasn't going to let that dampen my spirits...

















We made our way into the stadium and found our seats... Had to take a few photos as we waited for the game to get underway...




























Before the game started the first bad experience happened... I couldn't find any alcohol other than beer. I'm not a beer drinker so I was disappointed. Now, not a big deal at this point because I'm on an adrenaline high, but it really would have come in handy later when the game started and the Bears basically decided to take the night off - I at least could have numbed myself from the pain.

The second down point was the rain. I can handle the rain, but on top of the Bears playing the worst game I've ever watched it was just icing on the cake.

The third down point was the Giants fans. I've been in the Metrodome watching the Bears play the Vikings many times and their fans are one thing, but to me the Giants fans were another. They were cocky, in your face jerks. I say this because one in particular in front of us basically tried to start a fight with us. The laughable part is that he was about 4 feet tall.

Despite all the down points at the end of the day it was fun to hang out with John and his brothers and to be able to commiserate over the despicable loss. I've been told I've been banned from attending games with John's brothers now because my record of attendance is 0-5 for seeing a Bears win. I guess there's always next year...

I think we'll stick to watching our games at the Bears bar on the Upper East Side now. I may not be guaranteed a Bears win, but at least I'm guaranteed drinks.

Make it work!

Last Friday in NYC it was Fashion's Night Out. My idea of a dream come true, John's nightmare of hell on earth. John got home from work on Friday and immediately I was hassling him to get changed so we could get over to the City and check everything out. I really only had two items on my agenda - stop by Piperlime to see Rachel Zoe and the cast of Project Runway and then stop by Kate Spade to see Tim Gunn.

Well, I kinda accomplished both of my goals - the issue was that it was INSANE. So I was expecting it would be really busy, but it was outta control. The line to get into Piperlime was about 3 blocks long by 7:00, and Rachel Zoe wasn't even supposed to be there until 8:00. I lurked by the store to see if I could get a glimpse of any Project Runway contestants, but to no avail.

We wandered past the store and found our way to Kate Spade. We quickly made our way into the store, but again it was chaos in there. Feeling a tad claustrophobic I decided I didn't want to wait in there to see Tim Gunn. Well, of course just as we exit the store out of one door - I see through the window Tim Gunn entering through the opposite door. Being a celebrity crazed stalker like I am, I told John to stay where he was, grabbed my camera and waded my way back into the store.

I actually got pretty close to Tim Gunn, at one point I was probably within like 2 or 3 feet of him! Got some pictures from that distance, and called it a day! One of the items was checked off my list!

After that we wandered around Soho a bit more just taking in all of the craziness. We went into a few stores here and there - every one of which seemed to have a DJ and drinks being served but they were all chaotic. I finally decided I wanted to make one more effort at seeing Rachel Zoe. So we went back. And waited. And waited.

Finally, a black SUV pulled up and I new it was Rachel's car. Of course, I was on the wrong side of the street as she was getting out on the passenger side. So, after waiting for nearly an hour I basically saw the top of her head. I did, however, see her hair stylist Joey and her husband Rodger - who both appear on the Rachel Zoe Project.

All in all it was a good night, I've learned my lesson that next year I will do John and I both a favor and attend solo or hope that my mom or sister can come and visit and really do Fashion's Night Out some justice. I have to give John credit for even attempting to go, but it clearly was not his thing! Maybe next year:)

Below are some pictures that I captured - however, due to my excitement, they are horrendous! But at least it gives you a taste of the craziness!

You know you're in New Jersey when...

Snookie makes front page news.

It's almost Fall and that means FOOTBALL!!

John and I are getting totally excited for the upcoming football season. We have tickets to the Giants/Bears game coming up in October and are so excited that his two brothers are coming out to visit and go to the game.

Since the Meadowlands stadium is brand new this year, we thought we would head out to a Giants pre-season game to get a feel for the stadium and also to get a little taste of football before the season really kicks off!

The stadium is pretty amazing. We were on a Club level so they basically had a massive lounge area where you could get about any food you could want. Sushi... at a football game... yes please! The other really cool thing about the stadium is they have four GIGANTIC television screens around the stadium that are so clear it's almost hard not to watch those as opposed to the live action on the field!

Another nice part is that you can take the train directly out to the stadium - no need for a car. Which, if the Bears play bad enough then I can easily drink my woes away and not worry about how we're getting home.

Well, it turned out to be a beautiful August night and we got to watch a bit of football so that was good. Eli Manning was injured so we didn't get to see him play, but Ben Roethlisberger was in quite a bit for the Steelers so that was fun to watch. Can't wait for October to watch the Bears dominate the Giants... I hope. I'm still about 0-4 in seeing the Bears win in person. This IS the year!!

I'll take you to the candy shop...

As noted in my earlier post, John's birthday was last week. John is a hard one to pick out presents for, so I thought I would take him somewhere that I knew he would appreciate - a candy store! And not just any candy store. We walked over to 3rd Ave in NYC and went to Dylan's Candy Bar. For any of you celebrity followers, you may have heard this name before in US Weekly or In Touch. I believe (if my celebrity knowledge is accurate) that Ralph Lauren's daughter, Dylan, owns this store.

Well, I didn't tell John where we were going - but as soon as it came into view he knew where we were headed:












This place was pretty amazing - it's a must stop of you have kids as I think they would be on sensory overload!


















After cruising through the two floors of sweets, we headed up the stairs to check out their cafe. This place screams candy everywhere you look... they have candy embedded into the steps and walls:















And as if the store wasn't amazing enough, the cafe was a sweets shop on steroids. So, I thought I would order myself a Sundae... and this is what arrived at my table. Happy Birthday to me:)

Happy Birthday to the One I Love!

Happy 31st Birthday to my most amazing husband! I was looking for a photo to include with this post and I found this gem from our wedding:) I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful husband who has made life such an adventure. I love you!

Bag her up!

So John and I have been thinking for weeks that we need to get Bella used to traveling in a bag. I know it sounds totally Jessica Simpson of me to carry my dog in a bag, but it really does have a purpose! Our former neighbors were kind enough to give us their little pet travel bag before we left Rochester, and we were hesitant to test it out. However, we know an inevitable airplane flight will be coming up with the holidays and Bella will be forced to fly in that thing.

I'm not sure if she was more nervous about going in the bag or if John and I were way more anxious about it. We figured the best test would be to put her in the bag and take her on the train over to the city.

Well, I had every intention of taking a picture of Bella on the train ride from Jersey City to NYC. But the 5 minute ride was rather stressful and I only managed to take one quick image before the stupid flash on my camera set her off and made her somehow realize that she should be FREAKING OUT that she's stuck in a bag, on a train. John and I had the brilliant idea to leave the top of the bag open so we could pet her and "keep her calm". Note to self - BAD IDEA. This was her in mellow times before the incident:














Anyway, she proved to be quite powerful for a 7.5 lb shih tzu, but we were able to get her to stay put in her bag until we exited the path station at World Trade Center. Once there we let her out for a walk near the Hudson. I think all of the stress of the train, combined with a lenthgy walk really pooped her out. So much so that John wanted to go shoe shopping (insert chuckle here)so I just threw Bella back in her bag and took her into the store shopping with us. Here's us in happier times:















After shopping we headed back to the Path Station and back to Jersey City without incident. Now, this is only a 5 minute train ride but it was a start! Oh I've got plans for her now... If she keeps being such a good girl I might just need to totally push the limits and get her a Louis Vuitton carrier, just sayin'!

Walking on sunshine...

So you may ask, what did we do all weekend?! Well, first off it was gorgeous out. Really hot, but not terribly muggy for once. We decided on Saturday that we would go over to Manhattan for the afternoon. They were supposed to be doing this Summer in the Streets thing where they turn dumpsters into swimming pools (sounds weird, I know) and I thought it would be fun to check it out. Of course, by the time John and I got up and running we didn't make it over until about 1:00 so it was already shutting down. FAIL.

So, instead we just started walking around the city and soaking up the sun. We made our way from World Trade Center and ended up in Little Italy for lunch. We had a great meal, however, the service was less than desirable. It was kind of hilarious actually because all of the staff was yelling at each other in Italian. I only made out a couple of swear words here and there. Oh and did I mention it was really hot on Saturday? And then after downing my water in the first two minutes of sitting down for lunch I didn't get a refill until after I was done eating? After asking four times?

Anyway, the lunch was good and the atmosphere down in Little Italy was pretty cool. The street there was shut down so you could just walk down the roads. I don't know if I would eat at that restaurant again, but we'll for sure be back to Little Italy!

Guest Post.... Courtesy of Bella

Hey guys! This is Bella! I just wanted to take a minute to show you the great present my mommy brought back for me from her trip to Dubuque. Livi and Hannah drew me and my daddy some pictures to bring back to us in New Jersey. I was so excited I wanted to take a picture with them so they could see how much I love them. Thanks Livi and Hannah - hope to see you both soon!
Love, Bella

Home Sweet Home

Well, I made the first of many trips back to Dubuque over the weekend and had such a great time! It would have been even better if John and Bella could have come with, but unfortunately it didn't work out this time. I spent the weekend with my family and spent a lot of time with my sweet little niece, Ivy! I think we really connected because before I left on Monday she showed up at my parent's house in an outfit she totally picked herself:


















Now if I could just find a onesie shirt that says "My Niece is my BFF", then we'd be set!!

Our humble abode...

By popular demand I've finally taken pictures of our apartment! I couldn't get a picture of our bedroom, however, because the angles are so funny that it would literally be a shot of our bed. And well, for most of you, the thought of that probably isn't too exciting. And for those of you that do think it's exciting, you're weird. I digress...

So here's the living room/what should be our eating area. However, the eating area doesn't exist because there's no room for a kitchen table. We've been relegated to the kitchen counter stools, which is just fine. I would rather have more space than to cram a table in there. You would think in a small apartment one would have a corresponding sized TV. Well, apparently you've never met my husband because he likes things big... Wait, did I just diss myself?












Next up, is the office/spare bedroom/Bella's lounge. Are you seeing a theme here? Things must be used for multiple purposes! I would show you a picture of the spare bedroom closet, but that's just frightening. It's basically been the receptacle for anything I can't find a place for.

Notice Bella in her typical "work day" position. I'm cranking away at the computer (which I couldn't fit in this shot) while she naps for 8 hours. Rough life I tell ya.












And finally... the kitchen! I actually really love the kitchen - it's way more modern than our kitchen back in Minnesota. It's definitely smaller, but it's actually really functional! And it's connected to the living room so John and I can still talk while I'm making dinner and he's watching his big TV.











Well, that's most of our 1000 sq ft apartamento! If you want to see the rest, you'll just have to come out and visit.

For the birds...

It started out like any other day. John, Bella and I made our way outside of the apartment building to take Bella out for her morning potty stop and see John off to work. After about a block of walking we sent John on his way and Bella and I kept going around the block while she proceeded to sniff a thousand things and pee on about 3 of them. As we were walking I kept feeling like something was following us. I soon realized that a pair of birds kept hopping from tree to tree behind us as we made our way down the block. Not thinking anything of it, we kept going about our business and the next thing I know something hit me on the back of the head.

Well, of course the usual instinct is to scream, right?! So of course, that's what I did... 7:30 in the morning with people all in their nice business attire and here I am in my shorts and tank top walking my dog and screaming like a mad woman. Yep, I'm THAT girl. This nice little parking attendant looked at me and just kinda smiled, and I felt the need to justify myself and to let him know that I was just attacked by a bird. It kinda felt like that scene in Dirty Dancing where Baby says "I carried a watermelon". Like after those words came out of my mouth, I repeated them in my head thinking "I'm such a loser!"

Fearing for my life (and Bella's too) I went into a slow jog while pulling Bella along with one hand(remember she has to sniff EVERYTHING) and using the other hand to kinda wave around my head and run fingers through my hair to try to deter the birds from making another move. I literally felt like a crazy person on the inside but feeling like I had to hold my sh*t together since there were actually normal people all around me.

Well, we safely made it to the end of the block and back into the apartment building. I now seem to have a mild phobia of birds after that incident. And now every time I mention the incident to people they ask me if I've ever seen the movie "The Birds". No, I haven't and there is NO WAY I'm going to watch it now because they are legitimately psycho little beasts - I don't need a movie to get me more worked up about them than I already am!

City Life is Exhausting!

Whew! What a weekend! It's so fun that there is so much around us to see and explore! Friday night John and I decided it was just a casual night so we headed to a local pizza joint. They had a Chicago deep-dish pizza that was to die for! I swear I will never get sick of the endless amount of restaurants around here!

Saturday we decided it was time to go into the City and do some shopping! We hopped on the train and went to SoHo for the afternoon on Saturday. Despite the fact that it was sweltering hot, we had a great afternoon. The SoHo area of NYC is awesome - all of these amazing stores put into these old buildings. Such a cool combination of new and old. We spent a lot of our time in Bloomingdales and then we hit up a couple of other stores along the way.

After shopping we took the train up to Madison Avenue so I could "test run" a trip I need to make into Manhattan for work on Wednesday. So excited to be out of the apartment for a few hours to visit a client! I'm sure I will leave for the appointment way earlier than necessary as I'm totally paranoid about finding the right trains and getting there on time!

Saturday night we took Bella down to the dog park so she could spend some time running off her leash and enjoy a sampling of freedom! I think she really liked it and she pooped herself out!

Sunday afternoon everything caught up with us... well at least Bella and me. John was working away and looked over and the two of us were passed out. I don't think we've quite caught up with the pace of city living yet!!

Things that make you go YUM!

Ahh weekends! They give us the chance to explore this awesome new city of ours! We decided on Saturday to take the light rail up to Hoboken. It was literally just a quick 10 minute trip and we were on our way! We had two objectives for the day - eat sushi and go to Carlo's Bakery. Rough afternoon, huh?

Well, after strolling just a few blocks from the train station we found the place that John's co-worker had recommended - Sushi Lounge. I was so excited to be in there because I hadn't eaten sushi for months! Well it totally exceeded my expectations - it was so good! We will definitely be stopping back again soon to try other sushi rolls on their large menu. And of course when my sister is in town this may be a necessary stop!

Next up -- the bakery! Okay for all of you TLC junkies out there, you have to be familiar with Carlo's Bakery, right? It is the bakery that is featured on Cake Boss. It's a big Italian family that runs it and it's located in the heart of Hoboken. Well, we knew we were getting closer when we spotted THE LINE. Not just any line. A 2-1/2 hour wait line!

After deciding the best cannoli or cake in the world is not worth a 2-1/2 hour wait (at least not today) we kept walking and checking out the sites in Hoboken.

As luck would have it (lucky for me, not for my waistline) we came across Crumbs Bake Shop. And can I tell you how amazing this place was? Well, I'll just let the photos speak for themselves:

And I must say, if there was ever any doubt I had a sweets-loving husband (which there shouldn't be). This man ordered the Fudge Chocolate Chip cupcake. The lady at the countered asked if he wanted milk, and he smartly said yes. But then we go to check out and he swaps his milk for HOT CHOCOLATE! I mean I love chocolate and all but a chocolate fudge cupcake with hot chocolate? Yum?!?

Old dogs, new tricks!

Of course my biggest worry out here was my little Bella! On the list of worries:

How will she survive the 18 hour drive?
My proclaimed WORST DOG EVER TO TRAVEL WITH IN A CAR must find something special about a U-Haul. Maybe it's the vinyl seats, maybe it's the NO CRUISE CONTROL FOR 18 HOURS, maybe it's the fact there is no leg room. I dunno, but it sure did the trick for this little one. This was Bella for about 98% of the trip:












Can she ride an elevator?
The elevator is becoming the place where everybody fawns of her. I think if I had her in their too much her head would be so big she wouldn't be able to get back out.

Will she be able to go the bathroom without grass?
Woodchips, trees, whatever - she's game. In fact, she's gotten so good she decided to relieve herself near a person that was dining al fresco. How cute of her, right?

Will she bark when we leave the apartment?
Um, Yes! However, she stops shortly after we leave. Yep, we're THAT neighbor!

I know, I know I'm totally ridiculous - but a mama worries about her baby! Needless to say, Bella has astonished both John and I and has adjusted remarkably well.

I guess she is a city dog after all!

Take me out to the ballgame!

Well we've already discovered one of the great advantages of living near the City is professional sports! John's brother and sister-in-law, Mike & Anna, were in NYC for the weekend and we met up with them to catch a Mets game on Monday night. Now, while I was very excited to see them I was DREADING sitting in those cramped seats while it's pushing 100 degrees outside! Luckily, we got to our seats and by some stroke of luck they were in the shade... and there was a breeze! It turned out to be just a gorgeous night to watch a game! The Mets of course lost, but it was still fun to take in the scenerey and they did play a good game!












We got back to the apartment around 11:30 Monday night and opened the door to an anxious little puppy! She had pulled my purse around the living room, emptied the contents of her little doggy bag and managed to pull some paper towels off a shelf. This new life of hers is still a work in progress...

Welcome to New Jersey!

I don't think I've ever been so relieved to see a sign in my entire life. The moving weekend started with a couple glitches - the first one being the lawn mower. I decided to be all ambitious and mow the backyard with the riding mower for one last time. After one pass down the hill in the backyard, the thing sputtered and totally died on me. Did I mention it was at the bottom of the hill? Needless to say, I decided to leave it there until John could help me. So after that debacle I headed out to the airport to pick up John. Well, he arrived just fine but his luggage on the other hand - did not. We had so many things in there that were important (and valuable) that we about flipped. Luckily, American Airlines came through for once in our history with them and delivered the bag to our home the following morning.

Thursday was spent packing, moving and loading. Once the house was unloaded we (I use the term loosely) went through the house and got it all cleaned up. It looked so good and brand new once we left. Leaving was pretty sad and I tried not to get all sentimental over it, but the McAllister jeans in me took over and I got a little choked up. This is the house John and I built together, we got engaged there, was our first house together, brought Bella home there, and much more. It's so sad to be leaving all of those great memories, but we're sure to create many more at our new home in the City!

We said our goodbyes to our empty house and got on the road. We stopped in Dubuque to unload a lot of items to store, to pick up Bella and to see our family before we left. Then the three of us packed up the U-Haul and started the long journey to our new home. After two days in the car, 18 hours of driving (by John), and seven states of scenery we are here! We arrived in Jersey City by 5:00pm on Saturday night, we were so relieved to get here and we did not run into any holiday traffic! The drive actually went better than expected. Our biggest fear was how Bella would handle that many hours in a car since she is a notoriously bad traveler. I don't know if she had just missed being with John and I for the past month but she was amazing - such a trooper!

Here is a photo of the condition of our apartment kitchen on Saturday night. You can see we have our work cut out for us! The weekend will be spent unpacking and hopefully doing a little bit of exploring as well. Until next time, Happy 4th!

What have I been doing these past few days?

Selling stuff... that's what! I'll update soon... trying to pack everything from this house down into what will fit into a 1000 sq ft. apartment... then end is in sight - I hope!

Cutting through the Clutter

So John was home over the weekend, and was I super excited to see him? Of course! Did I put him to work? Um, duh!

My biggest task for this week was getting everything ready for this weekend’s garage sale, as it’s my last attempt at selling the sheer amount of stuff we’ve hoarded over the years before we move. So while John was home I went all “Clean Sweep” on his ass and I made piles of “Keep”, “Store”, “Sell”, “Move”. Thankfully, I didn’t need to do any hand holding, no tears were shed and no inspirational talks were given about why it’s not the stuff that is important but rather the memories.

So I think I’ve got the majority of the items sorted and priced for the sale. Now, to sell all my shiz! That’s this weekend’s project – wish me luck!

Getting Stoned

So in keeping with the theme of missing family events, I also missed my Mom's birthday on Friday. As a Mother's Day present for her, my family and I purchased her a stone massage as a special treat that's she's been begging us for subtly hinting at. For her birthday she decided to, in her words, "get stoned".

Hope your birthday was great, mom! You always know how to make us laugh and if you ever feel like getting stoned again, feel free to bring me a long for the ride! I love you tons!

Wish I could be there...

So living away from "home" has a few drawbacks, one of which is missing out on family celebrations that you would love to be a part of. Today I would like to send a very special Father's Day wish to my Dad - I love you so much and I so appreciate all of the love, support and kindness you shower me with. I will never be able to thank you enough for all that you have given to me over the years. And plus, I think he loves my dog almost as much as I do (almost!). You're the best, Dad! I hope your day was great!

The One I Worry About

So the thought of moving across the country... into an apartment... away from my family... brings out the extreme worrier in me. However, despite the usual worries of needing to sell the house, find a job, and so on - there is one worry that is consuming me. One totally adorable, can't live without, sweet and cuddly worry:














Is Bella gonna like it out there? Not only is she moving to another city, but she won't have her big house to play in, a yard to run (away from us) in, and neighborhood dogs and walkers to bark at. She's going to ride in elevators, fly in airplanes, pee on sidewalks, and have to bark at skyscrapers. Whatever will she do?

Welcome!

Well, after months of saying I was going to start a blog - here it is! The last few months have been crazy as my husband, John, and I have decided to make a move to the City out East! And by City, I mean Jersey City. I know, I know. I say the City and your mind races to scenes of Whitney Port living the glamorous life of fashion and excess in New York City. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then I'm not sure you're going to love reading this blog. That's right, I'm a 15 year-old trapped in a 20-something year old's body and I'm obsessed with MTV (what are we on, Real World 20 now?) and anything celebrity! If I've lost you already, it's best we just end our relationship here...

So Jersey City might not conjure up the images that New York City does, but I can at least still see the Empire State building out my apartment window. That counts for something, right?

Please stop back as I update the site on moving out of Minnesota... drop my "eh's" and "aboots" and start fist-pumping my way out to Jersey City! We're in for a bumpy ride!