Fresh off our successful kayaking adventure, the ladies of Camp Fern decided to try surfing. Our friend Lars at Main Beach & Surf were tasked with teaching us wanna-be surfers. The waves were really flat this day, which in some ways made it less intimidating for the three of us who had never done this before. Just call me Gidget!

Angela and Heather

Einat and Nicki

Paige and me

The waves from our local beach flow into Georgica Pond

Our surf lesson started with how to put on a wet suit.

Surfer girls Nicki, Paige, Heather and Einat

Surf’s up! (barely)

Look ma! I’m surfing!

I caught another wave!

Which quickly flattened out, so I stood on top of the water. (Lars is saying “What happened?”)

Einat surprised herself with how much fun she was having.

Angela was really good at this surfing thing.

One last wave for me

Surfing Ferners: Heather, Nicki, Paige, Einat, Angela and me

We did it!

Thanks again to Lars at Main Beach Surf & Sport for another fantastic adventure!

Most of the Ferners are active and adventurous, which made us great housemates. Our nearby surf shop offers lessons and organized activities, such as surfing, paddle boarding and kayaking. One of the most intriguing ideas was moonlight kayaking on Sag Pond. Half of the girls had never tried kayaking, but everyone seemed game, so off we went. We paddled out to a beach, where they had set up a table with wine and cheese, and were preparing a bonfire for later in the evening. Everyone had an amazing time - we even got to try paddle boarding! Yet another amazing adventure in the Hamptons!

To fuel up for our journey, we had a mixed veggie salad, made with fresh ingredients from the farm stand.

On our way!

The girls

The nervous newbies

Experienced kayakers

Paige and I had some experience, so we opted for single kayaks. She made this look easy. It most certainly was not.

The others paired up for a friendly race

Heather and Nicki

Emily and Einat

Duck boxes

The water was like glass, except for the jumping fish.

The beach

We made it!

Our shadows have long legs.

Snacks and beverages

Lars gave us a lesson in paddle boarding

Brave Heather was the first to try it

Paddle boarding was a harder than it looks - it takes a bit to for your legs to stop shaking!

Turns out Einat is more adventurous and outdoorsy than she thought!

The Ferners - Emily, Paige, me, Nicki, Einat and Heather

Full moon

It was a night of firsts for Einat - kayaking, paddle boarding, and now making s’mores!

Emily and Heather are old pros in the art of toasting marshmallows.

Me too. Nothing like toasty marshmallows in the moonlight!

Bright full moon over the ocean, the sound of waves, and perfect weather.

Nicki strikes a pose in her glow stick headband. We had to wear these so we could be seen paddling back in the dark.

Thanks to Lars and the crew at Main Beach Surf & Sport for an amazing night! We’ll be back for more next year!

When I first moved to NY, my goal was to experience as much of the NY lifestyle as I possibly could. In almost 6 years, I’ve had my share of celebrity sightings, eaten at some of the best restaurants, visited the museums, seen lots of shows, spent a weekend in Fire Island, played slots in Atlantic City, watched performances in the parks, and I can find my way around The Village. Now I can check one more off my ever-growing list - a summer in the Hamptons! My friends and I are sharing a house for the month of July, and now I’m wondering why I didn’t do this sooner (oh, right, I couldn’t afford it before…). The house, which we’ve nicknamed “Camp Fern,” has a pool, a deck, a large kitchen, a grill, and is a mere mile and a half from a gorgeous beach! And bonus, there’s a farm on the way to the beach that sells fresh produce every day! I was a little sad to be missing my beloved farmers market for a whole month until I discovered this little gem. Here are some pics of our first evening’s stroll to and along the beach.

Long road leading to the beach

Gorgeous estates with fancy cars

I really wanted to crash this party. They had a great view, a guitar, and a bonfire.

And a BBQ and something delicious cooking in a very large pot.

Not a bad view!

Lori, Heather and Paige enjoyed the evening beach stroll.

Emily showed off her guns.

Wild life! There were lots of little bunnies on the side of the road and in the yards of the fancy homes. Most were camera shy.

More bunnies! There’s some truth to that joke…

Fancy home

Fancy estate

Stay tuned for more pics of my Hamptons summer adventure!

After an intense four weeks on the new job, I was due for a little vacation, and a visit with the Gialdo family was the perfect little getaway. Philly is just a 2-hour bus ride away, and now that I know how easy it is, I’m ashamed it’s taken me so long to go! Marcy and Matt are good friends I met in SF about 10 years ago, and while I’ve seen Marcy a couple times in here in the city, I’ve only seen Matt once in my six years in NY. They have two beautiful children, Olivia, age 6, and Nigel, age 3. Here are a few pics from our adventures around downtown Philly.

Olivia, Philly Fananatic

Riding the carousel at Franklin Park

Matt, photographer on the sidelines

My buddy, Nigel (it’s really a shame I didn’t record his dance moves the day before, something all guests of the Gialdo house should witness!)

My little Philly friends

Beautiful Liv

Matt Gialdo is an amazing photographer. He happens to have three gorgeous subjects to practice on in his wife and kids. Check out his work, and if you ever need a photographer in Philly, give him a shout!

April was a big month for me. After 4-1/2 years working with UGO Entertainment, I accepted an offer to return to advertising. I was fortunate enough to be able to take a couple weeks off to relax between jobs, so I headed to CA to spend time with my family and a few friends. Most of my time was spent with Corin, but I did manage to sneak away to Sonoma for a couple days of the good life. Warm sunshine, gorgeous landscape, amazing wine and delicious food… a girl could really get used to that! It was a great way to unwind, disconnect from my old work life and prepare for my new job. Here are some pics of my time with Corin, my side trip to wine country, and some lovely shots of SF.

Jailbird!

Trying to escape

Chomp!

Post nap playtime in a crabby sweatshirt.

Corin likes to check himself out in the mirror while he’s dancing.

Nikki and I went to Sonoma for a lady vacation. We started at Gloria Ferrer with some bubbles and shared a tasting. The spiced almonds are a delicious treat too. Sitting on the deck overlooking the vineyards was a great way to spend the morning.

Caught sight of this sign when we pulled off the road to check our directions.

Sunset from our balcony at the Inn at Sonoma.

Next morning, after a leisurely stroll around the Sonoma plaza, we headed for Hog Island in the little town of Marshall.

We brought some of our own picnic goodies, but the main attraction were the oysters.  It really doesn’t get any fresher than this!

A squeeze of lemon, maybe a splash of hot sauce, and you’re good to go! Sweet oysters and briny goodness!

We made a short stop at Stinson Beach before heading back to the city, and of course we hit traffic on our way to the Golden Gate Bridge, but it gave us a chance to appreciate this view.

My trip to Kirkwood was canceled, but it gave me an extra day with Corin. While I was preparing lunch, he tried to get some of the pots out of the cupboard, so I gave him this lid to play with. Lids and wooden floors are far too noisy though, so we took it back 5 minutes later.

“Can I have some of your lunch?”

Crawling and laughing

And dancing

Pulling books off the shelf is fun, particularly if Yun-Yun is there to clean it up.

Helping mommy do laundry.

When he wakes from a nap, this is usually the scene that greets you. Corin, standing up in the crib in his sleeper, which looks like a dress.

Licking the floor

What’s wrong with that?

Who knew an Easter basket could be so much fun?

Peek-a-boo!

There was some post-nap crankiness. Good thing Yun-Yun has all kinds of patience and experience!

Checking under the furniture for the missing ball, just like Yun-Yun did.

Yun-Yun keeps Corin out of the cabinets, which have not been baby-proofed.

This is his favorite activity, having Yun-Yun (or any other volunteers who are not too tall) hold his hands and walk him around the house.

As an alternative, there’s always crawling, a skill Corin perfected while I was in town.

And finally, when he’s bored with all of his usual modes of transportation, riding in the little toy wagon is loads of fun!

One last day in SF before heading back to NY. Perfection.