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Last week Rodney and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. I’d like to say that we planned an extravagant evening out on the town, retreated to a luxury hotel room, and enjoyed some breakfast mimosas in front of a roaring fire. 

Instead, it went down like this:

Phone conversation, transcript, November 13, 2014, 8AM: 

MUM: “Happy Anniversary Jess!”

ME: “What?!”

MUM: It’s your 10th anniversary today, remember?

ME: [silence]

We are not good at remembering dates.

Each year my Mum reminds us of our anniversary by sending flowers. This year, I could tell that she was somewhat shocked that we hadn’t even remembered our 10th. She tried to brush it off “Well, there have really been so many anniversaries, it is hard to keep track…” but in her voice there was a trace of “get it together people.”

It’s not that we don’t care for each other – in fact it’s the opposite. Every day feels like a celebration. We eat most dinners at home together, often after the kids have gone down, accompanied by a glass of wine. We make each other laugh; bleary-eyed tear-filled laughs. Yes, we irritate each other in the way that couples do. I am mostly to blame. But there is love, lots of it, and we remind ourselves of that frequently.

But 10 years….it’s something that should be commemorated, if not with a bronze plaque, then at least with some tequila.

By some twist of fate, there were exactly two tequila shots left in our bottle of Jimador that we smuggled back from our wedding in Mexico. Not easy for a Tuesday night, but sometimes you just have to do what it takes.

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We’ll plan a big dinner out soon – once we get through the holidays, the merriment, the wrapping, the unwrapping, and the sheer happy fatigue of it all.

For now, we kept things simple, because a weekend at home beats any evening out….

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Veterans–day-soldier

Last Tuesday was Veterans Day and the older kids were out of school. Sam had a birthday party that chewed up the middle few hours of the day, leaving Lauren and I with some much anticipated one-on-one time.

There was a time when it was always like this. Just me, my girl, and a front-loading baby carrier with all of New York City to explore. I took her to museums, to restaurants, to Central Park and to the Hudson River where we’d spend hours wandering.

The need to explore is in her blood. It’s in mine. I’m restless by nature, which is why this city feeds my soul.

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We headed up to Sam’s birthday party at a movie theater near Penn Station. On the way we passed the James A. Farley post office, one of the city’s landmark buildings.

It seemed fitting to peer inside since the kids have always asked me about this building. It’s impressive in size and stature, taking up an entire city block, its entrance made prominent with a set of solid Greek columns. Today its stairs attract drifters from neighboring Penn Station, but step inside and you’re transported to an earlier era. A time when ceilings were gilded even lowly government buildings were considered a thing of beauty.

mail Collage

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We dropped Sam off at his event, and then Lauren and I rode the subway to Midtown. Our goal was to watch some of the Veterans Day parade, and then spend some time at one of our favorite museums.

Holidays typically mean street fairs in this city, and last week was no exception, with one set up directly in front of the museum.

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Veterans–day-scarves

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kit_kat_cake_birthday_party_FeedMeDearly (3)

It was the Mister’s birthday last week. 5 golden years, how quickly they’ve gone. I can still remember the day he was born. I’d snuggled him close to my chest and that evening asked the nurse if all seemed OK. He hadn’t made a peep. Just slept and ate, slept and ate. In hindsight I should have recognized a little personality in the making: easygoing, not one to make a fuss.

It was with this no-nonsense attitude that he tagged along to Lauren’s doctor’s visit the day before his birthday. The older kids were off school that day, and it was a perfect opportunity to spend a few hours in Central Park…

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Eating Oreos. While wearing a Mustache sweater. It is Movember after all.

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Maybe one day his grill will look like that. For now we’ll chalk it up to a good case of Oreo teeth.

Central Park is so pretty at this time of year…..

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Did you know that wild cats live in the Park? Sam found a leopard and stalked it…

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sticky_toffee_pudding_recipe_desserts_FeedMeDearly

Ingredients

  • 1/2 to 3/4cups chopped dates
  • 1/2 to 3/4cups apple brandy (or Calvados)
  • 2cups unbleached, all purpose flour
  • 2cups white sugar
  • 2teaspoons baking soda
  • 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3/4teaspoon salt
  • 4cups slightly tart apples: peeled, cored and roughly chopped
  • 1/2cup melted sweet butter
  • 2eggs, lightly beaten 

Directions

1. Check the weather, pull on some rubber boots and steel yourself for some rainy day apple picking.
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2. Buy excessively, ‘tis the season.

3. Bake apple desserts daily, or until your kids claim that they no longer like dessert.

4. Discover a new favorite sticky date and apple cake recipe.
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5. Pat yourself on the back for realizing that this cake would make terrific muffins.

6. Pat yourself again for realizing that you’ve managed to save a few apples for this purpose.
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emma_swing_kelly_park_new_york_nyc_parks_chelsea_FeedMeDearly

We spent a weekend at home. No Saturday morning scramble to New Jersey, which I admit was a nice change.

But keeping kids entertained in New York City for the weekend is no small feat. That nice little sliding glass door to the backyard doesn’t exist, making it essential to plan activities with military precision. Comfortable footwear? Snacks packed? Game plan sketched?

With the grandparents in town for a visit, we hit the park at 0500 hours.

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It actually wasn’t that early, but it sounds cool.

Speaking of the military…

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