Meaningful Gift-Giving {A few thoughts}

My husband surprised me with a picnic basket for Mother's Day. I've wanted one for as long as I can remember, but what made the gift truly special were the personal touches he added: the hand-cut sign, the drawing he drew, the little treats he filled the basket with, the beautiful peonies that tied together the color scheme.  I was so impressed by his approach and absolutely floored by his thoughtfulness and attention to detail.

As I look towards Father's Day, I'm trying to step up my gift-giving and find a gift that matches the message I want to send. Kyle's message to me: "I want to spend more time with you." There's nothing more flattering or sweet than that.

Friends, I'm curious what kinds of gifts you like to give and receive.  I really struggle with gift-giving because I really try to give my loved ones gifts they can actually use, but that are also personal. How do you achieve this?  Thoughts?

Day in the Life of a Tourist {A Few New York City Sights}

My in-laws came to NYC for the first time a few weeks back, and on their first day here we tried to hit most of the "must see" sights so that we could relax and enjoy the rest of their stay. It totally worked. The rest of their stay was relaxing and lovely.  But, the first day was kind of crazy. 

We saw the following sights between 10 am and about 5pm with two kids in tow, and if you've been here and seen these places you'll know it's a tall order:  Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Wall Street, Trinity Church, Ground Zero, Grand Central Station, Bryant Park, and Times Square (no travel pics from the last two).  I hadn't seen the Statue of Liberty + Ellis Island for over 8 years. Let's just say with those lines and all the frantic tourists, it will be at least another 8 :)

 

 

 

p.s. This is my 500th post on this blog. Craziness!