Sun, Sand and SeaWorld

I know. It's been a long time since my last post. Sorry about that, ya'll. Southern in the City and The Husband took a mini-vacation out west to San Diego. It was great to get some sun on these pale New York City faces. We were also able to see some of the family, eat lots of fish tacos and even feed whales, walruses and pet a few penguins at SeaWorld (via employee access thanks to Uncle K).

We didn't get home until 2:45 a.m. this morning so my brain is a little fuzzy today, but it was well worth it for a little R&R amongst the palm trees and water. Since I'm too tired to write, here are a few shots from our trip...and for everyone who keeps asking, apartment pics are coming soon!

Oh Brother

Last week, my little - yet much taller - brother visited Southern in the City. We had a great time going to lunch everyday, running around town and just relaxing (he knows how to do that part best). We always have a fun time together but this visit was extra special given that he was able to stay with us for almost ten days. When I was younger, I always said that we would live together in an apartment in the city, so for much of last week this was true.

Although we vowed to not drag him to Time Square with the rest of the tourists, we did end up taking a quick trip to see the recent Obama advertisement that has had everyone up in a tizzy. Here is the young republican with Barry below. Similarities?

A few other photos from his trip - being silly with The Husband and then at dinner on his last night - Come back and visit soon, G!!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

I hope ya’ll had a wonderful Christmas. Southern in the City sure did. We made our way across the entire state of North Carolina and were lucky enough to see both sides of the family stretching from eastern NC all the way to Charlotte.

I always say that I’ll take more photos on my trips and made that promise to myself again before this past one. Yet, I only snapped a few memories but here they are for you anyway.

Some of my favorite things from this trip:

- Seeing all the cousins at my grandparent’s house in Scotland Neck. I don’t have any photos from this visit but I know someone who does and will post soon.
- Watching our family dog, Reagan and The Husband share a moment
- Chick-fil-a
- Christmas Eve stocking shopping with the brother
- Mom’s food (all of it)
- My nephew, Holden playing his Wii game
- Snuggling with my nephew Thomas
- Snuggies
- Dad making fun of my Monster Margarita
- Experiencing two Christmases with two great families
Be back soon with New Year's news.

Rockin’ but no Rollin'

Thanksgiving this year was full of many firsts for Southern in the City. First Thanksgiving away from home, first Thanksgiving together as a married couple, first Thanksgiving seeing the Macy’s Parade Floats, and first Thanksgiving cooking.

We all have our must-haves for a Thanksgiving feast and this year I wanted to have my number one must – my mom’s homemade yeast rolls. These delicious rolls have been in our family forever and over the years my mom has perfected the art of roll making. I my friends, have not.

In order to bring a little south (and home) to New York this Thanksgiving, I thought baking rolls would be the perfect project for me. My mom even gave me the essentials including flour, a mixer and six packs of yeast. “Now remember, the water must be hot to the touch, not boiling and not lukewarm,” she said over the phone. These words ran over and over in my head each time I poured the water into the yeast. Three times, I tried, to no avail.

Here sits the dough that did not rise
My mom says it took her many times to perfect the recipe so I’m not throwing in the rolling pin just yet. Fortunately, my mom thought ahead and packed her already-made rolls to New York just in case this very thing happened.

Despite the roll rollercoaster, Southern in the City did manage to make some delicious dishes including squash casserole, green bean casserole and sweet potatoes. The Husband even cooked his first turkey. All in all, I deem our Thanksgiving of firsts a success. Much to be thankful for this year! And a special thanks to our friends in Brooklyn who hosted a great Thanksgiving feast.

I snapped a few photos of the squash casserole cooking and the beginnings of the sweet potatoes...

Here's The Husband with his bird

On Wednesday night we checked out the Macy's Parade floats being blown-up. Check out some of the characters below. They were huge, I mean huge. I've watched the parade for so many years growing up and knew they would be large, but I didn't realize how tall and wide they actually are. I stood looking at the floats for awhile thinking what would happen if they all came alive? Fortunately, they didn't.

Puppy Love

I have puppy fever. Everywhere I go I stare at canine companions and daydream about walking side-by-side with them on the streets of New York. Hey, at least it’s not baby fever right?

The Husband and I are not “legally” allowed to have any sort of pet (dog or cat) in our building, though I have thought about sneaking one up in a duffle bag (dog not cat). Living on the Upper East Side in Manhattan, where there is an abundance of pups and parks is not easy for me – imagine a kid in a candy shop not allowed any treats what-so-ever.

I grew up with dogs my whole life, who were more like family members than pets. First there was Bogey and then Socks, both of whom would probably hate the New York City sidewalks and sounds. Bogey the sweet collie, grew up with me as a little girl and Socks was there during my teenage and college years. She passed away – one year ago today. Socks, named after her long white legs (not the Clinton cat), was a fearless and smelly pup who seemed to always be sick but lived longer than most healthy dogs. Her permanent napping spot was located right where she could see the family at meal time, always having to be in the center of it all. (Socks pictured above).

Then there is Reagan – brother’s crazy college dog turned mom and dad’s still crazy house dog – who’s become one of the favorites. Though I suspect, each of the precious family pups are the favorite in their own unique way. (Mr. Reagan pictured below).It’s my hope, sooner than later of course, that Southern in the City and The Husband will find our special dog, who like Bogey, Socks and Reagan will quickly become another favorite in our family.

This is Halloween, This is Halloween

Nothing like a little "Nightmare Before Christmas" to get yall in the spirit of the Day...

A Fire truck, Chili-Dogs and Two Stoplights

At first glance you may think the three aforementioned items have nothing in common. But if you’re from my childhood neighborhood in Raleigh, you’ll likely know and appreciate the first two and for those that don’t remember, I have a picture for the last.

Growing up each Halloween, our neighborhood invited Raleigh’s finest to come and drive their red fire truck around the circle while dressed-up, wide-eyed children marched behind. We called it the Halloween parade; simple kind of fun.

Once the parade ended at my friend Sara’s home, parents and kids alike gathered for a chili-dog supper before heading out for the evening's trick-or-treating.

Here is Sara and Southern in the City in one of our most memorable costumes – the stoplight. Don’t ask me what motivates 4th graders to dress-up as stoplights. We even had working green, yellow and red lights. Thanks for the good looks, 1994. I've also included other Halloween photos from the 80's and 90's for your viewing pleasure below:

Now, fast forward 13-14 years (oh my!) and here is Southern in the City with The Husband in two of our favorite costumes - tacky Halloween and classic 80’s (that's a real black jumpsuit with gold sequins and glitter - bought from a flea market in NJ). Flattering huh?For those of you in NYC this Halloween, check out the parade in the Village. Although there won’t be any red fire trucks or chili-dogs here, it will be a fun and wild time I assure you.

Multiply Chapel Hill's Franklin Street on Halloween by 100 and you'll get something close to the parade in the Village. For more information on the Village parade, visit http://www.halloween-nyc.com/

Playing Dress-up

I wouldn’t say that I’m particularly immersed in fashion. If I had the choice of a designer dress or a designer chair, I would definitely pick the chair. However, like most girls and gay guys, I do appreciate and love looking at the windows in Bloomingdales and Bergdorf’s to see the perfectly designed displays of the season’s latest trends. But on most days, I prefer my rainbow flip-flops, jeans and old Elon tee.

As a little girl I loved playing dress-up and remember a family friend covering me from head-to-toe in her jewelry and scarves (I should find this picture for a good laugh), which is probably why I get excited when I see the fashion week tents at Bryant Park. It’s just like playing dress-up, but with big girl clothes – ones that I could never afford.

Last night I snapped a few photos of NY Fashion Week’s tent. I need to start remembering to pack my camera, as these are from my phone, but you get the picture.

It'll be a hoot and a half

Hey yall,

Welcome to Southern in the City. I know, another blog. As if you didn't already have enough work to do, eh, blogs to read, about your friend's decorating misadventures, fashion faux-pas or tips for cooking made-easy (a true oxymoron in my opinion), now here's another blog to add to the list.

Though I can't promise that I won't have any of the aforementioned topics in my blog, I hope to give readers some insight on what I have learned in my past few years of living life as a yankee in New York. Someone close to me recently said that you must have a story, a plot, to keep people coming back and reading. So hopefully, you will find one here.

I look forward to hearing from you as well and hope you enjoy reading Southern in the City.

Now, go grab that big ol' glass of sweet tea and join me on this journey. It'll be a hoot and a half!