Let's Hear It For The...

Boys!!
Or, that is how the song goes... It is also how most guesses have gone thus far (including mine and Barry's).

So, Sunday night we went up to our roof and prepared to open the envelope. We also got engaged on a rooftop, so it seemed quite fitting. As you can see from yesterday's post, we had a bottle of champagne from our wedding ready to celebrate (a little champagne never hurt anybody ;) ).

But truth be told, as excited as we were to find out what Warby was, we thought it was a little anti-climactic because we are certain it's going to be a little boy...besides I never really got sick, my weight gain hasn't been in my face, nor has my skin been much of an issue (all 3 wives' tales about little girls for those that don't know). Anyway, so we braced ourselves...and opened the envelope!!!!

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IT'S A GIRL!!!!! 

Color me shocked. Absolutely stunned. We are both totally surprised that Warby is a little girl! We are both so very excited and can't wait for all the fun surprises that are in store for us! As if finding out it's a girl wasn't a surprise enough :) Thank you all for playing along and submitting all your guesses!!

This is the real reaction :) 

I hope she still likes football...

The Big Reveal!!!!

Ok folks, it's almost that time...time to reveal what Warby is!! Please leave your guesses in the comments! If you are one of the few who happen to already know, please do not spoil it (yet)...

A status update for some background info:

• You can find a recent picture of my 'bump' in this post (warning, there isn't much of one). That picture was at 21 weeks, I'm now 23. I've gained about 10 lbs so far, but I'm not sure where it is. 
• Most people say I am carrying pretty low.
• I had a little bit of morning sickness weeks 6-8, but it was very manageable and I did not throw up. 
• No major cravings, although I've been eating my weight in goldfish crackers. 
• For the most part, I still look & feel relatively normal. 

Ok, your turn...what is your guess?!?! 

Vegetarians Not Welcome

There are quite a few annual events we look forward to here in New York City, but this past weekend was one of the most important: The Big Apple BBQ Festival. You've seen enough food shots on this blog to know we do not take feeding ourselves lightly, and the level of intensity increases when meat, smokers and BBQ sauce are involved. This year was the 10th annual celebration of the festival and it did not disappoint! For those that aren't aware, every year for two days Madison Square Park becomes a haven for renowned BBQ Pitmasters. They are set up along several blocks of Madison Avenue and 27th Street. Their rigs arrive on Friday night and begin to fill the air with hickory-tinged smoke. By Saturday morning, the pigs are good and cooked...the meat ripe for the pickin'.

Our process of attack has been thoroughly tested and perfected throughout the years - it starts several months in advance with the purchase of what is called a Fast Pass. The Fast Pass is the key to success. For $125 you get a 'punch card' with $100 worth of money on it and a companion pass. These allow you access to the 'inner' lines - while the commoners (who obviously lack foresight and real passion for BBQ) must wait in the outside lines. The Fast Pass lines typically move faster, but make no mistake they, too, can get outrageously long at the best rigs (Big Bob Gibson's from Birmingham is routinely upwards of 1 hour wait). Each year, we set up camp around 10:30/10:45 in the morning, and spread our blankets out on the same grassy spot each year. After plotting who to hit up first, everyone is off to the races. Martin's BBQ from TN, Ubon's of Mississippi, Jim n Nick's of AL, Jack's Old South from GA, the list goes on...

Our group varies in size from 10-20 folks throughout the day, so we'll often get in line for a particular vendor and bring back several plates for the group. For example, our friends Lindsay and Johnny took one for the team this year and stood in that crazy Big Bob's line. A well-timed "Roll Tide" got them a plate of pulled pork while they waited in line,  and they returned with 3 sandwiches back for the group. But Randy & Heath really outdid themselves by standing in the Fried Pie line that stretched two blocks, they ordered 16 fried pies at once - 4 each of peach, apple, cherry & blackberry. A friend of mine from HS was in town visiting (hi Tara!), and I'm pretty certain she was blown away by the crowds of people and what a big ordeal this whole event is. It really is truly an amazing spectacle. Day 2 was a quick stop to round out whatever you couldn't fit in your belly the first day. The goal is simply to finish all the punches in your Fast Pass. Whatever you don't spend in BBQ you can buy in rubs, spices and other merchandise. Then everybody goes home and sleeps off the meat coma...

Emptying the Archives...God's Country

If you Google "God's Country" you'll get a whole assortment of results...  Apparently there was an old Western film, U2 once sang a song with that title, and some place in Potter Co. Pennsylvania claims to be it. But I would like to define "God's Country" once and for all:

Damn straight...that's Athens, Georgia.

I suppose if one wants to extend the circle just ever so slightly to include more of the Southeast, I would not argue too emphatically (although I would argue some). Anyway, over Memorial Day weekend Barry and I packed our bags and headed to a friend's wedding in Tuscaloosa, AL. We flew in and out of ATL, so we made a special stop in Athens one night...

It Never Leaves You.

The wedding was for our dear friend Russ and his fiance Lauren. Russ is from Tuscaloosa and they both went to school there, so the location was ideal. I've been to Tuscaloosa several times, but this time was a bit unique because school was out and there was no football game.

It's not a blog post without a few food shots.
City Cafe goodness. 

Waysider breakfast. 

Bryant Denny, empty. 

ZTA house at U of A - an exact replica of the one at UGA. 

Barry and I before the ceremony 

Bridal party waiting for the bride...

The NY crew. L to R: Jay, Richard, Jen, Julie, Huston, David, Barry, Kiley, Courtney, Randy.
Not pictured: Heath who was in the wedding. 

The happy couple's first dance

Reception was at the Tuscaloosa Yacht Club (who knew?), beautiful sunset over the lake. 

Emptying the Archives...Local Adventure

For this installment of Emptying the Archives, let's go on a local adventure...

First up - Smorgasburg!!! New Yorkers are such clever people - take two random words, splice them together and create something totally new, random, and so cool. Thus, Smorgasburg is born. It's a 'smorgasbord' of food vendors in an empty lot in Williamsburg (Brooklyn), thus, Smorgasburg. It's all just so cool...

Homemade S'mores truck menu. 

Cemita - some kind of Mexican sandwich. Pretty delish. 

View across the Hudson 

Jen chowing on what was a massive ice cream sandwich...possibly the best thing we ate the whole day. 

This guy just screams 'Brooklyn' to me. Throwback clothes, crazy hair, 'cool' mustache...

Finished the day at a New Orleans style bar. My virgin drink was the fanciest. 

Our next jaunt takes more than a subway train to get to. Our friend has a place in Bridgehampton, NY and he is gracious enough to let us visit the house often. It's quite a nice respite from the crazy city life. Unless there is a big event (BBQ fest, anyone?) that keeps us in the city over summer weekends, you can find us here:

Richard's house, which I like to call Tuscaloosa North 

trip to Wolffer Estates winery (this was hard to sit through). L to R: Heath, Jen, Barry, Tim, Chao

Cool street we found in East Hampton

I think Barry enjoys our trips 'out East' more than anyone else because he likes to engage in little projects. Among the past ones are hot tub speakers, fixing outdoor lights, hanging chandeliers, and of course the famed fire pit that he and Heath built from scratch last year. I'm pretty sure he was Bob Villa in a past life. This year's first project is a liquor cabinet/bar for Richard's Living Room. 

Hand saws only for this project..

assembling the first corner

The almost-complete frame. I'll post the final product once it is finished! 

 Up next...a trip to God's country.

Emptying the Archives...a walk around the city

I'm starting to think 'Emptying the Archives' should be a common theme on our little blog. I take so many photos on my phone thinking they'll make a fun update, then forget about them until weeks later. This past weekend as I was taking endless pictures of BBQ I realized my Camera Roll was upwards of 200 pictures...so, it's time to empty the archives. Aren't you the lucky reader today... 

First up, scenery photos from around the city...

Ha. Get it? The coffee wasn't cool enough...

Grand Central on the way to Fordham University to watch the Alabama softball team play. Barry's sister-in-law's sister plays 3B for them. They eventually won the National Championship. 

Walk on the High Line on a pretty Spring day. 

NYC: Tolerant of your beliefs but judgmental of your shoes. Touche, Touche...also, misspelled. 

Really brave kids playing in the water fountain at Washington Square Park. Note the kid in orange on the right about to lose his shorts. 

Manhattanhenge! Twice a year, the sun sets directly even with the cross streets, New Yorkers go nuts about it.

Manhattanhenge on 14th St.