So today’s my dear husband’s 40th birthday. If you really know me than you know this is a HUGE thing for us. You see we started “dating” 20 years ago today. Yes, you read that right. 20 years ago. But that’s not all. I’ve known him since I was just 4 years old. Are you shocked yet? hehehehe

I almost wrote about our “love story” here but I’ll do it now. Do you want to know how it all started? Let me tell you The Story of Us:

It started on the 4 train, near Yankee Stadium on a beautiful spring day in the Bronx. My mom left the dermatologist office because she had to go through a chemical peel because of bad acne. I was “acting up” (so she says) and she was getting frustrated so she screamed at me.  A lady sitting right across from us said “Awwww, she’s so cute, you shouldn’t scream at her.” My mom said that I was getting on her nerves and she couldn’t take it anymore  and she was in a lot of pain so she didn’t want to deal with my nonsense. The lady told her don’t worry, things will turn out ok. And before she left for her stop, she said to take care.

A few weeks later, we were on the same train around the same area and the lady spots my mom again. She says “Hey, remember me?” My mom says “Yes, I do, how are you?” The lady says “I’m doing good. Your face looks great.”  She said Thanks. Than the lady said “Isn’t this odd – us seeing each other again;  You want to to stop and get a cup of coffee?” My mom said “Sure” and they went to a local coffee shop by Grand Concourse in the Bronx.

They spoke for a few hours in the coffee shop while I ate fries and played with my doll. Before we left, she exchanged numbers with my mom and started a friendship.

They became really good friends. We would go to her house and visit her and her three kids (I had a small crush on her son even though I was a little girl, lol), have dinner, go to the park, they would even go out clubbing while my dad babysat us. They seemed really happy. Then one day she told my mom she was moving to California. My mom was devastated. One of her closest friends would be across the country. Even though she was hundreds of miles away, they always kept in touch.

Years later, my mom’s friend moved back to New York but only for a short while. After that, they moved to Puerto Rico. Several years later, she told my mom she wanted to see her because she was visiting her daughter in the Bronx and she would only be in New York for 2 days so we headed out to see her. When we got there, she was amazed at how much my sister and I have grown. She even stated that I was looking like a lady at only 13 years old. I admit, I was a bit over grown for my age.

A few hours later, her son comes in thru the door and I have to say I was a bit nervous because like I said before, I had a crush on him.  He popped his head into the living room and said hi to everyone. I was shocked. I could not believe that was the kid I had a crush on. I thought to myself, my, my he has grown into a really good looking guy – he was HOT (LOL).

Anyway, her son came in and started talking to everyone. We started talking and he tried to teach me how to play some board game. Before we left, my mom gave him our number. It was like she was trying to hook us up back then!  He’d call my house to talk and he would invite me to the movies but only as friends. I was too young to date.  We got to know each other and became very good friends but that was it.

After several months of hanging out, he went into the Army for a while and when he came back he moved back with his sister. The day before his birthday in 1990, he called me out of the blue and asked me if I was doing anything the following day. I said no and he said cool, then I’ll go pick you up and we can go to Playland to celebrate my birthday.

I was excited. I could not wait. The next day came and we ended up going to his friends house instead of going to Playland.  We stood at the house talking and laughing until it was time for me to go home. I had such a great time. He was very respectful and very kind – the perfect gentleman (still is). He took me home and the rest is history!

We’ve been together ever since and it doesn’t feel like it’s been 20 years.  I’ll be honest, our relationship hasn’t been easy. There were lots of times I wanted to ring his neck and I’m sure he wanted to ring mine too but we got through those hurdles and we are learning from each other every day.  The key for us is definitely communication and compromise – without the two, there’s nothing.

**Ok so, remember that day he came in and said hi in the living room? Well a few years later he admitted that he couldn’t wait to find out who that fine girl was (it was me *blushing*). I was in awe because he made my day when he told me.  I have loved him for so many years and I hope we have many more years together so I can love him some more.

I love you Babe. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

I hope you enjoyed my love story.

Do you have a love story you’d like to share? I would LOVE to read about it.

PS. I’ll post some pics of us from “back in the days” next week for Wordless Wednesday

When I cook, I rarely use a recipe. I cook how my mother and grandparents taught me.  A little bit of this, a little it of that and make sure you taste as you go along.

Learning how to cook was fairly easy for me because I grew up in the kitchen with my family.  I was always fascinated how they would just add ingredients and rarely measure anything and it was the greatest meal ever.  That is how I cook today for my family. I’m like a Latina Rachael Ray because she doesn’t measure either. 

However, when I find a recipe I think I can make, I will follow the recipe to a T.  Some of Rachael Ray’s recipes are simple to make but the one I always go back to is her Buffalo Chicken Meatball recipe.  I’ve made this recipe so many times, I don’t even need the recipe in front of me. It’s so simple and easy and tastes delicious.  My whole family loves them, minus my five year old because it’s too spicy for her.  It’s prefect for a snack or even a side dish.

Here’s the recipe:

BUFFALO CHICKEN MEATBALLS

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground white meat chicken
• 1/2 small onion, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup hot sauce (such as Frank’s)
• 3 scallions, green and white parts thinly sliced
• Store-bought, good quality bleu cheese dressing for dipping
• A couple of handfuls celery sticks
• A couple of handfuls carrot sticks

Preparation

A few months ago, I visited my abuela (grandmother) and saw this photo on her shelf. It reminded me of the show I Love Lucy. For some strange reason I thought wow, my abuela looks like Lucy and abuelo looks like Ricky Ricardo. How cute!

So what do you think?

Happy WW Day!! If you want to join in on the WW fun, please link up your post below. I would love to see your WW photo! Thanks

For more Wordless Wednesday around the blogosphere, visit Ridingwithnohands.com, Latinaonamission.com & 5minutesformom.com.

My Dad left us 16 years ago.  It was his time to go to heaven.  I still miss him dearly and I know one day we we’ll see each other again. R.I.P. Papi.

Below is a collage I made with pictures I found in old photo albums. I wish I had a digital camera back then. The photos are so grainy.

The past week has been exhausting. Blogging conferences are no joke! It took a huge toll on my body, mind and soul.  I think I can say I am almost 85%.  Not a full 100% because I have kids to take care of and they suck the energy right outta me (kidding, lol) but I’m getting there.

Last Sunday I totally forgot to post my Shout-Out Sunday so this week will feature the special people I met at BlogHer ’10.

In case you don’t know about Shout-Out Sunday, click here and find out

I hope you enjoy these posts as much as I did!

(not in any particular order)

1. I can’t believe I almost missed meeting her in person. Thank goodness for elevators. lol

2. This mama is surely a goddess when you meet her.

3. She knows how to make you feel like you’ve known each other for a long time.

4. Have you seen her vlogs? She is just as sweet!

5. I loved her blog as soon as I read the featured post and I keep coming back.

6. Whoa, my first lawyer friend and she’s a Latina too!

7. I’m so bummed I missed her book signing. I hope I get to read her book.

8. If you’re looking for a site with coupons in Spanish, this blog is for you (she’s also super nice too!)

9. She’s an inspiration to so many people. So glad to have met her.

10. I kept on forgetting that she’s from New York too. Can we say Mommy brain? lol

11. Love her blog so I was so happy to meet finally meet her.

12. Jimmy Dean’s booth got better when this sweet blogger came over to sit by me. We had a great conversation.

**If you would like to be featured here on our new Shout-Out Sunday post, please leave us an email with your link at Lisa [at] newyorkchica [dot] com. Thanks and have a great Sunday!

OK, so it’s been a long 49 days since our family road trip with the star of the trip, the Volkswagen Routan.

I know, I know. That was way over a month ago and you must be thinking, ok, why is she writing about this now? Honestly, life got in the way especially when there’s kids involved and well, it was also a sad moment when the vehicle was picked up.

Really it was.

Just thinking about the extra leg room we had, the luxury of dual tv screens with wireless headphones, automatic door and trunk opener, leather seats, a built-in GPS, satellite radio, emotions can indeed get in the way.  The biggest surprise was that during the whole road trip, our 3 kids did not fight at all!

That alone was the icing on the cake. No doubt about it.

Compared to our Kia Sorento (where my kids are cramped and bicker A LOT!) , the Routan is a fabulous minivan.  It doesn’t even feel like a “soccer mom’s” vehicle. The  Routan has the speed, the style, the kick, the look, the luxury, the “everything” that a well-made vehicle has to offer.  This is definitely our next vehicle.

::Sigh::

I really miss the Routan.  I really do.

Ok so back to the road trip.  Sorry, I got sidetracked for a moment.

Day One

It started on a Saturday morning (June 26).  We wanted to leave no later than 7 am but with 3 kids and some things that were left unpacked, we ended up hitting the road at 9 am. And that was after going to K Mart for a cooler and sunglasses.

Our first stop was to Lancaster, PA.

Traffic wasn’t too bad. Cars were moving and the weather was perfect; nice and sunny.  We stopped once for a bathroom break and to stretch our legs midway and then we were off to Lancaster.  The reason why we were visiting Lancaster is because I have family over there from my dad’s side and because he’s buried over there too (unfortunately not by my choice!).

We arrived to Lancaster around one so we did pretty good on travel time.  The first thing we did was check in to our hotel and leave our bags in the room. We met up with my sister, my mom and her boyfriend.  After check-in, we headed out to Walmart to get some gardening tools and flowers so we can plant them next to my dads tombstone.

After our visit to the cemetery, we headed out to a local park where my family decided to have a picnic just for us (can I get a awwwww….lol).  They made a huge deal because of us.

How sweet.  My aunts and cousins arranged a huge picnic at the park (the same park where my dad, my sister and I ate crabs) with food, drinks and goodies and all we had to do was to bring ourselves.

Now how many people would do that? Tell you to come to a picnic and not bring anything? I can tell you not many.  I felt guilty not bringing anything even after asking several times if we should bring something but they insisted. I’m so glad we didn’t bring anything because they had TONS of food, drinks, cake, chips and all the paper products.

I was so amazed and grateful they went out of their way for us.

After spending some quality time with my family and doing some eating and drinking, we decided to go back to our hotel room to rest for our early rise to Philadelphia, PA.

What a long day but it was all worth it.

PLEASE stay tuned for Day 2: Philadelphia, PA – Road Trip With The Family – VW Style.

Disclosure: The Volkswagen Routan was given to us as a loaner for review purposes only.  It was made possible by the MWW Group. Thank you so much for making our road trip “extra special”  Amy.

Last month I had an opportunity to check out the latest technology in microwaves called True Cook Plus, thanks to my friend Kimberly Coleman from Mominthecity.com. The event was held at City Treehouse in Chelsea on a beautiful New York City afternoon (check out the slide show at the bottom of this post featuring the microwave, food and City Treehouse).

While the kids played in the play area, the parents/bloggers learned how True Cook Plus works, which is a microwave technology that cooks food to perfection and optimal taste while eliminating concerns for Salmonella and E. Coli.

It’s the easiest microwave you’ll ever use – my five year old can even cook with it.  The set up is extremely easy — all you need to do is press the True Cook Plus button three times, key in your 5-digit zip code using the keypad (so it can determine the altitude for proper cooking) and press the start button.

Once the microwave is all set up, when you’re ready to place a frozen dinner or dessert into the microwave, just look for the True Cook Plus number in the back of the package, key in the code that is specially marked for each individual meal and press start.

That’s it!

The results are perfect food every time. No need to wonder if the food is cook properly.  You will get perfect results each time.  Like Steve Schafel (the developer) said, “It’s like having a chef in your microwave!”

You can find these special code numbers on approximately 120 food items but that number will expand in the next few months.

The food items we all tried at the event were the Celeste Frozen Pizza and the Betty Crocker Warm Delights Minis. They were both equally delicious.  I’m not too fond of microwave pizza because I don’t like soft, soggy crust but with True Cook Plus, it made the pizza perfectly cooked. The bottom crust was perfect too. It was left with a great crunch – just the way I like pizza.

Right now, microwaves with the True Cook Plus features are available through the brands, LG and Kenmore.  They are available to buy at Sears and Best Buy.  Microwaves with the True Cook Plus technology will soon be featured in other brands as well so be on the look out for those too.

The price is pretty reasonable.  They range between $119 – $139. Not too bad considering you take the guesswork out of knowing whether your food is cooked or not.

Just in case you were wondering how this technology got started, below is the story:

The person behind this ingenious idea is entrepreneur Steve Schafel.  Together with an engineer, Steven Drucker, who had been working with a prototype and his motivation to help his nephew (who suffers from cerebral palsy), become more independent in the kitchen, came True Cook Plus. After seeing how well his nephew adapted to this new feature, he decided to go ahead and sell it on the market so that families everywhere can have the same ease with cooking foods in their microwaves.

I can’t believe it!

I did it!

I survived BlogHer ’10. If you haven’t heard what BlogHer is (who hasn’t?), it’s a blogging conference where women (& some dad bloggers too) gather together and share their views and opinions on anything and everything through their blogs.  They blog about parenting, cooking, places to see and eat, traveling — basically anything you can think of, someone is blogging about it.

The conference is an event that happens once a year since 2005 and it consists of sessions on social media, networking, blogging and much more.

Let me just say that BlogHer ’10 was my very first conference and definitely won’t be my last. I learned a lot and I met so many wonderful people whom I talk to practically every day on Twitter, Facebook and through post comments on my blog.

Although I miss a few of the sessions, the sessions I did attend was informative and full of advice. The best part of the conference was that it was held in NEW YORK CITY at the beautiful Hilton New York!!!

I was so glad because I was able to make it this time around unlike the Chicago conference last year.

Next year, BlogHer ’11 will be in San Diego and since that is my hubby’s childhood state, we may just make it a family trip and go together. I’m hoping we can make this a family vacation — fingers crossed!

So anyway, I was thinking of a title for this post for hours but for some reason I could not get one.  But I finally did and I think I hit the nail on the head.  Here’s why:

I’ll start with the good part.

–Being one of the co-hosts of Social Fiesta. Those women are AMAZING! I love them!

–The friendly blogger friends I exchanged business cards with along with hugs.

–The hugs I got from women I had never met before like Carolyn Gonzalez, Ana RC, Ananda Leeke & Elianne Ramos. I swear it felt like I knew these women my whole life! (I know I’m missing more but I’m still digesting it all)

–The great conversations, the laughs and the food.

–The makeover that was done by Debra Macki at the HPVInformed booth.  She made me look HOT! LOL

–The parties: Social Luxe, Social Fiesta, Getting Gorgeous, Sweets In The City, Unilver PentHouse Experience & Blogalicious — BEST TIME EVER!!!! Thanks ladies!

–The many brands I connected with and shared my life stories with.

–And of course, the friendships that were made.

Now onto the bad part:

–Missing my kids after hearing their voices on the phone.

–Coming to a disaster of a house after cleaning it from top to bottom Wednesday ALL. DAY. LONG.

–The back pain – from carrying all the great swag we got from the private parties, events and the expo hall. It’s Monday and I’m still hurting :/

–My swollen ankles – I thought that would never happen after pregnancy. I guess I was wrong.

–Sleep deprivation – I lost many hours of sleep so hopefully I can get those hours of sleep back this week! lol

–The exhaustion – I’m still walking around like a zombie (and it’s day 2 of being away from BlogHer) because I am so tired and all I feel like doing is napping – which is so unlike me.

–Last but not least – The people that I was dying to meet and/or see again and did not get to. You know who you are. We’ll see each other again – one day.

So, did I trick you?

Did you think I was referring to BlogHer when I said the bad part?

Never!

Not this time around. BlogHer ’10 was one of the best experiences I ever had. I am so blessed to know so many awesome people from around the country. Now I really can’t wait for BlogHer ’11 in San Diego! Woo hoo!!!

Note: If you have written about the BlogHer conference, please comment below so I can check out your post!

P.S. I have yet to upload the photos from my BlogHer experience so photos and shout-outs to those special peeps will be coming very soon!  As well as separate posts for the parties and events.  So much to post, so little time so stay tuned!