The Big Reveal

Winnie & I attended the taping of the big 500th show of Wendy Williams today.  It was black tie and everyone was dressed to the nines.  Men in tuxes and women in gowns or cocktail dresses and lots of high heels.  It was a humid and muggy day so my hair didn't hold up.  At least it stopped raining.

It was a long day even though the show said it would treat the taping as a "live" taping.  Which usually takes an hour.  But we were there almost 4 hours and that's not counting the additional hour or two of waiting time outside on the street.

But in the end, it was worth it.  We had so much fun.  Paula Abdul was the guest (although she was previously taped! :-( ) And the Tramps performed "Burn Baby Burn"...and everyone danced.

We did get excellent "gifts" with a total value of over $1000 and a parting cupcake as we exited.

Thanks, Winnie!!  :-)

Wendy and Staff photo

Wendy starts getting emotional

Our first giveaway - the PS Vita plus MLB game

Second: 2 night /3 day stay at the Mohegan Sun
Dinner for 2 at Bobby Flay's Bar American

Third: The Roomba!!  

Our Dancer

Everyone needs a dancer in the family.  Ours is Miranda.  While I have watched her grace and talent developed over the years, I do remember a first dance recital held in a basement of their local dance teacher.  With the exception of one absence, (a family wedding was the excuse) - I have been to every one of her shows.  And I am so lucky!

Miranda's in the red cap....SO CUTE!!
The little dancers are doing an ice-skating dance

Miranda, Rosa & Evelyn

At Sam's Soul Food

40th Year reunion!

Doesn't that sound NUTS?  How could I possibly have a 40th year reunion??  I can when it's my junior high school one!  Yes...JHS 65!  It was a small gathering...just 6 of us but it was still so much fun!  With the exception of Winnie (who I have known now for 50 years!) - I haven't seen the other 4 in probably 30 years.

Caryn started the ball rolling.  She was also in kindergarten with Winnie & I.  But in JHS, she was in the same homeroom with Winnie, Jinny, Winston and Raymond among others and they were very close - being couples.  Winnie with Winston, Caryn with Raymond, etc.  My BFF status with Winnie at the time,  had me included as part of the group. And the guys came up to my home quite a bit to hang out.

We met up at Colicchio & Sons on 10th Ave and it was a wonderful choice since it was spacious, quiet enough to have decent conversations and no one rushed us.  We were there for 3 hours! It all turned out to be so wonderful.  Something to be said about having history together. :-)

Caryn & Jinny's choice: BLT Sammie with Pork Belly
topped with fried eggs

Winnie, Winston & Me: TC Burger

Raymond: Lobster Roll

Esther & Winnie
Caryn & Jinny

Raymond, Winston, Winnie
Caryn & Jinny

Group Shot

Professional Audience Member

As many of you know...or rather ALL of you know since I have a limited amount of "followers" of this blog (my preference) - I have attended many tapings of day time talk shows.  Live with Regis & Kathie Lee (back in the day), The View, Martha Stewart, Rachael Ray, Tony Danza, Mike & Juliet, Nate Berkus, Anderson Cooper, The Chew, The Revolution, Dr. Oz & Wendy Williams.  Whew.

On some of these shows, Winnie & I have become regulars.  Or rather Winnie has.  The staff know her by name!  Which is always fun for me!  One of these shows we attend is The Wendy Williams Show and it is one of the most fun shows.  The waiting area serves coffee and Dunkin' Doughnut munchkins.  And they have a free photo booth.  Once inside the studio, the DJ plays lively "move your body" music and the warm-up guy, Kevin is funny and endearing. Wendy is wonderful and down to earth.  It never gets old and we have been there numerous times...over 10-15 times!

This month, Wendy is celebrating her 500th show.  I was able to get tickets for last week's taping and invited Kathy & Kris (her first time there).  Winnie had gotten her own set of tickets and had friends with her.  Winnie really wanted to get tickets for the 500th show - a huge celebration and the show ran a contest where you have to send in a video claiming to be her biggest fan. We did one and here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC3JceJXOKU&feature=youtu.be

It was silly and fun and the out-takes are hilarious and makes for great memories.

All month Wendy was giving away something to celebrate.  On the day we went, we received a beauty package worth $200:

Winnie had discovered the day before that she had "won" 2 tickets to the 500th Show!  Oh Boy!  It will be a black-tie event and should be exciting.  Will post about that day - might be pretty special.

Maryann,Winnie,Claudia, Eileen

One of the few photos that daughter looks like mother!

Mother's Day 2012

Surprisingly, Mom wanted to cook dinner for Mother's Day.  After her cataract surgeries, I think she is feeling better about her vision.  She outdid herself, cooking up a storm. Everything was delicious as usual.
I loved the day...always great when the whole family is in attendance!  Love you guys!


The Menu: (I didn't take photos because the food was grabbed up by the time I remembered!)

Lion's Head Casserole

Braised Black Mushrooms

Gai Lan

Shrimp w/Lobster Sauce

Spare Ribs

Soy Sauce Chicken - Take Out

Cha Siu - Take Out

 Nikki & Tom gave me flowers: peonies from Nic, tulips from Tom.  Each had a card for me and without the other's knowledge, they both chose a card with an elephant! (left one from Tom,right from Nic)    

Then Evelyn surprised Kathy & me with her hand-knit shawls. Kathy is wearing hers in the photo. They are looking at a baby sweater Evelyn created - pattern and all.  So talented! 

My shawl in "pecan" :-)  So soft to the touch and a really lovely drape.

Our Beautiful Kids
Top: Kris & Baz
Bottom: Xavier, Miranda, Nikki & Tom

Da Conch Shack

The Food.  We knew it would be expensive on the island.  Everything is pretty much imported.  Even with a fully equipped kitchen, buying supplies is costly.  Everything is double or triple the cost.  Most people bring what they can from home and pick up perishables (milk & eggs) or items not allowed such as fruit or vegetables.  We did the same.  We packed cereal, cold cuts, bread, snacks and condiments.  This was perfect for breakfast & lunch.  For dinner, we had take-out from the beach side restaurants. There is nothing like a hamburger with all the fixings on the beach.  The menu was varied and it was convenient to be able to bring it back "home" and eat in the comfort of our dining room.

Kathy does her homework.  She will research and investigate and read through comments and blogs prior to visiting a new place.  This was no different.  She came across a local favorite...Da Conch Shack.  It's located on the beach but it's off the beaten path.  This place has fresh conch brought out from the ocean and cracked open as needed.  

We had rented a car that was delivered the day prior to our departure and it was a perfect opportunity to have dinner there on our last night as a special treat.

Kudos to Tony for driving on the other side...takes concentration and ability...

We have arrived at da Conch Shack!

Some of the shells decorating the entrance

Our table by the beach

The Menu

Rows and rows of conch shells and that round table to the right is where they
break the conch shells straight from the sea

More seating - picnic table style

Tony's Curry Conch /white rice & mac & cheese

Kathy's Cracked Conch / peas & rice & cole slaw

My combo of conch fritters, cracked conch / peas & rice, mac & cheese

A Slice of Heaven On Earth

May of 2006, I took Nikki to Turks & Caicos, an island I had been wanting to visit, for a spa vacation to celebrate her 21st birthday.  While there, I knew it was a place that Kathy would love and told her so.  Kathy & Tony went there last year and loved it so much, they made plans to return this year and I accompanied them.

We were so lucky that the days we were there had no rain.  (May 7-11) We stayed in a 2 bedroom/3 bath condo at Ocean Club which is the same resort I stayed at with Nikki.  So comfortable.  Spacious and convenient to have a full kitchen with all the amenities.  Each bedroom had a private bathroom and the "guest bathroom" which is usually a 1/2 bath was a full bath so each of us had our own private bathroom. We were located on the 3rd floor which is also the top floor so the cathedral ceilings made the rooms feel even larger.  A wrap-around terrace extended from the the living room area all the way to the master bedroom.  In fact, the master bedroom's walls were mainly made of floor to ceiling glass. Unfortunately my photos don't show how roomy each of the rooms are.

Living Room

Kitchen

Wrap Around Terrace

Master Bedroom

Second Bedroom (mine)

The Grounds:

One of two gorgeous pools

First Day on the Beach

Second Day

Third Day

Fourth Day

Kathy & Tony enjoying the water

We stayed at Ocean Club East and had access to their sister resort, Ocean Club West (about a mile away) which is where Kathy & Tony stayed last year.  We did end up going over there since we found the waters there calmer and less shells and pebbles as you walked into the surf.  The sand is white powder and in the morning, cool to the touch.  The water is crystal clear where you can see your toes easily and we even saw fish swim by.  We played and ate well.  My next post will be a foodie post.  

No doubt about it...Life is Good!