Our Family's Boston Globe Feature

This past Friday, October 23 my family was included in the Boston Globe's "In the Family Way" feature showcasing how 3 local families are currently coping given all that's going on. In it I shared a day-in-the-life including what it's like balancing remote and hybrid learning for Grayson and Nia, respectively, as well as managing with Uka recovering from surgery. 

#TBT Decade Edition: Happy 10th Birthday Nia!

Left by my BFF Julie McGee; Right by Sweet Escape Photography

 

Yesterday, my Nia turned 10 years old! I originally shared this caption on this Instagram post and wanted to capture it here on the blog too:

Celebrating in the Midst of Covid

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A couple weeks ago when Grayson declared he was going to have a "dumb birthday" due to Covid-19, I set out to make sure that wouldn't be the case. I get that we're all having to make adjustments, but especially for the kids I'm saddened at how things have turned upside down for them.

2019 - 10 year vow renewal in Puerto Rico
{Photographer: 1982 Creative Studios}

 

Those of you who have been following me for years know how big of a celebration the month of June is for me and my family. Of course there's Father's Day and the end of school here in Boston - we ended on the 22nd (it was supposed to be the 19th, but they just *had* to tack on a Monday as a make-up snow day), and the complications of distance learning made it even more celebratory.

We ended the week with our 11th anniversary followed by Grayson's 6th birthday.

Here's how we made it a good week...

GROUNDED!: A (Picture Heavy) Life Update

When I picked him up he told me nothing happened at school. Then his teacher shared this picture! 

Last weekend ended a 5 week streak of being on airplanes. It was so nice not to have to be in an airport! As my family gears up for a staycation Memorial Day Weekend I am absolutely thrilled to be grounded for the next 5 weeks until we return to Puerto Rico to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. 

Here's what we've been up to...

20 Birthdays with Mr. Lovebird

With the birthday boy in Ocho Rios last month

Today marks my 20th year celebrating Mr. Lovebird's birthday with him. 

20 years. 

We've literally known each other our entire adulthood. 

Mom 2.0 2019: I Heart Austin

Today I'm back from a whirlwind 5 days in Austin, a city that's been on my bucket list for a while. I'm already plotting for when I go back! I arrived last Wednesday morning then Uka flew down to join me for the weekend. Last year, we did something similar when I attended Mom 2.0 in Pasadena, and now I'm starting to think we might have a new birthday tradition for him going. 

If there were 3 things I had heard about Austin it was that the people are amazing, the food is awesome and that the city itself is beautiful. 

It didn't let us down. 

Take a look...

Spring Break: We. Just. Beach.

Waiting to leave Miami...

Last year's dramatic start to our spring break cruise experience is something I *still* haven't shared yet on social media, but this year came a close second! We flew for the first time out of Islip on Frontier Airlines (hooray for saving money!), and it was great except for the ridiculously increasing traffic on the drive down. Next time we'll take the ferry O_o. Once we got over the madness of running to our flight, everything was mostly smooth sailing from there (pun intended!)...

Our Family Wedding Weekend in Charleston

Mr. Lovebird and I returned with the kids late Monday night from the perfect mix of family, fun and food celebrating the wedding of my sister Ariane and now-brother-in-law Lawrence's wedding in Charleston, SC on Sunday! 

Martha's Vineyard Family Fun at Summercamp Hotel

Disclosure: My family and I received a complimentary stay at Summercamp Hotel; all opinions expressed are my own.

As much as I've shown Martha's Vineyard on my social media feeds I had never been there with Mr. Lovebird AND the kids up until this past weekend when we were guests of Summercamp, a delightful hotel in Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard that's part of the Lark Hotels boutique collection. 

We've been covered in gray skies and rain lately in Massachusetts, but the bright blue skies and gorgeous sun broke through just in time for our first visit to Martha's Vineyard as a family. We were there for about 24 hours, and we definitely made the most of it. 

Here are my top 5 favorite things about our visit...

I Heart Las Vegas #VegasStrong

Today marks the one year anniversary of the Las Vegas shooting, and I reflected in this Instagram post a while back how painful it's been seeing places that mean so much to me struck by tragic events. I often see online debates about whether to visit in the wake of tragedy, but I believe that it's often after these events that it's the best time to visit. Not only for tightened security, but also to stand in support and solidarity. 

Earlier this year when Mr. Lovebird and I found out Life is Beautiful would fall on my birthday we decided to return to Las Vegas for the 11th time, and it went from being a small birthday celebration to a larger family and friends celebration with my brother-in-law, sister-in-law and a few other couples. 

Here's how I witnessed #VegasStrong in action. 

How We Spent 30 (Edible) Hours in Seattle

At Volunteer Park {captured by my friend Mary}

A few months ago I asked on my personal Facebook page if anyone had traveled on Amtrak from LA to Seattle. With Mr. Lovebird accompanying me to Mom 2.0 I was thinking it might be fun to extend our trip and travel up the coast. I had done a solo Amtrak trip from Chicago to LA in my early 20s, and I thought a kids-free trip with Uka might be fun. I got a few positive responses on my question, but looking at the timetable, however I realized the trip would limit our time with our friends so we ended up booking our first flights on Alaska Airlines thanks to our Hopper low fare alert combined with a discount code they gave to attendees of Altitude Summit. 

Mom 2.0 ended on Friday night with the Iris Awards then after spending time with friends and family in LA-metro we flew up to Seattle early on Sunday morning.

Here's how it deliciously played out...

Getting Uncomfortable at Mom 2.0 2018

{Thank you Best Buy for the photo.}

Yesterday was my first full day back in a somewhat routine state after returning Tuesday at 1a.m. from the West Coast where I attended the 10th annual Mom 2.0 with Mr. Lovebird. It was my second time attending (here's last year's recap), and this time around while I spoke again, there was also another looming theme for me: being uncomfortable.

Forte Et Gratum (or Spring Break Recovery)

The title of this post is my high school's motto: Strength and Grace. I returned there on Thursday morning for my 20th high school reunion this weekend, and it's fittingly put me in a reflective mood. It's also made me realize I need a whole lotta forte and massive amounts of gratum right about now!

My parents met us when we disembarked from our cruise last Saturday!

Quiana in Action

Shirt via Myrtle & Flossie

"What exactly do you do?"

It's a question I often get asked directly and sometimes it's implied so I thought it would be helpful to share the projects I'm currently working on especially if there are followers whose work might align with what I'm doing and which might lead to future partnerships. 

Here we go...

Whoa December!

We went to a tree farm fully prepared to cut our tree, but this pre-cut one was our fave!

I looked up and this year is pretty much over. Welp!

Here's what's going on lately (in pictures)...

Our Jr. Celtics Gameday Clinic Experience

Disclosure: I received complimentary Jr. Celtics admission to facilitate this review; photo releases were signed by participants pictured and all opinions expressed are my own. 

Can you spot Nia? {Photo Courtesy of Boston Celtics}

Love and basketball. That's always been an underlying theme of my family - Mr. Lovebird and I met in college, and while he doesn't believe I played basketball in middle school and high school, he played all the way through to college and then professionally abroad.

Nia knows this is a part of her family history, and while we've gently tried to suggest basketball to her she's always been quite reluctant. 

That changed when she was invited to the Jr. Celtics Gameday Clinic.

On Resiliency and Peace: Our Second First Day of the School Year

I have been unsettled in the past year since we've relocated to Boston because my children have not been settled, but yesterday that changed.

Yesterday my 7 year old daughter Virginia, "Nia," started at her 6th school.

5 Reasons Why I'm Glad My Husband Attended BlogHer 2017

My experience at BlogHer this year was unique in that not only did I speak at the conference for the first time, but my husband attended with me. Coming from our courtship at Wellesley that started a little over 18 years ago, Mr. Lovebird knew a bit of what to expect when it comes to the gender ratio of BlogHer and overall he confirmed he's definitely glad he came with me. 

Here are 5 reasons why I am too...

Lovebirds' Top 6 Activities for Kids Visiting Chicago

Visiting Chicago with the kids has been on my bucket list since Mr. Lovebird started going there annually for work, and a few weeks ago we got to accompany him for 4 days. Before going I crowd sourced via social media to find the top recommended things to do with kids. While there were so many suggestions to sort through, I found those from Chicago natives Natasha of Houseful of Nicholes, Ashley of Mommy Week, and Keyonda of A Real Urban Mom to be most helpful (thank you!). 

Lovebirds' Summer Kick-Off

We've been traveling a lot and with family in town this past extended holiday weekend I'm finally catching up on getting organized for the rest of the summer! We have a couple weeks' break before our next adventure so I thought it'd be fun to do a pic heavy post to show what we've been up to...