First and foremost, RIP to Ace Frehley, founding member and lead guitarist of the band, KISS. His death was not the inspiration for this year’s holiday card (at the bottom of the post), as I only found out about his passing the day after Thanksgiving and he passed away in October. Of course, that makes the card even more special. Not that I’d consider myself a huge KISS fan, but classics, like “Rock And Roll All Nite,” “Beth,” and “I Was Made For Loving You” are forever imprinted on my brain.
And now….
Seasonal greetings to you! Amazing that another year has gone by, and I’ve barely posted. I know, shocking, right? I’ll try to update more often in 2026. In the meantime, let this post serve as a holiday letter to you all.
I’m still doing CrossFit and looking pretty.
TG is in their senior year at Warren Township High School and will matriculate to Bradley University (my alma mater) next fall. They plan to major in art with a concentration in sculpture.
Hubs is still plugging away as the VP of Sales at Vorne, brewing beer, and serving as the world’s 4th best chef.
Alex continues to seek sun and warmth for optimal napping.
In sad news, we lost Hubs’ beloved brother Bart this past May. He is remembered and missed every day.
A few more highlights of the year:
Per last post, in May, I road tripped to Indy to attend the inaugural competition of the World Fitness Project with my SIL & BIL. I got to meet some of my fave athletes.
Later that month, I was supposed to go to NYC with my dear friend, Jori. The impetus for the girls’ trip was to see Hugh Jackman (her hall pass) in concert at Radio City Music Hall. Heartbreakingly, Jori ended up being unable to go, so I took TG in her place.
First order of business, shopping in the East Village at Trash and Vaudeville, natch.
I even found a pair of tie dye Docs – on clearance, in my size!
Of course, I had to get my beloved, Infamous Truffle Burger.
The burger was followed by a shared Dubai Frozen Hot Chocolate.
After finishing up a unit on the 9/11 memorial, we stopped to pay our respects.
We followed up the somber memorial with a visit to a cat cafe.
And of course, the whole reason for the trip! Yes, we were that close!
TG wanted a Times Square photo shoot in their new Tripp digs. I happily obliged.
Before heading home, we stopped for a nosh.
How did we get that close to Hugh Jackman? New York luck! Our original seats were in the last row of the mezzanine – very decent seats. We were situated between a woman and her husband. He was at across the aisle from us. We offered to switch seats so they could be closer, but the woman and her husband said that was not necessary. She was a huge fan you had already met Hugh backstage in the VIP experience. She was debating whether to talk to customer service about upgrading to one of the many open seats on the main floor.
Together we decided to give it a shot just before the curtain went up. We walked up, the customer service agent asked us how many we needed and we confirmed 4. The next thing we knew we were handed (at no charge) tickets for seats in the 2nd row! I mean, SERIOUSLY! The caption below the video(s) is a playlist. You can click on the numbers to select a video to play.
Moving on to July… Hubs and I celebrated our 20th anniversary with a quick cruise.
Poolside on day 1 – something blue and frozen.
One of Hemingway’s many typewriters on display at Hemingway House.
Hemingway kitty – 1 of 57 polydactyl fur babies, cared for by 5 dedicated cat care people at Hemingway House. They’re well fed, sleepy, happy kitties.
I had no idea that Key West was overrun by stray roosters. This one was ready to pose for any passerby.
Fun in the Bimini sun (it came out a little bit)!
Our dessert was accompanied by the, um, unique vocal stylings of our waiter serenading us.
TG spent the summer working as a character and Ambassador of Fun (AOF) at Six Flags, continuing with that by day and reprising their scare actor role as Nugget by night during Fright Fest.
I tawt I taw a puddy tat. I did! I did taw a puddy tat, and it was TG!
That day, TG was AOF.
Backstage with the entertainment crew, after the nighttime parade. TG was K9, Marvin the Martian’s dog.
Nugget at the corner of Hate and Axbury. LOL.
In November, my brother and I made our newly established annual pilgrimage to NY – this time for Bagelfest and visits with friends and family.
EXCITED for adventure! Let’s GOOOOOOOO!
Saturday in NYC photo dump:
My first pretty latte – at Sumptown Coffee Roasters
Replica of an old sign at the NY Transit Museum
Appetizer of blueberry topped pancakes from Clinton St. Baking Co. at Timeout Market in Dumbo
While waiting in line with my nephew Joe for some amazing BBQ from Bark at Timeout Market
We shared a tray of smoked carnitas, rib tips, smoked brisket from Bark
#IYKYK #beastieboys
Mmmmm….. COFFEE!!! Seriously incredible flavor
Two Bridges: Brooklyn Bridge behind Manhattan Bridge
Seen at Fishs Eddy. Gotta love NYers!
Sunday in NYC photo dump:
Bagelfest Day! We each started with an empty tray
Then, we made our way around the room. Some people completely filled their trays before sitting down to eat. We opted to nosh after each row.
Garlicky, chivey goodness
Round 1 tray
Starship Bagel (out of TX) had some incredible offerings. I went for the Beer Schmear and the French Onion Pre-soup. Both tasted unbelievably like their namesakes. I’m a little annoyed at myself for not trying the black garlic chili crisp.
Round 2 tray
We made it through about half the booths before we were stuffed to the gills and headed to cousin Isabel’s to hang for the afternoon. This is the crew.
Obligatory flying rat photo
After family time, BJ and I freshened up and headed to Terroir for some diner and drinkies. This Rosato was the bomb!
My bestie’s daughter joined us! How are the kids so grown up?!
After my smash burger (so good!), I wanted something desserty. The bartender brought me a glass of this Madeira that was super yum!
One more pic before closing out the bar. But wait – just because I commented on it on the shelf, our bartender poured me a gratis shot of Branchwater Pear Brandy. And one for himself. Cheers to Terroir!
Monday in NYC photo dump:
On our last morning, we met up for coffee with my high school friend Jason (at Joe & the Juice on the upper west side). I don’t think we have seen each other for 25 years!
Just blocks from our coffee spot, we wandered over to see The Dakota – where John Lennon was shot. Rumor has it that Yoko still lives here.
We headed back to midtown and tried to see the tree at Rockefeller Plaza. It’s in progress, behind all of the scaffolding. We did catch a glimpse of the trunk.
We rode the D to the lower east side for lunch at Scarr’s Pizza (one of my brother’s faves). But first, I needed a coffee from Blue Bottle in Rockefeller Center.
Scarr’s: slice of pepperoni and slice of mushroom
Our flight wasn’t scheduled until late afternoon, so we decided to walk back to our hotel in FiDi (Financial District). What a great view of One World Trade Center from near 1PP (do you get the nod to last year’s card?).
Spotted somewhere in Manhattan. Rat bait: successful
Our flight was delayed due to winds, so bar hopping through LGA Terminal B seemed like a good idea.
My tolerance is so low now that stop #2 was the last hop. I had an espresso Martini with dinner at LGA’s Talde Noodle Bar.
Egg fried rice with Kung pao shrimp – surprisingly delicious @ Talde Noodle Bar
Last highlight – Moranfest: Thanksgiving Edition!
Matchy matchy (but not identical) cousins Aidan and Brendan.
This year’s gingerbread offering was a tribute to Bart and his old house.
Grandma Ce & Kelly doing very important work
Kathryn’s apps: blinis topped with a cream cheese mix, salmon roe, and dill. Delish!
Naps – not just for after dinner!
Thanks to Heloise for this pic of me and TG.
It’s not Thanksgiving without a can shaped cranberry blob.
Dinner for 26. Kathryn’s got photo skillz, yo!
After dinner, hot tubbing seemed like a good idea in theory. In reality, they were snowed on and their hair was literally freezing. They followed up with an advisable stint in the sauna.
Day after, the bravest went out to hunt down Christmas trees.
And now… for the card! This year’s offering was conceived, shot, and ordered just last weekend. I believe it’s the fastest turnaround time on one of our seasonal missives. TG gets full credit for the album cover idea.
Front
Back
If, by some chance, you see this post before most of the cards are delivered, please don’t spoil the surprise for others by sharing this page. I’ll share this to the masses in about a week.
BTS:
Inspo pic
Hubs taking a beer break during the photo shoot while I tinker in Photoshop.
Love your spirit, photos, and all of it but I am seriously tired now having vicariously lived a much more interesting life than my own and now needing a nap But I have to go to work .
Love your spirit, photos, and all of it but I am seriously tired now having vicariously lived a much more interesting life than my own and now needing a nap But I have to go to work .