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When we started talking about our Honeymoon, Mr. Officer told me we should go to an all-inclusive resort…….because that’s what people do on their Honeymoon. I went to an all-inclusive in Mexico with a few girlfriends a while back though, and I wasn’t sold. I’ll just say that the trip involved a tropical storm, a moldy room, some lost luggage and a terrible staff production of Cats. Also, now seems like a good time to mention that Mr. Officer and I tend to burn to a crisp each time we step into the sun. Needless to say, we quickly realized that a Caribbean vacation was not in the cards for us.
So that left us with a few options.
Option 1. Cruise
We’ve done this vacation in the past and it’s always tons of fun. The cruise lines are constantly running specials that make it a VERY affordable option and Norwegian Cruise Line leaves straight from NYC, saving us money on airfare. We also love the multiple dining options on Norwegian, because it makes us feel less like we’re “stuck” onboard. It costs extra to eat in the onboard restaurants (i.e. $10 – $25 per person), but the cost of the room is affordable enough to make the extras seem reasonable.
Katie getting ready to dig into the chocolate fondue at the French Restaurant…oooh la la!
Option 2. Cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains
My sister rented a cabin with her family and some friends a few years ago, and I’ve wanted to do this vacation ever since she told me about it. I love the idea of sipping wine in a jacuzzi while overlooking the mountains, and I’m also pretty taken with the cheesiness of DollyWood. Seriously, how many people can say that they went to the Dixie Stampede, Cooter’s Place in the Smokies AND a moonshine distillery on their honeymoon?! Mr. Officer voted this down as a honeymoon option, but I maintain that this vacation still needs to happen at some point.
I grew up going to the Jersey Shore (cabs are here!), and I absolutely love Ocean City, NJ. The beach is great, the boardwalk is loads of fun, and our travel time from New York would be super short. The only problem is that Ocean City is definitely more of a family vacation and I think Mr. Officer and I might get a little bit bored by ourselves. We both golf, so I’ve been wanting to branch out and try Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach or Duck; although again, that seems like more of a trip to do with friends and/or family.
Katie riding the carousel on the Ocean City Boardwalk….oh yeah & I got the brass ring, baby!
Option 4. Disney World
My sister lives in Florida, so Mr. Officer and I go down there almost every year to visit family and get our Disney fill. As cheesy as it is, we absolutly love Disney. I know what you’re thinking and to answer your question, you don’t need to take kids because adult Disney is AWESOME! I’ll let these pictures do the talking:
And enjoying some French champagne on a rainy day in Epcot
The only problem is that there’s a bit of a stigma of lameness that goes with a Disneymoon. I mean let’s face it just saying “We’re going to Disney World for our honeymoon” automatically conjures up visions of a couple with a creepster room at home devoted to Tinker Bell paraphernalia. We decided to throw caution to the wind though and take the Disneymoon plunge.
That brings us to the next obstacle….price. Disney trips can be extremely pricey (Grand Floridian, I’m looking at you), but there are a number of surprisingly good budget options and we’ve even considered renting a cost saving house in Orlando. This isn’t my first Disney rodeo though, so I knew that Disney periodically runs amazing specials. Luckily, I was rewarded for my patience and we were able to save over $1,000 on our trip by booking during a promotion in February. Score!
So now we’re looking forward to spending the first week in June like this:
Katie & Mr. Officer looking cute in front of Space Mountain
We are beyond excited for our trip, and I might even be convinced to really nerd it up with these. Stay tuned next week when I’ll talk about how we’ve been saving for our trip!
In the meantime, did anyone else do a Disneymoon? How did you answer people that thought your honeymoon wasn’t hip enough, because you didn’t spend your time backpacking through Thailand? Does anyone have any good Disneymoon tips?
Last week I had the immense pleasure and honor to be a speaker at the first annual Inspire Smart Success Experience in Riviera Cancun, Mexico – and had the time of my life meeting, learning from and educating a diverse and talented group of wedding business pros of every level. Oh, and drinking copious margaritas. And mojitos. And basking on the beach. And dancing by the pool. And periodic tequila shots. Y’know, all the things that make a trip to the Caribbean… well, a trip to the Caribbean. That is, if you like to party. And oh… I likes to party.
(you should know that I am a WHORE for all-inclusive resorts after our honeymoon at Dreams Los Cabos. You give a broke-ass like me permission to eat and drink as much as I want, including room service an a mini bar? I might never leave. And I will gain like 20 pounds. Yeah, that happened.)
I can safely say that it was the most fun Hunter and I have ever had at a wedding industry event. It was impeccably planned, designed and executed by Stacie, Rachel and her team, and the people it attracted were some of the most outgoing and genuine I’ve had the chance to meet in this business. Such a bad-ass crew. Stacie definitely attracted an amazing crew of attendees and speakers! I miss them all already.
Inspire Smart Success was created by the incomparable Stacie Francombe (former founder and CEO of GetMarried Media) as a full service entrepreneurship mentoring concept. From a quarterly magazine to regional conferences to one-on-one mentorship and beyond, Stacie is building an empire focused on helping people develop and grow their businesses to their fullest potential. She’s done several city-specific mini-conferences this year and wrapped it up with a 4-day experience in the most gorgeous of gorgeous settings at the Now Sapphire Resort on the sparkling gulf of mexico.
From the minute we arrived, we were blown away by the attention to detail and level of service. And our room… well, I’ll let the photo speak for itself.
Champagne. Waiting for us. In the room. (I am also a whore for champagne)
Walking out of our room, this was 20 steps down the path:
It’s a bar. ON THE BEACH. I mean, come on. (everyone, wave at Fresh Hubby!)
Friday night was the Blanca Beach party. After drinking margaritas all day, then champagne while getting ready for the night, then switching to beer and sake for Japanese dinner with our FABULOUS and fun friends Robert Evans and Mike Colón, then back to margaritas at the event, I was left looking something like this:
Hot mess.
That’s Bernadette from 14 Stories behind me, hamming it up. She was one of my favorite new friends from the trip – what a hoot! And yes, that’s me on my bag. Because I’m awesome. And vain. or both. Anyway, the point is, I went to bed early that night. Like a boss.
I’ll have more to share about the rest of the conference, the sessions and events, but for now… check out this incredible teaser video by the pimps over at Epic Motion – they really captured the essence of the week… so take a look!
This summer I turned thirty and as the expression goes: “There are only a few times in your life when ya turn thirty.”… Sorry I meant, ” Drink up, ’cause you only turn thirty twice.” Yes, I’ve turned thirty but, I ain’t scuuuuurd, because thanks to my lovely wife, my thirties will be the decade I discovered I LOOOOOVE good wine.
My lovely Broke-Ass Bride surprised me with a thirtieth birthday celebration of a weekend get away to Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbra Wine Country with her awesome sister Dawn and brother in-law Wayne. If you aren’t familiar with this little wonderland maybe you’ve heard of California’s famous Sonoma wine country. Well, Santa Ynez is like Sonoma’s li’l sister but is only 2hours up the coast from LA and is best know as the setting for the film Sideways.
This is an ideal location for a low-cost honeymoon, romantic getaway or just a weekend out with friends.We were only there for a 24 hour grape buzz but man, did we pack a lot in. A lot of wine, that is. I could talk about this trip ’till I’m blue in the face, but for your sakes I’ll just give ya my Santa Ynez weekend Top 4!
Family Bonding at its Best
1) Driving up the Pacific Coast Highway in a convertible with the top down. Growing up in New York, I’m not a guy who is into driving for pleasure. I’d go as far as to say that I hate it. For me, driving is just a necessity to get from point A to point B. Give me a train to hop on and I’m there, but my brother in-law is not of the same school. He had a vision of cruising the Pacific Coast Highway with the top down and MAN WAS IT A GOOD IDEA! Cruising with the ocean on one side, hills and farms on the other, and a beautiful blue sky above makes it hard not to adore this planet we have the joy of traversing.
Bro and Sis Driving the Good Life
2) Pea Soup Andersen’s. We stayed at The Pea Soup Andersen’s Inn and with a name like that you know this spot was cozy, cute and a crazy steal with rooms starting at $69/night. Best part about it is that it’s right next door to the famous Pea Soup Andersen’s Restaurant. In the morning we rolled out of bed, waddled next door, and I had the Travelers Breakfast: Eggs, Bacon, Unlimited Pancakes and… PEA SOUP!? Yup, amazing pea soup. Weird choice for breakfast, but an awesome deal and heck, I’m on vacation and need to make up for all those times I’ve had cereal for dinner anyway.
Soup Loved Through the Years
3) The Hitching Post II. When we drove past this little restaurant just off the highway we couldn’t help but notice a full parking lot. When we discovered we had arrived in town so late that most vineyards had closed for the night, we decided to hit this spot up for dinner. We weren’t the only ones and had to wait at the bar for an hour… so we had no choice but split a bottle of the house Saint Rita’s Earth wine, the GREATEST HOUSE WINE I HAVE EVER DRUNK!!! And nothing goes better with this wine than the smoked delights off of the BBQ Grill. We ended up with the best table in the house, situated right in front of a glass panel allowing you to see all the magic the Chef was grilling over woodchips. The grilled artichoke and wine marinated mushrooms were fantastic but the steak… OH GOD THE STEAK! I’m the husband of a vegan and hardly ever eat beef, but wow did I discover the joy of good wine and good steak. In Sideways we see Paul Giamarti finding solace at the bar of the Hitching Post. I don’t see how anyone couldn’t be a little closer to god here.
4) Demetria Estate: If the Hitching Post is somewhere on the path to heaven than Demetria Vineyard must be the pearly gates. We were tipped off by an owner of one of the tasting rooms we visited (I told you we fit in a lot of wine). This vineyard is a bit removed from many of the others, and is appointment only, but usually calling ahead and telling them you are coming is appointment enough. We were buzzed in at the gate and drove up the mountain through field after field of grape vines as we headed to the main house. When we walked up to the front door, a friendly face told us to grab a table outside and met us there with wine glasses. Next thing I knew we were sipping glass after glass of deliciousness in a most heavenly Italian old country setting. As Dana put it, “Did we die on the highway earlier? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure this is heaven.”
Cruising Demetria Estate
So I turned thirty in a little bit of heaven and if my 30s are gonna start off like that, well heck I bet 40 is gonna kick ass!
I’m gonna be tasting a lot more wine (but for the Broke-Ass budget). Have you ever done the wine tasting thang?
Have you ever been left lightheaded, and the only thing that you can manage to get out of your dangling mouth is, “……… ………. wow!”? Well that is exactly what happened to me, Dana and our friend Johnny when we went to see Cirque du Soleil‘s KA in a little place called Las Vegas.
Cirque shows are a great alternative bachelor/bachelorette party idea. I went to Vegas for a close friend’s bachelor party early last year. On the first night we were giddy gents and went to see the obligatory burlesque show, which was fun, naturally. The second night we went to Cirque’s Love. The first night I clapped and chuckled. The second night I found myself teary-eyed, saying “It’s so beautiful. It’s just so friggin’ beautiful.” Now imagine learning that at a bachelor party: Seeing half naked ladies is fun but something truly beautiful and awe inspiring is a thing called Love.
A little while back, when we were attending The BlogWorld expo in Vegas, the delightful people of Cirque du Soleil gifted us tickets to KA while we were in town. If you’ve ever seen a Cirque show, you know that there was only one thing to say: ” uh… Yes Yes Please!”
If you haven’t seen a Cirque show you HAVE to. As an artist it fills me with pride and wonder, and as an eternal kid it fills me with excitement and joy. With every show, Cirque always takes the human body’s ability and the mind’s imagination, and pushes them to the limit. The touring shows put a fantastically deluxe spin on the classic big tent circus, but when in Vegas (with the luxury of a permanent venue), they create an experience unlike anything you can imagine.
The creatures that greet you the moment you walk into the theatre make KA fun before it has even begun. Then you nestle into your (very cozy and oversized) seats, each equipped with speakers in the headrest so every spectator can enjoy the sounds, music and ambiance in surround sound.
Shortly into the show a floating stage, covered in sand appears. Out of the sand a human-sized crab and turtle popped out and start dancing and playing. Its just one of many fun moments that leave you completely taken off guard and wondering what comes next. Once the scene comes to a close, the stage starts to tilt forward. I thought “Wow, it totally looks like that sand could fall ri… holy crap all that sand is falling off!” The entire stage went completely vertical! A couple of actors came out and made the most beautiful and remarkable shadow puppets, which projected onto the now vertical stage; but apparently the scary creature that suddenly appeared in the aisle next to me hates shadow puppets, because he and his entire posse started shooting arrows at the couple, which lodged into the vertical platform. Then a huge chase began and people started scrambling straight up the platform, using the arrows as climbing pegs. But as if things weren’t crazy enough, the platform started spinning. A thrilling and chilling chase/battle ensued with people and creatures flying hundreds of feet off of the spinning platform that treats its victims like pinballs.
We jumped out of our seats more times than I can count, and cried, laughed, ooohed and ahhhed sometimes simultaneously! It was an amazing experience. One that any artist dreams he could take credit for, and every spectator wishes they had the skills to star in.
To envelop an audience in an unearthly experience, exciting them each step of the way, is a gift that only the highest form of art can create. So if you’re in Sin City and in the mood to experience more than just sin (there is merit to that, too) but want to see the beauty of life and art, check out a KA at the MGM Grand, and say, “….. …… wow.”
♥ I celebrated my birthday yesterday with great friends, food, music and drinks in Brooklyn. Got reunited with an old bestie from High School and picked up right where we left off. Danced my face off, as usual…
Partying like rockstar with our groomslady Genny.
♥ I had a totally inspiring and fun brunch today with the lovely gals from Brooklyn Bride, BridalEase, Aisle Dash (coming soon), Perfect Bound, Merriment Events and Merci NYC. It was so great to finally meet them in person, and get gabaliscious about all things weddings and blogs, and beyond!
♥ Walked through Times Square. Touristy, I know. But all that theatre energy and the flashy marquees make my wee actor’s heart sing with nostalgia and hope and happiness. Every time.
♥ We saw Race on Broadway. Getting to see James Spader absolutely KILL it onstage? Awesome. Mamet’s writing and directing? Less awesome. The girl in the play? Dreadful. But being within breathing distance of Steff* and his enormous talent made it alllllll worth it. *Pretty in Pink, anyone? Hell yes.
♥ We celebrated my mother-in-law’s birthday over margaritas and a delicious meal at Maya. Her birthday is the day after mine – ain’t that sweet?
Still to come? More meetings (including some with big idols of mine), fun cocktail soirees, and of course the event of the trip, The Eco-Beautiful Launch Party! This trip is a great addendum to my eye-opening experience at the #MTH2010 workshop last week. We’re laying the groundwork here for some very exciting developments to come in our Broke-Ass world, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it!
To keep things exciting while we’re kicking it NYC-style, I’ve lined up a couple great friends to come in and guest blog the next couple of days. So make sure to stop by and show them the love, yo!
Merry post holiday recovery to you all! We’re in Santa Fe at Hunter’s family home here, and its a beyond beautiful place to feel holiday cheer. The snow is glittering in the arroyo and cozily blankets the distant mountains, the town is aglow with traditional farolito displays, and the smell of mesquite travels in the breeze, carried aloft from the fireplaces of family rooms all over town. It’s a truly enchanting and magical place. Plus, its the land of melty cheese and margaritas. I mean come ON. Its paradise for this broke-ass!
Paper bags, sand and candles? Perfect Broke-Ass Decor, yo!
It is my first holiday season away from my family, though. One of the great compromises of marriage is the bittersweet sharing of holidays, and the decision to come to Santa Fe was a hard and heavy one for me. After 7 Christmases apart I am overjoyed to finally share Christmas with my husband; and his parents have welcomed me with open arms… but on Christmas Eve as we began decorating the tree I was hit with a rush of emotions that sent me into a quiet room for release. I really miss my family.
But Christmas was very merry indeed, and I am very grateful to have such a loving family-in-law. We shared gifts and hugs and wine and food galore. The hardest thing for me beyond missing the physical presence of my family, was the absence of my lifelong holiday traditions; and I hadn’t anticipated the effect it would have on me with enough time to plan for incorporation of some of my favorites. But I was able to cook up my father’s famous greek-style green beans for dinner which was a great success and brought a very welcome taste of home to the table.
Now in the aftermath, our minds have turned towards the impending new year and our goals, dreams, wishes and desires. Over the next week before we return to LA, we plan to outline our strategy for the year and refocus our energies onto defining our destiny and mapping the route there. I’ve been feeling overwhelmed by all the possibilities in front of me, and know that without planning clearly, I will continue to be too daunted to actually maximize them. I am so fired up and ready to make things happen… I feel like a lit fuse that is smoldering down toward the dynamite of my dreams, and its a very exciting feeling.
I'm Mad Fired Up, Son!
One early goal is to attend Lara Casey’s Making Things Happen Intensive in Los Angeles this January (5 days before my birthday – perfect timing? um, yes) not only because it speaks so directly to my focus, but also because Lara is an industry hero of mine and I’m really eager to meet her in person and give her big hugs for being such a kind and inspiring figure in my life of late. I’m working on making that happen, so wish me luck. And, wish Lara a happy birthday – she’s 30 today!
I’ll be sharing more of my goals soon – what are some of yours this year?
PS – stay tuned, we’re announcing the Clarisonic Giveaway winners soon! Don’t forget to enter our DOC giveaway, which is still going strong!
Mad props go to the ever-fabulous and inspirational Emily from Once Wed for turning me onto Air B&B today. Air B&B is a vacation rental company that rents out some ultrafabby spaces, from private rooms to entire residences for PENNIES. Now I’ve heard of couch-surfing before, but I’d much rather have my own space, especially if on a romantic vacation with my honey.
The site features listings that are reputation-based, allowing for comments and ratings by past renters, so you can get the dish before your commit. But chances are, you’re going to have a better experience than at a hotel, and you can cook your own meals for double-savings bonus…. This shiz is too good not to share!
Could you imagine honeymooning in one of these spots? I’m drooooooooling. They even have eco-options…. le swoon!
Parva Domus, Cap D’Ail, Provence France – $110/night
I mean, come ON people! Who’s with me? I’m already trolling for good flight deals just to have an excuse to try this out. Let’s all go rent a villa in the Alps, aight? I’m off to pack my bags now…..
Looking for a fun bachelorette alternative, or a great anniversary date? I got your poison, right here….
Last year we were in NYC for Hunter’s birthday, and partook in the experience that is Accomplice: The Show. This interactive scavenger hunt game/theatre/tour of the city was one of my most memorable NY experiences of all time. Mysterious, Silly, Quirky, Sexy and most of all, FUN. We basically got to pretend to be undercover “accomplices” to a mob heist/getaway… we met up with informants, delivered “packages”, and did fun detective work to get us from drop point to drop point.
If you liked “where in the world is carmen sandiego” then this will tickle your inner detective fancy juuuuust right. Heck, we did it in a torrential deluge of rain and still had the time of our lives. See? Yes, we are wearing trash bags that we stole from NYC public trash bins. No shame.
Thus, I am so thrilled to get an emailing announcing that not only did they recently start up an Accomplice: Hollywood experience, but that they’re offering a recession special of $40/ticket!
Now, I know you’re all “$40? That’s a special price?!?”, but know this: The whole shebang normally costs $65. It lasts a 2.5 hours, and includes a few delightful stops along the way that involve light food and beverages of the adult kind, as well as a good afternoon’s worth of walk-ercise and loads of fun characters to interact with. Its worth. every. penny. I kissed a frog, on the way to deliver it to an informant!
This type of experience just screams Bachelorette Party to me. What could be better than a bunch of rambunctious women combing the town, aiding and abetting clandestine criminals? I mean, really. Stupid fun. Just don’t get caught by the fuzz, or you’ll be sleeping with the fishes, yo. I wish my birthday was next week so I could gather a crew and do it here. I can’t wait to see what the Hollywood experience has to offer, but I promise to report back when I finally find out.
Accomplice has 2 shows in NYC, and one in LA – but their site says to stay tuned for SanFran, Las Vegas and London locations. Fun, franchised! PS: Use discount code “SAMMY” when purchasing – discount good through July 14.
*this is not a paid ad, just a broke-ass service announcement, yo.
My sister (and Bridesmaid) Kimberly is a whole body wellness guru. She teaches yoga, does massage, structural and craniosacral therapy, studies Buddhism and meditation. I absolutely love her teaching method, and became a real believer in the power of craniosacral work after she did a powerful session with me last time she was in town. Her hubby, Eric, is a personal trainer, massage therapist and yoga instructor, and they’ve started a business focused on yoga and wellness. I love their proactive entrepreneurial spirit and ability to use love to feed their careers. Om.
After they enjoyed an amazing and inspiring honeymoon in Bali, they created an annual yoga retreat there. I think it would be a great trip for a couple: a honeymoon for yogis? a relaxing anniversary trip? a surprise proposal getaway? Yoga is a great way to stay in shape, reconnect with your spirituality, clear your head, and get in touch with your body. All things that help promote le romance! Add that to the amazing majesty and magic of Bali, and you’ve got a recipe for loooooove.
Doing yoga as a couple is a fun, stress-relieving and even sexy way to get active together. We really love it. Trust, its much more fun to do a triangle posture if you can gaze over at your man’s hot tush the whole time you’re doing it Yoga together can increase intimacy and prepare you to receive love more openly, become more patient and forgiving, and it warms you up for… ahem, other activities you can do together.
I love what my sister does because it really does treat the whole body, including the mind. Feelings I bury deep down in my body finally come out. The stretch and the breath are great ways to release long-held pain, sorrow, anger or whatever emotions you might be holding onto. I wish I could make use of her abilities more, but she lives all the way in Florida. Last time she visited, we had a session that had even more emotional benefits than physical…. it was crazy, like exorcising a really negative feeling from my body, from some deeply rooted place. The release was incredibly powerful, and I stood taller and felt more alive after that than I had in quite some time. It was an intimate bonding experience that I will never forget. She also led Hunter and me through a really fun practice that included lots of couples postures; we helped each other stretch, used each other for balance and support, and listened to each other’s bodies and breath.
Kim and Eric’s next retreat is scheduled for June 1-11th. Oh, how I wish I could be there! Details can be found on their website, if you’d like more info.
Do you do yoga with your lovah, or do it privately? How does it impact your love life?
Yoga together can increase intimacy and prepare you to receive love more openly, become more patient and forgiving, and it warms you up for… ahem, 
