A Visit to the Cake Boss!

 Harold had to go to New Jersey for some meetings related to his work.  Since I had always wanted to go to New York City, we planned for me to meet him after his meetings were over and we would go to the city for a couple afternoons of sightseeing. 

 As we made plans for the trip, we realized how close we would be to Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, NJ, and decided we couldn't pass up the opportunity to stop in and sample his wares.

 When we arrived, we were given a number--I had 17.  The announcements were still on 80-something, so it had to go all the way to 100 then up to 17 from 1.  (Obviously this picture was taken after folks had cleared out a bit.)  It was shoulder-to-shoulder people when we first got there.  Thankfully several folks left, and as they did, they would pass their numbers to those of us still waiting.  We finally ended up with the number 10.

 We had plenty of time to peruse the shelves, deciding how we were going to narrow down our purchase to just a few items.  I'll tell you, that was a tough job!  There were so many delicious-looking confections to choose from!

 Cupcakes, cookies, cannolis...

 Tarts, truffles, and tortes.  Not to mention all the beautifully decorated cakes. 

 At one point, Buddy's sister and nephew (or cousin?) came from upstairs to take care of some bit of business and were nice enough to say hello to all of the customers, and let us take a few pictures.

 I took this picture (below) because you can see the stairs in the back that the workers on the show are always trying to navigate without dropping the cakes. 

 After we left Carlo's, we wandered around on Washington Street for a bit.  Hoboken has a very cute downtown area.  We decided to stop at this little health food store that had a great salad and hot bar with a cute little cafe area upstairs to eat our lunch.

 Delish!

 And for dessert, of course, we had to sample our wares from Carlo's! 

 A cannoli!

 We shared it.  I'd love to describe it, but I would probably fail miserably.  I loved it, but Harold wasn't very impressed.  The shell is crispy, and the filling is devine.  I think it's actually a sweet ricotta cheese mixture of some kind with chocolate chips sprinkled throughout.  Here, take a closer look, but don't drool.

Hibachi Birthday To You....

 This is me.  I turned 40 in October.  Wow!   I'm finally "growing up."

 Harold took mom and me out for a Hibachi dinner for our birthdays.  Mom turned 70 the day after my 40th birthday! 

 This was our chef.  He was a cutie.

 I wasn't quick enough with my camera finger to catch the egg in the picture as he used his spatula to bounce it around and finally up into his hat.

 The onion volcano, complete with sound effects.

 The kids had their own chef and their own onion volcano. 

 I love John Wesley's and Jared's expressions in this picture!  The chef was popping shrimp at them to catch in their mouths.  I think Jared was waiting for his piece! 

 The ladies came out and sang us a birthday song and gave mom and me a birthday treat!  What a fun and delicious day we had. 

Fall Family Fun...

A Few of My Favorite Things...

 A big brother giving sisters (and doggy) a ride.

 Boys full of joy.

 Silly girls sportin' a 'tude.

 Drummer boys.

 Bunnies in dresses.

 Siblings deep in conversation.

 Brothers and sisters just hangin' out.

 Sweet girls with baby bunnies.

 Wet noses on sweet puppy dogs.

 An inquisitive mind all wrapped up in a body always in motion.

 Girls with curls.

 Fluffy soft kittens with bright shining eyes.

And loyal friends, canine or otherwise.