I can’t believe it, but this weekend marks the fifth anniversary of Hither & Thither. There are nearly 800 posts on here! Aron wrote the first one on a whim after a freezing walk to work on a bitter January morning, five years ago Saturday.
Since then, it has become so much more than we could have imagined. I continue to be really grateful for all of the kind, interesting people it has introduced me to and for all of the experiences it has led us to. Thank you so much for reading along and sharing so generously.
Five years!? I’m afraid this is going to lead to a fairly indulgent year-end recap…
Here are some of our favorite blog highlights from the past year (which naturally coincide with our personal highlights of the past year):
Last January, we watched the snow swirl and the sleds fly in Central Park, welcomed the Year of the Dragon in Chinatown, made an entire lunch of Doughnut Plant doughnuts, and took our little shark for his first dip in the pool.
In February, we were warming up on the sands of St. Lucia, dishing about celebrity sightings in the West Village, looking for brunch spots open at infant-friendly hours, and sharing our list of newborn essentials.
March brought bursts of color to the city and we walked up and down its avenues trying to savor it; I learned I’m a total softy for a Salty Pimp; we broke up with our boyfriend (and are still dealing with who keeps the apartment)… i.e. we miss you New York; Hudson started crawling–which made our one-day stay in a tiny cabin at the Jane hotel even more fun!
In April, we made an offer on our house (without ever seeing it in person–did I mention that?–eek!); gave you an update on how our tall, nine-month-old was doing in his mini crib, in his mini-closet-turned-nursery; I told you my favorite New York Real Estate story; and we feasted our eyes on signs of spring at the market: asparagus, fiddlehead ferns, ramps, and rhubarb–among dazzling hydrangeas and Lily of the Valley.
May had lots of exciting things: it started with Hudson standing up unassisted, a beautiful Mother’s Brunch at the Sunday Suppers Studio; and making a list of mom-and-baby travel items for Etsy. We spent lots of time in Central Park–discovering the (other) boathouse and rediscovering the zoo, watching its flowerbeds fill with butterflies and celebrating my first Mother’s Day with a picnic (which led to a memorable family photo). Cloud City opened on the roof of the Met. I talked about the pressure to be “camera-ready” and shared what I kept in my diaper bag to be baby/city-ready; we imaginary-planned a weekend getaway to Montauk, and had a wonderful actual getaway on the island of St. Martin; and we celebrated five years of marriage. Oh, yes–and Hudson took his first steps!
In June, we closed the sale on our new house the very same week Aron finished his residency! At the same time, we looked back at that day we moved to New York, five years earlier, for him to begin. Aron celebrated his first father’s day and Hudson and I took him for breakfast at Gramercy Terrace atop Gramercy Park Hotel. Hudson’s cute mug got featured on Martha Stewart (thank you, Joanna Goddard!); we visited our favorite craft fair, Renegade, on the Williamsburg waterfront; and another one of our favorite waterfront shopping experiences–the New Amsterdam Market–introduced us to wonderful Hudson Valley cheeses. We picked strawberries on Long Island. And we finally made it to the top of the Empire State Building. (At Sunset!)
Oh my goodness, are we only at July? July was our last month in New York, and we went out with a bang–literally, when we celebrated with Independence day fireworks on the Hudson. We wished our own darling Hudson a happy first birthday with a Hudson-blanket-themed party on the river (can you guess which one?), and reminisced plenty about his first twelve months. Then we took him to FAO Schwarz on the actual day to run amuck. I professed my undying love for Shake Shack, and we finally got ourselves to another Broadway play (Once). I found my notes from my first-ever trip to NYC. We learned tips for visiting the American Museum of Natural History with young children, and shared a flashback to a very pre-kid trip to New Orleans. Sand castles were built on the shores of Sandy Hook, and we checked a sunset sail around Manhattan off our bucket list.
In August, after a teary goodbye (and one last dinner at our favorite restaurant under the Williamsburg bridge), we did our best to dwell on those moments that New York, well, spits in your mouth and boarded a plane (three planes, actually) to Bali. There we spent the next 3-1/2 weeks in–I can’t lie–a paradise before being dragged kicking and screaming back to the airport. The only consolation was the anticipation of seeing our new home! (And I still plan on, one of these days, inundating you with a ton more photos and some Bali travelogues… one day.)
September was a bit of a blur as we tried to get accustomed to living in Davis, and started the process of furnishing our new home. Hither & Thither took a bit of hiatus except for news of a new bike (and bike seat for Hudson) and the posting of some favorite photos from a past road trip in the Southwest.
We regained some momentum in October: we shared photos from my September birthday at Chez Panisse and shopped the Alameda Flea. We welcomed fall at Apple Hill (but celebrated the summer produce that can still be found out here in October), wished Aron a happy birthday with friends, talked about how to give a toddler a haircut and how to pack from a plane flight with one. I wished for modular shelving and brought a little bit of Hudson’s first bedroom back with us. Hudson won first prize for sweetest berry on Halloween. I talked about the balance of being a parent. And we all worried about friends and watched in shock (and sadness) as we saw parts of the East coast devastated by Hurricane Sandy.
In November, I shared a few favorite parenting tips I’ve learned in my very brief tenure; Aron and I resumed our pattern of date nights; we took advantage of our region’s celebrated agriculture and visited a walnut and a citrus grove; and we hosted Thanksgiving dinner at our house. I went on my first trip away from Hudson–to Camp Mighty in Palm Springs. And we shared gift guides for him, her, and the kiddo.
We spent some time in nearby Napa and San Francisco (at the Remodelista Market and Dandelion Chocolate) this December. We talked about men’s styling, shopping on my new favorite–Luvocracy, the best gifts for a traveler, having a baby in New York City, and flying with a baby or toddler. And I got to give away $3500 to Charity (AT&T donated $35,000 at Camp Mighty). All of this, and a wonderful holiday season with family.
Thank you again for helping to make this another fantastic year!
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