10 Year Engagement Anniversary

August 16, 2022

This August 16 marks 10 years since our engagement. I remember this because two very big things happened that day for me.

We were at the beach when my then-boyfriend, now-hubby proposed. We were building sand castles and I was going back and forth getting water for the sand when he told me to come around and sit near him. Me, being the bitch that I am, got annoyed and almost started a fight because hello?! Do you not see I’m doing work here?! Then I walked around and saw this boy had placed a ring box inside one of the sand castles. I was annoyed because I was annoyed, lol. How are you supposed to save face and be happy now when the boy was trying to do something adorable.

And because we were on the beach, we had no service. It wasn’t until we left that I could call all my friends and family and tell them the news and post it on the interwebs. When I finally got service, one of my notifications was from a college friend informing me that my NYS pharmacy license had finally went through on the state website. And then within minutes, like clockwork, the red devil CVS called me and assigned me my first shift. It was crazy. I felt torn. On one hand, I was like finally after all the studying and time spent locked away from the world, this was finally done. But on the other hand, I was absolutely terrified because it meant this was it, I really had to grow up and this was the next step in adulting into a real career. It felt surreal. I was engaged and a fully licensed health care professional in the same day.

10 years later, I honestly still have no idea what I’m doing sometimes. I still feel like I have imposter syndrome in my field. Sometimes I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing and other times I feel like I’m way more competent than a lot of my colleagues and I wonder how these people were allowed in this field considering we’re handling people’s very lives. It’s not something to play with and there’s no room for error. But here we are. Sometimes it’s crazy to see how far I’ve come. Especially escaping retail and breaking into hospital since I was really apprehensive for the longest time to make the transition, thinking I could never pick it up. I don’t know why, I just felt really intimidated by learning hospital drugs. Now I realize my fears were unfounded, as everything was fairly easy to pick up and learn. But at the same time, to this day, I’m always still learning since this is a field that relies on continuing education to keep up to date and medicine and guidelines are always changing. The one good thing I learned after all these years is despite my parents forcing me to give up my dreams of fashion and go into something medical, I actually do enjoy it and I am good at it. So that’s something. Part of me worried about being stuck in a job I hated but I also learned that it’s also your work environment and the dynamics of your work team that can make or break whether or not you like your job. I’ve been fortunate in this aspect that I have a good rapport with my coworkers.

And also 10 years later, so much has changed in my relationship since marriage and beyond, and yet so much has stayed the same. We took it back to where it began and spent it at the beach, around the same time the moment happened. Except this time, we have a new addition. While my mother is probably pissed that I still refuse to pop out a child, we have recently fell in love with Banh Mi and we love taking him to one of my favorite summer spots to relax. It was a very lowkey chill day and it helps to remind me that I don’t always need to be doing a million things on my itinerary or be productive all the time. Sometimes it’s nice to just take it slow, enjoy things and take in the moment. And that’s a big part of my relationship over the past 22 years altogether. No matter what we’re doing together, whether it be a full packed itinerary day at Disney, on vacation in Japan or Paris, or a staycation chill at home day, the bigger picture is to just enjoy each other’s company. It’s nothing if it isn’t just with the person you love. It makes all the difference.

Speaking of vacations, our next adventure is also finally officially booked for the fall! I’m excited to be heading back to the West Coast again. There’s something about Cali that’s always calling my name. I always say, I think I was meant to be a California girl. I’m in the stages of finalizing my itinerary and planning outfits. I’m also really stoked to share my Halloween costume finally! I received it back in May and I’ve been dying keeping it secret this whole time. I’m also trying to work on cute couple outfits for Disney but I have too many ideas and I need to narrow it down and get stuff soon. I’m also excited to finally see the Disneyland castle again after my last time in 2019 with it being covered up. I can’t wait to see everything in all it’s glory and experience the Oogie Boogie Bash for the first time. I can’t wait to be there in 60 days. Summer feels like it’s going by so quick and before you know it, it’ll be here!

East Wind Long Island

July 26, 2019

East Wind Long Island is a hotel and spa on the North Fork side of Long Island, well known for weddings and other grand events held there. My siblings had their prom held here. I attended a family wedding there last winter. And this summer, on my venture out to discover what the North Fork has to offer, I decided to stop by and see for myself what East Wind is all about.

There’s the main hotel where events are held, along with the spa center and then they have their own little center called The Shoppes where you can grab a quick bite to eat or even enjoy table dining, shop around in little boutiques, get ice cream and even ride their carousel. It’s like a small village, the way it’s beautifully built and the grounds well taken care of. Everything was super instagrammable to boot too! Their ice cream shop, Tweets is amazing. They serve everything from hard ice cream with unique flavors like a blue cookie monster to dole whip to even bubble waffle cones! They even custom make their own cones. You can get your regular cake cone or a pretzel cone or even a chocolate chip cookie cone! NYC, who??? Now I don’t have to go all the way to the city if I’m craving one of these quick ice cream fixes. This is key because honestly, on Long Island, we have a shortage of cute ice cream stops with unique creations and this place is literally minutes away from my house! The staff is also super nice and was very patient with me as I was annoyingly indecisive on what I ultimately wanted to order, hahaha.

Even if you’re not staying at East Winds, if you’re along the North shore, I definitely recommend stopping by The Shoppes if you’re in the area. The carousel itself is a super adorable photo op as you stroll through and grab a quick bite at their pizzeria or their ice cream shop.

Last week, I was invited to spend a night at the hotel and treated to a basic cleanse facial. Can you believe I’ve never had a facial before? All crude jokes aside, for real I’ve never had “a day at the spa” before. Growing up pinching pennies, I never bothered to indulge in one when I could afford it because it’s just something I didn’t see as unnecessary. But after this experience, I might have to say, I’m a changed woman. And I’m not saying that just because. My skin doesn’t have a lot of issues to begin with, but I do notice the damage I’ve dealt to it over the years wearing a full face of makeup regularly and not letting it breathe more often. I don’t moisturize as often as I should and I don’t have a regular skincare routine. My main problems are dark undereyes, dry skin from time to time, unevenness and I can tell my skin is definitely aging. I discussed this with my esthetician and I swear to you, she performed witchcraft on my face. I left the facial with a brand new face. It was like she peeled off all those years of damage and gave me my college skin back again. That day when I left, my face was super shiny and my skin felt ultra rich with moisture for the remainder of the day. The next few days I tried to cool it with the makeup, wearing just mascara and brows and I could definitely see the difference in the effects from the facial. My skin was brighter, smoother, and my dark undereyes were nowhere to be found. When I finally did go back to wearing makeup, the application was a lot nicer too. Everything went on so smooth and blended so nicely. Lord, have you converted me, East Wind!? You’ve convinced me to start pampering my skin and more frequently!

I love that their spa center is so peaceful and relaxing. From stepping through the front desk, going through the changing area/locker room and then to the waiting area and then to the rooms itself, you’re immersed into a different dimension. Even the music played soothes you as you relax and let yourself slip away into tranquility. The changing area also has a sauna and steam room for you to indulge in before starting your treatments. Along with facials, they offer massages and body treatments. There is also an in-house salon for all your hair and nail needs. Basically, it’s a one stop shop to truly pamper yourself if you’re in need of a treat yourself day. I’m honestly thinking of booking an entire day of services one of these days to just truly relax. They offer couples services too and I’ve never done this with my husband and after my experience, I really think he’d like it too. He’s a princess after all sometimes and his vacation mode is the relaxing type while I’m the run and explore type so this is definitely something he’d appreciate.

Sometimes I think about toning it down some and using less products or giving myself more makeup free or minimal makeup days to help slow down my skin’s aging and reduce damage. I had thought about looking into repairing my skin back to my pre-foundation days, getting microblading done and lash extensions to possibly decrease the time it took me to get ready for anything in the morning so I could just run out the door whatever the occasion. But baby steps. I still love experimenting with makeup looks and colors when I have the time. But for work I would love to be able to shower, get dressed and walk out the door.

I did a little shoot after my appointment and I would like to note that this is my skin and face right after the treatment with no makeup except brows, some lashes and a light lip gloss. So what you see is what you get. That shine is all from the treatment, I’m not wearing any foundation, concealer, highlight or anything. This is actually the first and only photo shoot I’ve done with barely any makeup and I actually love how I look.

All I can tell you is, I’ll definitely be heading back for more treatments if these are my results after just a basic cleanse facial!

I also wanted to note, for my overnight stay, I stayed in one of the traditional rooms and the rooms are more than PLENTY spacious. The bedroom is huge and the bathroom has more than ample space as well. I’m not a fan of cramped spaces, although if given the limited resources, of course I can make it work. But I most certainly appreciate when hotels don’t skimp on that square footage. The bed was nice and comfortable and I love that they had white sheets. I hate when hotels have weird prints. The look of these rooms is very classic with their wood furnishings and gold details. You could tell they pay attention to the little things. My stay was very short but I definitely felt bathed in luxury while I was there.

If you’re out on the North Fork visiting wineries and such, I definitely recommend stopping by and having a spa day with your friends while you’re out here. The rooms are moderately priced and the cost of spa and salon services are also great because they have a wide range of services in different price points to meet different budgets and needs, like my basic cleanse facial which was $50 for 25 minutes or $98 for 50 minutes. It’s a relaxing touch to your Long Island experience. Or even if you’re a local like me, you can always stop in for a treatment on your day off. I haven’t had a massage or body treatment yet so that may be next on my list to try next time I stop in and report back. My thoughts on my experience are all my own as always!

East Wind is located at 5720 Route NY-25A in Wading River, NY 11792.

Photos are by: Boris Quezada, Ismael Ordonez and Chris Lobello

Summertime Fun

June 26, 2019

What were some your favorite things about summer as a kid?

In the summertime, my parents would send us away to our relatives, who would take us to all sorts of places and have something for us to do almost every day. My relatives didn’t have kids of their own so they were able to spoil us when my parents handed us over for the summer and school holidays. I was my grandpa’s favorite and he would take me for walks with him around the Bronx neighborhood a lot when I was a kid. He would always carry quarters with him and I would go on every quarter machine ride we’d find on our way, and I would get a Sailor Moon ice cream every time we were lucky enough to catch the ice cream truck. This is also probably why the littlest things like an ice cream treat make me happy.

Summertime meant free time to watch new movies, and my relatives would spoil us with new clothes and shoes when they took us to Jersey for tax-free outlet shopping. They would take us to Coney Island in the evenings when they got out of work (I rode the Cyclone once and I swear I thought I was going to die afterwards, lmao. It was the scariest experience of my life as a kid.) They would take us to Chinatown for dinner. We’d get to watch more than just basic cable because my relatives actually paid for more than 13 channels. Summer is the only time I got to watch Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. And we got to play video games because one of my uncles owned all the systems.

And towards the end of summer, my parents would pick us up a few weeks early before school started. In my old hometown the local fire department always held a fair every summer around this time to raise money. I remember begging my mom every year to go and she would try to save up just a little bit of money for a few rides for all us kids. I feel bad now looking back because it was super selfish of me with how much my parents struggled to raise 4 kids (the baby wasn’t a thought yet.) and here I was always wanting them to waste money on silly little things for leisure when here they were just trying to SURVIVE. A POP ride bracelet isn’t crazy expensive but it is when you have 4 kids. So my mom would only buy the single ride tickets and we would have to deliberate amongst us which rides were worth it. We never played carnival games because my mom thought they were a waste of money and rigged. And in retrospect, she was right. Those carnie toys are cheap China toys. Sometimes she would spoil us and get us cotton candy and ice cream (see recurring theme here). Some summers, my relatives came with us and they would love to go all out. They bought us all ride bracelets and played all the games. They were used to this because of all our Coney Island trips when we stayed with them. I think it embarrassed my mother sometimes because of how hard she struggled to save to spoil us and my relatives would swoop in and make her look bad like she was holding back on us or something. I feel bad because as a kid, you simply don’t understand the struggles of money. You just think your parents are trying to rain on your parade as you play ungrateful. As adults now, my siblings and I are trying to make up for it by taking our parents out to dinner and nice places whenever all our schedules can line up. And as adults, we now spoil our youngest sibling a lot, wanting her to have the experiences and life we missed out on when funds were low. It does feel good though, paying it back and being able to provide for your loved ones that struggled to take care of you as you grew up, and treating the younger ones to a better life than you had so they will want for nothing.

All these trips as a kid developed my love for these traveling bright lights. I still enjoy fairs whenever I get a chance to go to one. A few weekends ago I went to the Brookhaven Fair with some friends and it was an eye opening experience as to how much I’ve changed from a bright-eyed child who wanted to go on every ride, to a bitchass now with a true fear of heights, death and dying, hahaha. Thanks a lot, Final Destination.

I remember discovering the Gravitron and thinking it was the most amazing thing ever. When I rode my first Ferris wheel and the umbrella version that goes on an angle, I decided then and there they were terrifying, hahaha. I loved the Tilt-A-Whirl and the Himalaya. For some reason I enjoyed the swings back then but now as an adult, being that high and that long in the air gives me major anxiety. I’ll ride it but halfway through I’ll wonder why the hell did I get on this thing again. If I think about it, every ride is essentially the same, it’s just a ride that spins in a circle at various speeds and variations. But I still love them. No matter how simple or basic. Like the carousel. I’ll always love carousels. There’s something nostalgic and fun about them. Bumper cars, I’m bitter about it because being a short person my entire life, it took me forever to grow to have long enough legs to reach the pedals to drive my own damn car. It’s no fun riding passenger for years, let me tell you. Another ironic ride I loved were the motorcycles. The fake motorcycle ride that goes around in a circle and lifts the front wheel off the ground for a split second. I thought they were so cool. And then as an adult riding a real motorcyle is a lot scarier. My husband has one and every time I ride with him, I’m always terrified, like this is it, this is how I go as he goes full speed ahead.

There are definitely a few rides I never went on and have no interest in, as they looked terrifying back then and are still terrifying today. Like the Zipper, the Fireball, the Slingshot, and the Kamikaze. Those were all NOPES from me. I’m a baby when it comes to rides that are extended in the air for too long, go upside down and too high for too long. I’m no daredevil, let’s be real. I like living.

It’s funny because a lot of my coworkers take vacation in the summer and travel with their kids. I mean, it makes sense for families since that’s when their kids are off. But for me, this is the only time at work I actually don’t take off. It’s easier for me to request off during the off season but it also makes more sense to go someplace nice and warmer when it’s cold in NY, not when it’s already nice weather. I work all summer but I still find time on my days off to go off exploring on Long Island and NYC. Summers on Long Island are actually pretty nice. There’s no need to pay more money to go to a tropical island during this time when we have beaches right down the road from us on both the North shore and the South shore and they’re both different. There’s plenty of fairs and festivals every other weekend. The North Fork farms have become some of my favorite spots to drive out to with their amazing lemonade, fresh farm goods and beautiful flowers. I’ll be honest though. I’ve lived on Long Island all my life but rarely venture out to the Hamptons. It’s funny because when non-New Yorkers ask me where I’m from, all they know about Long Island is the Hamptons. Maybe one day I’ll make it out there and see what the hullabaloo is about. Maybe grab a nice brunch and walk around town.

Until then, I have 123 days left until my next vacation with the boy. Which means I’ll be home for the summer, on my work grind chasing that paper to pay for it. On my days off from work though, you can be sure I’ll be looking for as many fun and free/low cost things I can explore and do around Long Island and NYC. And of course, on my gym grind 24/7. There is no rest for the wicked.