Happy May, Happy Spring!

Spring was here in full bloom, no pun intended, this past weekend and it couldn't have been more appropriate to welcome in the month of May. I've decided to stop talking about how fast time passes and just do my best to make the most of each day even if they fly by. :P

I was thrilled over the weekend that my brother, Michael, came in town last minute for work. I'd originally had my long bike ride planned for Saturday and Hearth for Sunday but I was excited to postpone Hearth in order to spend the day with him. First off, Saturday could not have been more amazing for a ride. We did 60 miles and I enjoyed every minute of it. We actually stopped for lunch at this great park in a town called Pascack, NJ which was so pretty:

I'm just loving the vibrant colors of trees and flowers right now. We rode along the water a bit as well and I'm mad I didn't get a picture of one of the coral/pink trees I saw. It was stunning! Finally, Spring is sticking around for a bit for us to enjoy it!

On Sunday, I met Michael and Allison at Starbucks and we walked over to church. Tim Keller gave a great service, as usual, and afterward we took a nice walk along Park Avenue to show Michael the metal art that is just so beautiful:

We stopped a few times to look at other flowers and I'm just lucky that they plant my favorite tulips everywhere:

Tulips are such happy flowers. I love how they look like they're just reaching for the sun. They make me smile. :)

We had a lovely brunch at The National which I'd been wanting to try for a while and then we roamed all over Michael's old stomping grounds in the west village for the rest of the day:

There are so many memories there for Michael and it was really interesting seeing several places that had closed down even in just two years that he and Wynn have been in LA. One of his favorite bookstores had closed and turned into a trendy cafe which made him so sad. It's strange to re-visit something, either physically or emotionally, that you were once so tied to. It's a reminder that life keeps moving on whether you're a part of it or not. Then, you look at where you are now and there's joy in that, too. Life's a funny thing, isn't it? 

We stopped by Michael's two apartments and sat on one of his old stoops for a while watching people come and go:

Josh Brolin was one of those people and a) he's hot and 2) he's short. I was shocked. He's still smokin' in my book, though.

We rounded out the day back in our 'hood at Libertador for some caipirinhas and snacks, mmm: 

We talked for a long time there and it was just the perfect way to end such a great day together. Though the visit was short, it was quality. That's so special and I'm very thankful for that time together. Lucky for me, Vermont is less than two weeks away where I'll get yet another wonderful visit with Michael. :) I can't wait!