Sunday, October 29, 2017

Autumn in New York ~ It is So Inviting!


Autumn in New York is always inviting, and especially
so when one is meeting up with a group of friends.

Yes, after more than two years into the series, 
Tales of the Traveling Tote,
the girls behind the totes decided to meet up in the Big Apple 
and finally meet each other in person.

Seven of the nine of us made the trip,
traveling from California, Texas, Alabama, 
Connecticut, Massachusetts, and upstate NY.
It was a weekend to remember!

First up ~ Friday evening @ Fonda in Chelsea.

Each of us arrived in the city at different times through the week,
so a few of us got a head start with Friday Happy Hour.
It's amazing how this group easily connected as if we
had known each other for a life time.

Saturday morning, the girls and totes all converged 
for brunch @ The Russian Tea Room.

Clockwise From Left
Sarah @ Hyacinth for the Soul
Linda @ Life and Linda
Debbie @ Mountain Breaths
Patti @ Pandora's Box

The Birthday Girl

Jenna @ The Painted Apron and Rita @ Panoply
were definitely with us in spirit.

Look for more about this beautiful
venue in the next Traveling Tote series.

After brunch, Katie was off to the theatre,
 but the rest of us headed to our favorite NY store.
~ MacKenzie-Childs @ 20 West 57th Street ~

We were warmly greeted by Greg and Roz.

This duo was expecting us and graciously arranged for champagne 
and sweet treats upstairs in the beautiful mezzanine area,
serving us on our favorite dishes.

The girls of the Traveling Totes have been cyber friends for years,
and it was truly heartwarming to see how easily and 
smoothly we melded into real time.
You would have thought we all had been life long friends.
As Winnie the Pooh said,
"As soon as I met you, I knew an adventure was going to begin!"
An adventure it was! Even some of the
Men Behind the Totes 
joined in on the fun time in NYC.

Needless to say, MacKenzie-Childs is like nirvana,
the idyllic shop that makes us happy!

Shopping with these girls is the best!

"The best things in life are the people you love, the places
you've been, and the memories you've made along the way."

Thank you, Traveling Tote Gals, for a magical 
and fun time in NYC!

Let the adventures continue!


Joining
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Sarah
Sarah

The summer we married, my husband was in graduate school, and I was employed as a teacher. We took a portion of our savings that summer and purchased a sailboat. We christened our Catalina 22, “Hyacinths For The Soul” after Saadi’s poem. Our "Hyacinths" provided years of pleasure.

38 comments:

  1. What a fun trip. There's no place quite like NY...of course, I may be a bit bias. ;)

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  2. I just think it's so neat that y'all did this! Friends are the best and connecting over something you love guarantees fun. :)

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  3. I am so happy for you all..it's not like you live next door..an effort was made..anticipation was felt and joy was had.
    A ball you must have had and wow at the welcome the MC store had for you gals..

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  4. It certainly was a fun time and I will treasure the memories made - you were the best roommate and I am still chuckling over the "sample of shampoo" request!!

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    1. Thanks and same to you! It was fun to spend time with you and the other girls. So glad we did this trip! Here's to another one!

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  5. I so love this. You ALL are the best.

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    1. Rita, you and Jemma were truly missed. We will do another. I promise! NY was perfect while were were there. I will be smiling about this weekend for a long time to come.

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  6. Great post, sweet Sarah! It was so nice to meet everyone and to see you again. You can tell by the smiles that everyone had such a good time. Enjoy your week. I booked my ticket to Austin for Dec. I will in touch with the details!

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  7. Glad you were able to spend Autumn in NYC! Our weekend together will be etched in my memory forever! So glad it happened!

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  8. Great post Sarah, and yes NY was so inviting. It was a perfect autumn week there and it was great seeing you again. Yes, we do plan on more trips to NY. It was such fun meeting the other girls, of course I know Jenna, we are having lunch soon now I need to catch up with Rita. Yes to new adventures! I will be thinking about all of you a lot this week.......have a good one.

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  9. What a wonderful weekend with your traveling Totes. Sounds and looks like you had a terrific time. So glad that you were able to met each other. Sounds like a great time.

    Mary

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  10. What a great get together. Amazing that so many of you could make the trip and connect in person. Love it!

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  11. Sarah, Somehow, your blog dropped off my sidebar reading list. I lost a lot of blogs a while back and keep discovering some that are MIA. I will re-add yours right now while I am thinking about it. I am so glad you had fun with all those great bloggers!!! xo Diana

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  12. Dearest Sarah,
    Oh my, finally getting together after so many years of cyber friendship! That's also the sole reason you melded so very well.
    Love the special photos of your get together and special that some of the spouses even joined.
    Sending you hugs and best wishes for a continued friendship!
    Mariette

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  13. Sarah, what a pleasure to meet you in person, along with the other tote gals. We all had such a fun time, laughing and giggling like old friends. Great photos. We would love to meet the chef. I am sure our hubbies have a lot in common. Happy Sunday and thank you for sharing at DI&DI.

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  14. Sarah,
    What a fun time! You all look like you enjoyed every minute... with all the smiles in every photo. Having a private reception at the MacKenzie Childs New York store was the perfect outing for this group.

    One day, we will meet in person, too.

    Judith

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  15. What a fun group of ladies and how wonderful that you got to meet in NYC. And to go to MacKenzie Childs was the icing on the cake.

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  16. Oh you girls had such fun, I know Rita and Jenna were sorry they couldn't join you. I got a kick out seeing all the photos, including the birthday girl with the crown on her head. You look you're in a serious discussion with Linda over a purchasing decision...telling her to Keep Calm and Courtly Check On!

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  17. This is what blogging is ultimately about...making friends we might never have known through a common interest. I love it!

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  18. Hello Sarah, thanks for the lovely visit to my blog.
    Wow how fun that all of you tote girls had the chance to meet up in person in NYC. I have never been to either restaurant or the store but I will add them to my list of thing to do in NYC. Thanks for sharing your adventure.
    Julie

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  19. Oh Sarah, I know you all had such a wonderful time! My heart was there with you I promise! What an adventure you all had, and going to MKC for champagne was indeed the icing on the cake! So fun that the husbands joined in too! Of course I am sad to have missed it, but how I'm loving all the cute photos!
    Jenna

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  20. How amazing! And what a wonderful trip. You all look fabulous and make us so jealous! Love your totes, the birthday girl and amazing stores. Everything is so much FUN! Thanks for sharing the photos AND the fun! Hugs, Diane

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  21. That must have been such a lot of fun! The smiles say it all. It is a treat to meet friends with whom one has a long history but no actual "face time". Thanks for taking us along too!

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  22. Hi Sarah it's been fun keeping up with your Travelling Totes in NYC on Facebook, you all had such a blast. What will you do for your next get together I wonder?
    Maggie

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  23. Hi Sarah. What fun to have tea, surrounded by friends and in your favorite place in the world. I do see a few familiar faces..Happy Week to you..Judy

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  24. So exciting to see all of you in your element. I would love to have been a fly on the wall. I bet it was hard to get a word in edgewise.
    What a fabulous trip. Glad you had a great time.

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  25. I loved reading about your NYC adventure with the Traveling Tote friends, Sarah. What a great time you all had. Your quotes on your post were so apropos for your special time. Hopefully you're planning another adventure in the future.

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  26. So glad ya'll had such fun...love these photos

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  27. What a special group of friends! Looks like so much fun, Sarah. I love NYC......even more fabulous with good friends.

    Happy Halloween!
    xoxo
    L

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  28. How fun!! Glad to see the tote made a trip to NY. Love this, how much fun can you have in New York.

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  29. This looks like the most fun ever, Sarah! Love so many of these bloggers -- how fun to meet in person in the Big Apple for such a happy celebration!

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  30. I know that you all had a memorable time...so nice that most of you were able to get together in NYC.

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  31. How fun Sarah that the majority got to meet up! I know the other two would have loved to have been there. I have traveled a lot, but can you believe I have never been to NY. Gotta get there someday! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  32. Fun, fun, fun! Thanks for sharing your trip at Vintage Charm!

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  33. What a fun, fun post and I'm sure an even funner trip for you and these ladies!

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  34. Sarah, your willingness to and love of travel have once again led you on another delightful adventure. You gathered with some of my favorite names and faces. Can hardly wait to hear about December 1, in Austin! CherryKay

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