Cape May Archives - Popcorn and Pandas

2017 in Review

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WOW! I can’t believe 2017 is coming to a close. It’s been a year of personal growth, adventure, travel, family moments, and so much more. I learned a lot, and have come up with some exciting ideas to take with me into 2018. I plan to jump even more outside of my comfort zone this upcoming year, and see where the wind blows.

I want to thank each and every one of you this past year for supporting me on this journey…for reading this blog, for joining one of my health + fitness Challenge Groups, for commenting on a Facebook post, direct messaging me on Instagram, watching my IG Stories, giving me all of your advice and feedback on outfit choices or motherhood woes or workouts…or just telling me that you are inspired by a post or that you can relate. It truly means SO much to me. I started this blog and my brand really as a creative outlet a few years ago, but it’s turned into an incredible community which I am so grateful for. So THANK YOU for your continued support, and I hope you continue to take the journey with me in 2018!

Below is a look back at some of my favorite memories and experiences of 2017:

Zack and I finally went on a “Paint Night” Date and we loved it

I was obsessed with smoothie bowls:

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I learned a ton about gut health + drank lots of kombucha (I did a LIVE @ 9 Episode on this which you can find on my Facebook page, but I promise to create a blog post on this for 2018 so it’s in written form):

Boys both fell in love with soccer just like their mama:

Helped hundreds of Challengers get on track with their nutrition with these amazing portion control containers:

Little sis got engaged and asked the entire fam to be in the wedding 🙂 :

Zack and I had a week-long road trip together to Asheville (thanks Mom + Dad!):

I was able to take the family on an all-expenses paid trip to Punta Cana with Beachbody as a reward trip for my work with the company. To say they had a blast would be an understatement:

I developed a passion for nut butters lol 😉

Hubby and I did the Ultimate Reset Challenge Plant Based Cleanse program and we learned so much about our bodies, our eating habits, and made many tweaks and changes to our habits going forward (again, I owe you all a full synopsis of this experience in blog post form…coming at you in 2018!):

Went to the Dave Matthews Concert with the fam:

Spent many summer days at the NY Beaches + riding the rides at Coney Island:

Took Nico on his first roller coaster ride at Hershey Park with the family:

Celebrated our 10 Year NYC Anniversary:

NYC Engagement

Went to Rhode Island with the hubs to watch one of my best friends walk down the aisle:

Went to NOLA for my 3rd Beachbody Summit with my amazing team. We continue to grow, and I love training each new person how to become a #boss and build businesses that give them happier, healthier, more fulfilled lives:

Completed multiple workout programs including Shift Shop, T25, Insanity Max 30, and 3 Week Yoga Retreat:

Celebrated my sister’s Bachelorette Weekend in VA Beach rooftop style:

Luca got his 1st haircut:

Nico turned 4 and Luca turned 2 with a Construction themed Birthday Party:

My challengers got amazing results with their fitness + nutrition:

Christie Transformation

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We went on family vacation to Cape May:

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and the OBX:

Nico started his first year of “real” school through the NYC DOE and is loving Pre-K. Luca started a 2’s playschool co-op, and it was a bit of a transition at first, but he seems to be enjoying it now:

We threw at Rainbow Sprinkle Themed Bridal Shower for my sister:

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My little sis and her high school sweetheart finally tied the knot after 13 years:

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Took the boys on their first-ever camping trip this fall with good friends:

Had an epic Halloween dressing up like The Wizard of Oz characters:

Did ALL the the holiday things to celebrate the season (and enjoyed my most favorite/stressful time of the year):

Welp!!!!

That is a WRAP. Wow. What.a.year.

It’s been a good one full of fantastic memories. Thanks again for your continued support of popcorn and pandas. I appreciate you all SO much. More than you know.

I wish all of you an incredible New Year!!! I cannot wait to see what 2018 has in store.

XO,

Gina

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Captured in Cape May

I’m finally getting around to sharing some more of our Cape May vacation photos. Some of these were taken on my camera, and some of them are from my Instagram feed, so don’t mind the inconsistency. My favorite part about Cape May was looking at all the adorable houses, many of which have been converted in Bed & Breakfast Inns. The architecture actually reminds me of my neighborhood, Ditmas Park in Brooklyn yet even closer to the beach. I loved that mostly everything was in walking or biking distance and that it was very family oriented. Many thanks to my mother-in-law and father-in-law for organizing such a fantastic trip!

*Note* The 2nd baby pictured is my adorable nephew, Nathan! He and Nico had a great time playing together throughout the week.

Now we are on a countdown to our next family adventure…the Outer Banks! This is a place my family has been going every summer since I was four. Last summer, I was hugely pregnant and unable to attend as my due date was creeping up, so I am extremely pumped to not only return to the OBX, but to show Nico how much we all love this place and each other. My cousins have already started the text chain, and I cannot wait to see them!

Happy Monday!

XO,

Gina

{Style Envy} Rompin’ Around + Turning Thirty

On Brianna – Romper: Forever 21 / Sandals: Michael Kors / Necklaces: Forever 21

Introducing my beautiful niece, Brianna. You may remember a few posts way back when from my Style Envy segments with Marisa and Alex. Every now and then I like to showcase someone else’s style rather than my own, and Brianna was looking so adorable in this romper while we were on vacation in Cape May that I just had to snap some photos at the beach. Rompers made a small come back last summer, and they are still in full force this season. It’s so nice to only think about one piece. No need to worry about which top is going to go with which bottom. Matchy matchy tops and bottoms have also been a trend this season, so why not just buy one piece and call it a day? Of course, everyone’s main complaint about rompers is the ever-annoying hassle of going to the bathroom, but in my opinion, it’s no big deal to suck it up for a day for the sake of fashion. That’s what we women do, right?

Onto my niece…Bri is one of those people with a natural easy-going attitude. She’s always down for an adventure, for trying fun new things, and she’s a total pleasure to be around. Throughout the week whenever someone would make a suggestion about something fun to do, she was always up for it. No matter how weird to crazy the activity, she was always excited to partake. Want to go play skee-ball at the arcade? Yup. Want to go for a walk? Yup. Want to take photos on the beach? Yup. Want to go get ice cream? Yup. Want to go on a four-person family bike? Yup. She reminds me of my husband (her uncle) never wanting to sit around. Always go go go…they might miss something or won’t be able to enjoy the most out of their vacation if they are relaxing too much. We had a blast hanging out at the beach, and I only wish she and my sister-in-law could have stayed longer!

On a final note, I turned 30 over the weekend. That’s right THIRTY. Holy crap. Where does the time go? I remember when I used to think thirty was so old. It’s crazy how much I have grown and changed in the last decade. Met Zack, graduated college, moved to New York City, got into the animation/advertising industry, partied my ass off, traveled, got married, moved to Brooklyn, slowed down, had a baby, and now I’m a mom of an almost 1-year-old. My twenties were a lot of fun indeed. As scary as 30 sounds, I do admit, I am excited to embrace this new decade with the clarity, responsibility, and self-awareness that I did not always exhibit in my twenties. Sure occasionally I know I will miss my carefree days, but my life is all about my family and closest friends right now, and I couldn’t be happier.

Special thanks to my husband for planning an amazing 30th surprise weekend for me complete with Six Flags, a fancy dinner, a night on the town, and finished with a beach day. I am a lucky lady.

Hope you are all having a great week!

XO,

Gina

Summer Sunlight

Dress: Boxing Kitten for Urban Outfitters (old) / Neon Sandals: Dolce Vita – similar / Crossbody Bag: T.J. Maxx / Necklace: Guilty Jean / Watch: Michael Kors / Bracelet: Baublebar / Lip: Lancome Fuchsia Clutch / Nails: Essie Marshmallow / Toes: Essie Bachelorette Bash

Summer sunlight peeking through the trees as the sun is starting to set. Probably my favorite moment of the day. The magic hour brings me a peaceful calm. It strange how only a few years ago, the sun going down was a symbol of the start of my evening. It meant that it was time to start prepping to get ready for a night on the town with my man or the girls. I’ve always been a night owl, and I lived for summer nights exploring New York City. Dressing up, hair, make-up, the whole sha-bing.

Nowadays, the sunset usually represents quiet for me. Time to reflect on the adventures from the day, give the baby a bath, put him to bed, and then enjoy dinner with my husband and maybe even a glass of wine. This particular evening, however, we were on family vacation which meant Bubbe and Pop Pop were eager to babysit. So after Nico’s bedtime, my husband and I were able to go out on our own little adventure. We started by taking these photos and others in the summer sunlight. We walked around Cape May, and had a delicious romantic dinner for two at Louisa’s. I guess we realized how little we get out after 8pm these days, and so we didn’t want the night to end. We walked around in the moonlight, shared a kiss under the stars (or two), and played video games and skee-ball at the arcade until close. We felt like two teenagers running around on a summer night. Yes, things have changed. Instead of closing down bars, we are closing down arcades at a family beach town. Instead of going to sleep at 4am, I am waking up at 6am.

But I’m okay with that.

Hope you are all having a great week so far!

XO,

Gina