Scenes from a Weekend : XX

Memorial Day Weekend! I spent the long weekend out of the city at my parent's house. Melissa and her pup Cooper came out to enjoy the vacation. I was really looking forward to having a girls weekend at the beach. It's always nice to spend quality time with good friends, especially when there's no pressure to entertain or make plans. We both just wanted to relax the weekend away. I picked up Melissa, and the two girls and two pups drove out together. 

In true girl's weekend style, we filled our time with plenty of pampering. Saturday morning I took Lua with us and we all went for a morning run. After we got cleaned up, Melissa and I went into town and shopped around for a bit. Mostly window shopping, but we did pick up these friendship bracelets from Madewell. One of my oldest friends and her boyfriend came out to spend the night. We all grabbed a quick bite at a low key place near by. Then we went to a beer tasting that was hosted by my friends who brew their own. They use local ingredients as much as possible and are really getting good at their craft. As soon as their company gets off and running I'll be sure to let you guys know all about it!

Sunday morning we drove to the deli for breakfast and I took my friends by my absolute favorite beach. We lounged at the house for the rest of the afternoon. I whipped up some homemade hummus that hit the spot. My friends had to leave for a BBQ, so Melissa and I were basically on a date for the rest of the night. I took her to a great sunset spot, followed by an amazing dinner, and wound down the night sitting by a bonfire with friends.

Monday we slept in late. It's not really a vacation until you sleep past your work alarm. Melissa and I eventually rolled out of bed and made some coffee and breakfast. We sat  at the table and talked for a while. Discussed the nights events, our goals for this summer, our pups, and anything else that crossed our minds while sipping down our cups of joe. I love leisurely mornings like that. 

We packed up, cleaned up, made a quick pit stop at the beach, then started the long drive back into the city. It was great to have a real girls weekend away from all the hustle and bustle. I always love being able to show people my favorite places and I'm really glad that Melissa could make the trip out! I'm sure there will be plenty more summer weekends that look pretty similar to this one. I can't wait. 

Hope everyone had a great week! Sorry it was so quiet on the blog. Hopefully you can understand that sometimes enjoying real life just has to come first. That said, how is everyone?

Scenes from a Weekend : XIX

I've been spending more time in the city this month than I have in a very long while. Part of it is due to imperfectly made plans, part of it is due to the fact that I know I'll be spending more time out of the city as the weather continues to get warmer so I'm trying to soak up my time in the city while I can. A few weekends ago I was in the city with no particular plans so I called my friends Val and Drew to meet up for Saturday morning brunch. I rushed down to their neighborhood while they waited patiently at the restaurant for me to show up. 

After an exceptionally lovely brunch in the sun we strolled over to Chelsea Market. There are still so many places that I haven't been in the city yet, and until that weekend I had still never been there. The market was really interesting to walk around. It's a big tourist stop, but there's obviously a good reason for that. We meandered, picked up a few things, stopped by their apartment, then headed into the West Village for the rest of the afternoon.

 

The West Village is such a pretty neighborhood to walk around. I love the narrow sideways, the cobblestone streets, and the small storefronts. A few of my favorite stores to browse are down there, including the store where I bought my favorite and only pair of sunglasses. Val, Drew, and I chatted some more, picked up coffee, and then went our separate ways. I took advantage of the gorgeous weather and went for a long run with Lua by the river at the end of the day. 

On Sunday I drove home to celebrate Mother's Day with my family. We spent the day relaxing, mostly outside. Lua got her fill of backyard time while I ran a few errands around town. My mom made a salad with the greens from her garden and put some chicken on the grill for dinner. It was a relaxing night at home with my parents before another long week of work in the city. 

Thank you to Jentine for re-posting a few pictures from my last outfit post! She really was the behind the scenes cheering section for me; Team Work. And thanks to all of you for sticking around while I lost my head a little these last few weeks. It's been harder than usual to keep up with the blog, but hopefully I'll get back on track soon!

Scenes from a Holiday : Easter

Easter weekend I was invited to spend time with really great friends outside of the city. I jumped at the chance and drove out / ferried out, to the small island where they live on Saturday afternoon. They had the BBQ all set up, and the other guests had arrived by the time I got there. There was plenty of mixing, mingling and seeing a few people I haven't seen in a very long time. The group of us ended up talking the night away, swapping stories, and sharing advice in front of the fire as it slowly went out. 

I know I've said it here before but I don't think I'll ever be the ideal city person. I love being able to get away on the weekends. It was so nice to leisurely wake up on Sunday and go for a walk down to the beach. They even brought the fishing rod, just in case. I'm trying really hard to appreciate where I live now, because part of me knows that I'll end up outside of any big city. I appreciate the easy, casual lifestyle so much more than the hustle that's often associated with living in a city. 

After our beach walk I packed up and drove back to my parent's to celebrate Easter. I loved being able to spend time with one of my oldest friends and her main squeeze. They were great hosts and I can't wait until the weather is a little bit warmer and we can spend more time lounging on the deck and relaxing by the beach. 

When I got back to my parent's I took Lua for a long run. I've found this happening more often in the past few months than before, but running has been helping me to calm me down more than wind up. I might have a million thoughts racing through my mind, but by the end of a good run with Lua my thoughts are quieter. Dinner at my parents was delicious. We had halibut, roasted potatoes, shrimp topped with crab, green beans, garlic knots, and plenty more. It was a great holiday spent enjoying my friend's and family's company and taking in the sights. 

How was everyone's weekend? I had a blast with two of my favorite blogger ladies, Merl from Clyde's Rebirth and Jentine from My Edit. You can check out Jentine's post for a little taste of our weekend goodness before I get around to sharing it with you myself!

Scenes from a City : My Birthday

 

I celebrated my 26th birthday in New York City this year. The day started out with a lovely wake up call from Lua at my bedside and a card from my parents. I made my standard yerba mate and granola morning treats, then headed off to work. It was one of the first days in New York that actually felt like spring! There were flowers blooming and petals on the ground. The weather seems to finally be breaking through for the season. 

 

 

I took Lua for a long run by the river after work. It felt more significant than usual because it was my birthday. As I said, I was a little bit nervous about turning another year older. I've never been the type of person who was bothered by birthdays at all. Something about this one just felt different. Maybe it's because I've had such an up and down year, or maybe it's because I'm starting to realize there are still so many things I want to do and sometimes it starts to feel like a time crunch.

 

 

Lucky for me, I have some really great girlfriends in New York City. I reached out to them earlier in the week about getting together for a casual dinner on my actual birthday. It's always so great to be able to meet up with them, especially when everyone's busy schedules usually keep us apart. A few of my friends I've known since I was in pre-school, some from college, and some brand new. I'm so glad that I was able to see such great ladies on my birthday. 

We went to Caza Mezcal on the Lower East Side. The food and drinks were great and the atmosphere was exactly what I was looking for. After plenty of chips, guacamole, and margaritas, Melissa brought out some cupcakes for all the girls. They were a special delivery from Kim, since she couldn't be there to celebrate. They even sang Happy Birthday to me. 

  

 

I decided to get a little dressed up since it was my birthday and all. I went with a black mini and my go to velvet polka dot top from Madewell. I added my blue suede heels and my favorite fishy Clyde's Rebirth pendant and I was set to go. It's fun to get dressed up to spent the night on the town with your girlfriends every once in a while. 

I had an amazing day on my actual birthday. I'm still processing everything about what this past year, and this birthday mean to me, but what I do know is that I'm so grateful for the friends who have stuck by me through it all. I'm sure at times I haven't been the easiest person to be friends with, I understand it's always a give a take with friends, which is why I'm so happy that I have a small group of people that keep coming around year after year. It truly means so much to me. Thank you to everyone who made this birthday such a special one for me!

 

I'm sorry the blog has been so quiet this week. You may have seen on Twitter that I'm currently with Merl from Clyde's Rebirth! She came out for a long weekend to help me celebrate my belated birthday. We're also working on something very special, follow along on twitter to see some sneak peaks and hear about what we've been up to.