where have i been?

Oh, dear patient friends, it's been awhile, hasn't it? I really did have every intention of continuing to blog on a more regular basis, but then life has this way of changing your carefully laid plans (and this time in a way that I'm still try to wrap my head around). So much has happened in the past eight months that I'm still spinning. I won't give it all away right now but let's just say I'm no longer based in New York and I'm still grappling with whether I've made the right choices or not. To be honest, a large part of me feels like not, but I have to keep reminding myself to be patient, and that I'm living out something I've been dreaming if doing for years. I'm going to continue to update over the next several months (albeit sporadically) and catch up on a lot of the really fun stuff I've been up to (I've gotten to tend to my travel bug quite a bit), as well as some of the soul-searching feelings I've been grappling with. I think this picture taken of me a few weeks ago in a to-be-revealed location captures both of these thoughts/topics perfectly. Talk soon x.

lately

 

I guess sometimes a few weeks means more like a couple months when you need to take some time for yourself.  A lot has happened recently, and I feel ready again to start sharing it all (just maybe not five days a week  - because honestly, it's a lot when you have a full time job and you want to spend time with your boyfriend and you want to go to the gym and have time to do the fun things you want to do - not sure how many people with a blog say this, but at least I think it's true).   

So, to begin, John is back! We got all that drama sorted and he was able to spend some time with his family at home in England, and even came back in time to spend a few days enjoying Christmas in New York before we traveled to Canada to celebrate actual Christmas in my hometown.  It was lovely, and so nice to spend almost two full weeks with the ones I love, but it never does feel like enough.  We also had a lot of discussion surrounding our future plans, and to my disappointment (but now acceptance and eventual excitement to pursue something new I’ve always wanted to do), we are not going to go ahead with our initial idea (alluded to here and here and a few other places if you want to explore a bit).  I’m going to keep it a secret for now because maybe someday it will come to fruition, but in the meantime, we’ve come up with a new “what we’re going to do with our lives” plan, and I’m very excited about it. But until then, I’ll just keep alluding to this new adventure until we actually do it – you’ll find out in about four months or so.    

So in the meantime, I’m going to keep documenting on the fun stuff we’re doing in NYC, and my journey of checking things off my “list” of things to do before we leave (and hopefully provide you with a few ideas of your own if you're here already or ever come to visit).  Over the next few days, I also want to recap the past couple months and the great stuff we’ve discovered over this mild (for the east coast) winter.  x

away

Sorry friends - things have gotten a little mad here lately and I haven't had a ton of time to attend to this little space of mine.  To explain, like me, John is on a work visa. The only difference is that he is on a seasonal visa which means that he has to renew it every year and leave the United States by a certain day, whereas my visa is longer term, and I only have to renew every three years (yay!) (and don't have to be out of the US by a certain day every year - double yay!). 

Normally, his visa situation is not a big deal (it definitely sucked the first year because he ended up staying in England for four months in between visas), but we've worked out a nice situation last year where he was only away for two weeks. And then, this year came along. He lost his passport. Which really complicates things when you're on a visa.  So last week, in a mad dash between all sorts of embassies and consulates, we made the decision that he should fly home ... like the next day. Which is normally not ideal, but ok at least.  The only thing that makes me a little sad is that we're not sure right now when he can come back into the country.

So, on top of all that madness, I was given more responsibility at work, we're in the middle of developing our Fall'12 product which is major milestone and requires a lot of focus, and I'm still trying to work on projects for the upcoming endeavor (the website is thisclose to being finished). The next couple weeks may be a little slow around here, but I promise I will get back into the regular swing of things.  turrah xo

happy (american) thanksgiving!

Taking the next few days off to indulge in some holiday time.  Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

ps. Pop over here to learn how the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons came to be.

big gay ice cream shop

Last week I mentioned that John and I had a Groupon that I needed to use before it expired, and the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop happened to be the place. I had originally bought it in the summer, hoping to use it at their infamous ice cream truck in Union Square, which has been named one of the best food trucks several times over by numerous publications.  But it turned out to be one of those things that just never worked out ... which brings me to why we went to an ice cream shop in the middle of November.   But regardless of the time of year, I'm so glad we did - I got the "Salty Pimp" - a vanilla cone covered covered in a sea salt and chocolate shell with swirls of dulce de leche - and John had the "Bea Arthur" - a vanilla cone covered in crushed Nilla wafers and dulce de leche - and both were beyond delicious.  The best part comes at the very end, but you're going to have to discover it for yourself ;)  

weekend notes

ingenius paper bag idea from trader joe's

This weekend was very quiet, but sometimes that is so nice.  I had time to actually do the mundane (but necessary) errands that never seem to get done during the week (I'm looking at you groceries and apartment scrubbing).  It's also nice to know that this will be a short week, complete with one relaxing long weekend. And as an added bonus, my mom is coming to visit on Wednesday, and I couldn't be more excited.  I also have never been in the US for an American Thanksgiving, so I'm excited to check out some of the festivities - especially what could be the best or worst tradition of all - Black Friday.

favorite winter scarf from Banana Republic

just snoozin' (and treats ...)

my gardening skills at work

peace from here

afternoon sun

astor place

John and I enjoyed a long lunch together strolling around the city today.  Truth be told, I had a Groupon that I needed to use before it expired so it prompted us to venture out into the chill that has suddenly descended upon Manhattan.  We stopped at our favorite pizza place (seen here), but this time at the East Village location, and then headed to the Groupon spot (details next week).  It was nice walking through the chilly streets, and the crisp air it reminded me that Christmas is right around the corner.

on the bowery

best yoga studio in nyc

st. mark's

deliciousness

cutie ... staring at the pizzas

currently coveting ...

Now that the weather is getting cooler, nights curled up on the couch are calling for a cozy blanket to be included.  And since this past Spring I threw away the one and only throw we owned (a gorgeous white, wool number) because it shed so badly it was like we had another pet in the house, it's suddenly dawned on me how much we are lacking in this department.  I saw this Multistripe Point Blanket from the Hudson Bay Company recently and fell in love. My nationalistic pride is probably a major contributor to my adoration for this heavy wool throw, as it symbolizes Hudson Bay's beginnings in Canada. It could also be that it exudes a somewhat nautical/beachy vibe, but it's heavy composition makes it completely appropriate for the winter months.  Either way, it would look great on my white couch and will be perfect for the cool nights ahead. 

yay

If you're into it, you're into it.

pommes frites

This past weekend, John and I went to one of our favorite places in the East Village - Pommes Frites.  They make the absolute best french fries in New York, and the constant line outside the door is a testament to this. (I used to live around the corner from here and could smell them from my window - believe me, it was an exercise in self-control).  This tiny restaurant serves authentic Belgian fries and offers an absolutely gigantic list of unique dipping sauces that are a far cry from the usual ketchup.  We ordered the Vietnamese Pineapple Mayo, Sweet Mango Chutney Mayo, and the Irish Curry, and they were honestly all so good that it was hard to choose a favorite (if I had to though, I'd go with the Mango).  It's tricky to get a seat as the interior is quite small, but there are plenty of neighboring parks where you can grab a seat and ponder which sauces you'll try next time.

weekend notes

wandering through Union Square

The past two weeks/weekends have been so busy that it was nice to have a weekend without any agenda other than catching up on errands and long overdue tasks.   Most of the weekend was spent working on the website (even though it's pretty basic, I cannot tell you how proud I am of it so far and can't wait to share it with you soon.  Let's just say working with code is something I never saw myself trying to tackle ;) On Sunday, we had a bit of a reprieve with a trip to one of my favorite food stops (check back tomorrow for details) and a wander around Union Square, where it was so nice to sit on one of the park benches and watch the world go by. 

love white candles - thanks andy!



adorable old men playing chess in the park



finally found - perfect black leather bag at Century 21

Union Square by night

style inspiration: brigitte bardot

Brigitte Bardot is famed as a 60's bombshell, but not enough credit is given to her casual attire. An original bohemian trendsetter, she captured the perfect mix between carefree and put-together, which is an obvious ode to the French laissez-faire era she lived in.  It also goes without saying that her hair, which is still so iconic today, was a major aspect of her personal style and was one of her most distinguishing features.  I love that she balanced her coquettish hairstyles, as well as her frequent use of bold lipsticks and winged eyeliner, with more definitively masculine pieces, such as crewneck knitted sweaters and cropped trousers, to create a look that was somewhat disheveled but still incredibly provoking. 

chicken burrito pizza

Last night we were craving Mexican, but didn't want to resort to our standard variety nachos or fajitas, so we decided to try a recipe I had torn from a health & fitness magazine that looked not only delicious, but was super nutrionally-packed, as well (recipe here).  All of the different elements, from the pico de gallo to the whole wheat crust, worked wonderfully together, and it was a nice departure from more traditional mexican-influenced flavors.  We used to have "fajita fridays," but now we're thinking it should be "pizza wednesdays" instead.

refresh

As I keep mentioning, John and I are preparing to leave New York in a few months to take on an exciting new project that we're both very much looking forward to.  Over the past few months, I've revealed some hints as to what this new endeavor is (seen here), as well as one of the developments that we will be working on (seen here).  Today, I'm going to let you in on another project that we will be working on, which is an outdoor shower.  Here are a few of the images that are currently inspiring me, and that I hope to take at least a few ideas from for our own attempt at such a great outdoor feature.  It's relaxing just looking at them, don't you think?