Paint the Town!

This has been an overwhelming week at work, but I am a happy girl once again, because in a few hours, I am hopping a bus to New York to visit my sister! I can't wait! I am also strangly looking forward to riding the bus, because it will force me to just sit still and breath AND I can't do work!

I will give a recap when I get back, but there are a few things that I am looking forward to this weekend:

1) Cheap New York Manis and Pedis - People say that NYC is expensive, but my sister's mani/pedi place is $10 cheaper than mine! (OPI "Sweetheart" here I come!)

2) Beers at the Boat Basin - My favorite spot in New York, right on the Hudson. I'll try to take pictures!

3) Drinking my first Pumpkin Spice Latte! This is the weekend to try it!

4) Century 21, Bergdorf's, and other shopping!

5) Seeing my friend, Darling's new engagement ring!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Rainy Day Weekend

It was a blissful weekend despite the weatherman's predictions. Virginia got hit by the northern bands of Hanna, and Saturday was very rainy and gray. D and I ventured out briefly, but mainly we just chill-axed at home. We watched "Enchanted" (I think D enjoyed it although he would never admit it!), read books, and spent time with Maddie, D's family dog, who we watched over the weekend. This is a picture of her watching me intently as I tried to read a magazine.

I have a confession to make. Sometimes I love rainy days in order to have an excuse to do nothing. After all the craziness during the workweek, it is good to "just say no" to running errands, going out, and even working out!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

The Top Tier

Over the weekend, D and I also celebrated a major milestone, even if it was a tad premature. Our first anniversary is in a few weeks, and my wonderful mother has been storing the top tier of our wedding cake in her freezer all this time! Since it was so close to our anniversary, and we were all together in Florida, we decided to defrost the tier and dig in!

Okay, now I think it is customary for the cake to taste a little strange after a year in the freezer, so the "newlyweds" simply have a few bites of their cake for good luck or something. However, not the case here! We devoured the year-old, little cake! I don't know why or how, but it honestly tasted as good, if not better, than it did at the reception! And this time, I got to eat a lot more of it than I did on my wedding day!

I think this is a testament to where I got my cake. When looking at bakeries, the most important thing to me was that the wedding cake taste good. We have all been to those weddings where the cake looks amazing, but tastes like sawdust, and I did not want that to happen! My guests deserved a pretty cake that was moist and delicious. Therefore, some of you Florida girls can probably guess where I turned...Publix!

For those of you not from Florida or Georgia, Publix is a regional grocery store chain, but I really think the produce and bakery are better than most grocers. I was so unbelievably happy with my cake (which cost a fraction of what a boutique bakery would have charged), and I had one guest tell me it was the best cake she had ever eaten. We did three tiers of marble cake with different fillings for each tier and buttercream frosting. I had the florist decorate the cake with fresh flowers, and the sweet woman at the bakery put swiss dots and a grosgrain ribbon around each tier! Of course! They also made a cute groomscake to look like a golf course (complete with the little golf cart and flag) for D, a huge golfer. It was vanilla cake with fresh strawberry filling, and he was in heaven! (And also very happy to be marrying me as well! Hee hee)

The Perfect Get-Away

D and I have headed to Jupiter, Florida to visit with my parents and sister for Labor Day weekend. As you can tell from my last post, I was seriously ready to head out for some R&R! Jupiter is possibly my favorite place in the whole world. It comines everything I love most: family together, warm weather, days on the boat or by the pool, and some of my favorite restaurants! D and I flew out on Friday morning, and arrived at noon and headed straight to our favorite restaurant on the beach. One Blackened Mahi Mahi platter with black beas and rice later, I am still full but happy to be here!

Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Goodbye Summer!

It is cliche to say, but I honestly can't believe that the summer is almost over. It has been a whirlwind of weddings, trips for business and pleasure, a lot of work, and a lot of fun! Here are just a few of my favorite memories from this summer:

I took the most amazing trip to Cabo with one of my best friends in June. The truly incredible part was that it was free; she won the trip for being a superstar in sales and brought me as her guest! We had a blast at the Hilton Los Cabos!

D and I had a lot of fun traveling and hanging out this summer. Trips to Lexington, KY, Myrtle Beach, Mystic, CT and Williamsburg together have been summer adventures. We also took a few too many walks at night to pick up my favorite summer treat, the McDonalds Hot Fudge Sundae. I can't help it; it is only 99 cents and it is perfect on hot summer nights!


Although I am hoping to get to New York more in the fall to visit my sister, this summer we threw the best bachlorette shower for my cousin in the city! We had so much fun setting it up in her apartment and then going to dinner and dancing with the ladies.

I also started blogging this summer! It has been amazing to read and write in this community. I have gotten so many great ideas and inspirations from other blogs and this process.

I am going to miss you, Summer of 2008!

P.S. Below is a short clip from New York Fashion Week of Thakoon and the cult favorite lipstick last spring, Lancome's Pixel Pink. I thought I would share this clip because I used to watch it in February when it was cold and miserable outside and dream about summer and going to Hawaii someday...

Restaurant Week Is The Best Week

It is “Restaurant Week” here in the district, and let me tell you, I have been living it up!! In DC, Restaurant Week means that many of the restaurants in the city offer 3-course lunches and dinners for a special price ($20 for lunch and $35 for dinner).

In the past, I always learned of this event too late to get reservations to the best restaurants, but this year I was on top of it! I have also been much more social; dining out with friends, work colleagues and fellow foodies alike. What is it about good food that brings people together?

Anyway, tonight D and I have reservations for one of the oldest, and most romantic, steakhouses in the city. It’s the type of place we could not really afford on a normal basis, but for Restaurant Week, why not? I have heard that many other cities are starting to adopt versions of Restaurant Week, and I think it is great. It’s a great chance to try new places, new dishes, and, for me, make new friends!

Have a great day!