Cheap $10 tickets to a documentary, a liesurely & breezy walk home through Rockafeller Center, and a run in with the RHONJ taping on 51st Street? (Teresa Guidice, lookin good!)
That's a good Monday :)
If you can't tell by my cheesy grin or ability to get my husband to come along with me (and be the first people in the theater)...I absolutely love Elmo. When I got wind that the documentary "Being Elmo" was coming to town, I think I purchased tickets in .5 seconds. Jim Henson was a mastermind in his field and Kevin Clash's (the puppeteer who is Elmo, hence the title of the documentary) personal story and rise to success simply augments my love for all things Sesame Street. And at 28yrs old, I don't even mind to admit it ;) It's funny, actually, because Elmo wasnt even a character on Sesame Street when I was a SS junkie from 1886-89(ish), but in having 2 younger siblings...the show was on in the background of my life for many years after that. Elmo's character is Love come to life in a furry red puppet, doling out hugs and making millions of children around the world feel important. So maybe it isnt just Elmo that makes me smile and feel a sense of warm nostalgia in my heart....it is for all the Sesame Street characters and the life lessons each puppeteer brought to life, whether it was being Grover, or Ernie & Bert, The Count, or Big Bird. (My pal Trish over at The Grateful Life knows just what I mean!)
Cheap $10 tickets to a documentary, a liesurely & breezy walk home through Rockafeller Center, and a run in with the RHONJ taping on 51st Street? (Teresa Guidice, lookin good!) That's a good Monday :)
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Love is in the air! And it's safe to say I'm very content with so many of our friends and family getting married these days. I know the time will come when 5-6-7 weddings a year will be a thing of the past and Lee & I will long for the reason to get dressed up, enjoy a cocktail hour (or two) and dance the night away. These wedding weekends also take on such a distinct character, really embodying the essence of the couple in their choices made from start to finish. Effortless, relaxed, calm were the bride and groom to be this time around.... with a side of fall foliage and perfect autumn breeziness to accompany their movements as they became husband & wife. Lee and I fell in love with the South Berkshires area and the Hudson River Valley as a whole this past weekend, indulging in little side trips to go along with the wedding events. After a long week at work, it's exhausting sometimes to get in the car, battle the west side highway traffic, and navigate to an area in the pitch dark and pouring rain....but when we woke up on Saturday morning in our tiny rustic room at the Old Inn on the Green, we were so happy for the respite from the hussle bussle....and so excited to share in the joy of two good friends becoming partners for life. Our home for the weekend: The Old Inn on the Green. Quaint is an understatement. Fresh baked scones and muffins, homemade granola, warm apple cider, french pressed coffee, wood burning fireplace in our room, soft and cozy blankets...how great are B&B memories? :) Pre-ceremony hike around Bennedict Pond after yoga with the bride. Mr. & Mrs. Bryan Birsic! The Wexford contingency of friends:) We clean up well. Sunday rolled around just like that. A leisurely drive back to the city allowed us to partake in some traditional American fall things: scenic drive, apple cider donuts (*best welcome bag addtion ever), a pumpkin patch/apple stand (!!!)... Milbrook Winery for stop #2: tasting room shot, almost time to be harvested grapes, a moment of smiles amoung many during our walking tour of the vineyards. The discovery that we were "close" to one of the few micro-distilleries in the NY area led to stop #3: Hudson Valley Distillers. Bourbon tasting on a Sunday after a wedding? Oh why not;)
Game On is the mantra for these October 2011 weekends. We're off to the South Berkshires in just a few hours for the wedding of a favorite couple....the groom I've known since childhood :) I love love and everything about being in and attending a wedding, so while always tiring to travel after a long week....I'm over the moon excited to reconnect with friends and celebrate the new Mr & Mrs in a gorgeous outdoor setting and a FARM reception. Cannot wait. With these fall activities in full swing, this week's favorites are literally an assortment of randoms that blew into my world this week. Hair + food + makeup. The Saturday's Story Standard. The Sock Bun. It is such a find by my best gal Sarah, that honestly...it is getting 2 slots on the favorites. One for her genius first glance rendition, and mine below in work mode. Click on the link to watch. This has revolutionized (dramatic, I know) my morning routine. I'm a ponytail or bun to work gal and this just....is perfection. And SKr's an adorable model for use of the SB in going out mode;) The Sock Bun. Work Mode. Dont mind the wrinkled shirt. I hate that shirt. *sigh* Chia Seeds. The new flaxseed. Bursting with omega-3s and 6s, fiber and all the B vitamins, this new wonder of the organic/natural foods world is all the rage. It's also an amazing appetite surpressent. Sprinkle on salads or yogurt or a put a tablespoon in your tea, like me! The seeds swell up like bubble tea tapioca balls and are a fun additive to your morning hot beverage (in your Steelers mug.) Benefit's They're Real Mascara. I went to work one morning last week without mascara on. When I dont have mascara on, I look like a newborn baby mole, you can barely see my eyes. Cursed (blessed?) with fair skin and short, blonde lashes, I made a beeline to Sephora and snatched this up based on the recco of the saleswoman. LONG black lashes are now mine. Organic Avenue Juices. It's no surprise I fell in love with green juices after my morning love of the power packed green monster smoothies. Having tried the BPC ones in the past, I walked to OA on Sunday post-bachelorette party weekend and really am on board with what they offer. They arent as overy sweet as BPCs and I like that they use glass bottles to be returned for a refund. I have a few new obsessions. One being Organic Avenue's juices and raw green soups and the other being Pinterest: a virtual catalog for you to create and share all the home design, stylizing, and foodie amazingness you come across in your daily life and travels. Basically, the greatest online tool I've found to date.
I've always been the kind of person who skims and rips out "inspiration" from PotteryBarn or InStyle mags, but what really do I do with those tidbits? They end up sitting on the counter for a few days, then maybe put in a drawer but usually thrown out. All the while I think to myself, "well, it caught my eye enough, I'll definitely remember it when the time comes for (insert: dress, bedroom decor, wall color for future kitchen, etc.)" But that's a bold faced lie as our entire apartment is pretty much a generic brown splattering with frames, one powderblue wall, and vices corner (wine, Lee's humidor, extra cigars, the DUCK.) Anyways, not really much to write home about but it serves its purpose and is definitely comfortable enough for this stage of our lives. But oh do I dream of a kitchen that feels like *ours*. A bedroom that's more inviting than practical (but still practical;) An entryway that welcomes you to our *home*. One day...one day. And "One Day..." is the name of my "board" that I "pin" all those future down the road ideas that I will 1000% forget and 35-45yr old Sarah will never remember. Ever. I want to shake the hand of the techy start up company that came up with this gem. They win. And I win too. *i burned my finger pretty badly on a hot pan last night.
*burn #1. *i also decided it was a good idea to try my free deluxe sample of this fruit acid facial peel. *burn #2. *and it pretty much felt like i singed my face off. *i wish i was kidding (we are laughing now.) *for about 3.5min in the apartment last night, i had a mild freakout. *it literally looked like i went into a tanning bed for an hour with those little googly eye covers and baked my face. *ice, a cooling mask and 6 cold compresses later, it was fine. *WHEW. *never again. *in othere news... *a wedding weekend in the south berkshires is what i'm looking forward to come this next weekend. *outdoor nuptials, a wonderful couple, a splash of yoga & hiking.... *count me in. We’ve all had a perfect weekend. Those really rare string of days where everything, e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g, goes and flows just too wonderfully, too succinctly, with more laughter and happiness than imagined....swooping in to beat the already high expectations and anticipations. Where the combination of personalities and timing and surprises all form this crazy & cosmically amazing 48 hours of life perfection. And THAT is just how I would describe my little sister's bachelorette party weekend in NYC :) Before I go into the rundown of events, these are those things that happened insanly too well: *Liz’s flight from Chicago takes off on time and arrives in NYC early. (Chicago > NYC = never on time.) In fact, ALL guests from out of town arrive on time. That’s some travel karma awesomeness. *The weather forecast for the weekend: 75, sunny and breezy all 3 days. Not a cloud in the sky sunny. *SKr arrives at 530pm on Friday to help me with the final food prep. We finish the spread literally as the first girl arrives to my apt. *Speaking of the spread, the amount of food and drink purchased was SPOT ON. This is so hard to predict with 11 girls. I win. *Suprisingly not hungover on Saturday morning = 9am spin class before the bride to be wakes up. Who does this on a crazy busy weekend? Certainly not normal me. But it felt great! *Make quiche from scratch for rooftop brunch post-spin. Finished 5min before girls arrive. Piping hot homemade quiche? Just call me Martha. *Last decision manicures needed between pole dancing class and get-ready-for-night mode. Walk into QQ nails with 7 girls and we dont have appointments….and are able to accommodate. Unbelievable! *Rooftop cocktails at night + group photo shoot on the roof with perfect empire state building backdrop. SKr gets to speak Spanish to our neighbors in the bldg. Happiness. *Limo arrives and we were upgraded for FREE from a normal limo to a a mega one. *Seated downstairs at dinner next to (wait for it)...a photo booth :) :) *Complimentarty extra bottle of surprise champagne sent over by the manager of restaurant and his wife (a friend of mine from PSU). Chills. *Large table at LPQ Meatpacking open & secured for a table of 10 for brunch on Sunday. THIS NEVER HAPPENS. From start to finish this weekend's events went off without a hitch and was carried simply on life long friendship reunioning and lots of girly giggling. Friday night, I hosted a champagne party with all the tapas and small plates I could find @ Trader Joes. Mushroom truffle & tomato pesto pizzettas, parmesean artichoke dip, shrimp cocktail, greek salad, fruit & hummus and a fully loaded cheese plate (naturally) and......... the cupcake tower. Best Williams & Sonoma $26 purchase ever. We gabbed and told funny Liz stories, had a cameo by one of her favorite PSU guy friends, embarassed her with a game called "The Road to Brady" and caught up like any 9 girls do: swapping fashion steals, hair advice, travel tips, etc etc. And some good ol' fashioned poking fun at each other through the timeless art of storytelling. Half a case of brut cuvee later + 3 bottles of wine = kickoff to bachelorette weekend success! On Saturday, (shocked at my very minimal hangover), I made my way to a 9am spin class to sweat it out and ward off any sleepies for the rest of the day. After spin, it was time for rooftop brunch with the girls and what brunch is complete without a quiche! Quiche, Brooklyn bagels, fruit salad and lots and lots of java. October 8th and we were sunning in NYC in the perfect indian summer breeze? Yes, please. Before we got too comfortable up there, it was off to our private pole dancing class! Hahahaha. I know, such a bachelorette staple. Perhaps overdone. But it is TOO great. For an hour, Miss T (the instructor....who gave us all stripper names...I was Chastity and my sister the bride to be....DIAMOND;) showed us some sweet pole moves and we all had a hilarious time trying to look half as natural and smooth as she did. We mastered the sexy strut around the pole. We did not master the double turn and seductive body rolling. Good times had by all. Manicures were the next necessity of the afternoon and (while an unplanned part of the weekend), we miraculously scored 7 manicures at my fav QQ Nails in Chelsea without appointments! Lizzie & I went for a green-grey Essie color...tres chic. After the manis, it was already time to get ready for the big night out! All the girls arrived and we toasted to the bride to be, presented her with a special "Dear Liz" memory book and .... had her open some sweet lingerie gifts. I mean, who doesnt love a lacey nighty?!? (censoring other gifts given;) More kettles and sodas and it was to the roof for a photo with the gorgeously lit Empire State Building in the background. Always a sight to give even the most jaded New Yorker chills and perspective. I love my town :) 830pm on the dot and our limo arrived! Upgraded to an SUV one, we felt really special. Lizzie was donning her sash and veil and feeling the love. Dinner at the Smith was a feast with a perfect pre-fix menu that made everyone feel in foodie heaven (hello beer battered string beans, brown sugar short ribs, and goat cheese pesto ravioli.) The photo booth + Lizzie's toasting with each table + extra bottle of champagne sent from the manager + happy tears. Spectacular. By 1045, we were off to the main event : Rubix Cube at the Canal Room! A must for anyone who ever visits or lives in NYC....Rubix Cube is an 80s cover band to rival all others. I mean, one time I went and Debbie Gibson actually showed up to sing with them. $20 ticket = best ever. And sister got pulled up on stage to dance and twirl and belt out "Pour Some Sugar On Me" with the band. True story. The "younger" gals made their way to after party themselves out at Sandra's apartment and Mama MOH (me) face planted into bed to catch some Zzzzs. What a night. What a weekend. What a celebration with the ladies who love her most for my sis! 3 weeks til the wedding...woohoo! PS: Photo dump from the weekend. Overload. Sorry! Busy day! Work then it's transform-the-apartment-to-bachelorette-party-central :) 5 little internet favorites that caught my eye this week....Friday, welcome, I feel like it's been forever. Found on Georgie Girl...these Manhattan Mini Storage subway signs and billboards are some of the funniest revolving in NYC. I mean, CLEARLY Jesus was not a New Yorker. Multiple rooms and home greater than 900square feet kindof scares me/is daunting to think about. And dont even get me started about my fear of decorating an entire house. #Honesty. ...And this little old gem on Emphasis Added. I love those things too. Sent to me by my girl KCS. Spot. ON. One of the sweetest and heartwarming lines of any novel (and movie.) Aibileen Clark in "The Help." A fellow Pittsburgh native & NA grad and now Mom of two DARLING boys posted this.... and isnt it the truth? :) I have one sister in this world and tomorrow night kicks off her bachelorette extravaganza in NYC (!!!!!!!). I'm so giddy, I cannot even sit still. The planning has been going on for months and the party prep has been all week affair. After a few small errands tomorrow afternoon, I will be ready to welcome the amazing group of ladies from all over the country coming to town to celebrate this girl :) Stay tuned for an epic update on Sunday. If I can function. (Which most likely won't be the case after trying to keep pace with 9 24-yr olds and an SKr.) "Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become." -Steve Jobs I heard about the passsing of Steve Jobs during dinner tonight with my girlfriends, Linds & Milly. It was a break between the girl banter of fall travels and laughing about Lee's signed baseball bat that he won at last Friday's silent auction at the charity event. It broke the conversation quickly, so much so that even the family man sitting at the table behind us chimed in about the news. We sat there, all our iPhone's on the table and shared a quick aside about his dedication to Apple and how his resigning was a mere 6 weeks ago. As if the company sustained him, working through his chemotherapy, it was his life calling. Apple and all the iGadgets we have, are Steve Jobs. A part of his genius in each of our homes, pockets and purses. A mark left on the world that has changed a generation of individuals, and inspired the likes of thousands. A brand that is equated to the goldstandard of the techy world....one that is so strong that we all feel a sense of pride in owning our iPhones, iPads, Macbooks, or iPods. It's quite insane if you think about it. Here's to the crazy ones... As I take the time to let my mind marinate in the quote of Jobs' above, my mind immediately goes to family. And to having our own one day. And to becoming a part of my mom's company. To nurturing friendships with the ones I hold near and dear. That is what my heart beats of these days. That is what my gut and intuition echo in my mind. To Steve Jobs...for rocking this world like noneother. RIP. This week I have really hit my stride in terms of the craziness that seems to be our entire fall calender. I'm getting up earlier each morning and remembering to jot little daily goals down whether it be to run that extra errand so I dont have to last minute on Friday (WOOHOO sister's bachelorette party this weekend!) or simply just a midday "call Dad to chat" :) I have more energy based on planning out my workouts for the week in advance, and pushing through the day I most hate (Tuesdays) with a kill-yourself tabata + spin workout session. My good friend Katie and I have deemed this the best/worst idea ever. Best = accountable for each other, plan it, gotta do it. Worst = 1hr 30 min of Equinox intensity. But I digress, it has felt great to accomplish so much and feel like I have the energy to do so.
Finding my stride...and it feels really good. Now, off to bikram with Mil + dinner after with the girls at one of my FAV farm-to-table restaurants in Flatiron: Greensquare Tavern. Cheers and Happy Hump Day! |
AuthorSarah: one part of a family of THREE with my husband Lee and sweet girl Morgan, simply wanting to chronicle the path I'm on and the path that will come to be. For now it's NYC urban mamaville where everyday is a new adventure! (Actually, just getting to the post office is an adventure.) Ask Me Anything!Blogettes I LoveJoey & The Owl
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