a little love boat

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TGIF. I had a hectic week at work & I am so thankful for the next couple days off! How cute is this little boat? Wouldn't it be romantic for date night {hint to the future mister}. What are your plans for the weekend? I'm going to a matinée show tomorrow to see Wicked. Has anyone seen it? My friend scored some awesome tickets & I've never been so I absolutely took her up on the offer! Have a good one & enjoy these fun links from around the web . . .

 

A song for your weekend

Crispy coconut kale with salmon

Pretty stationary & art for the home

6 hydration myths

10 reasons why you should blog

I want these.

I need these.

 

Take me back to the islands.

How gorgeous is this cake?! 

A blog for you to skim through this weekend - and everyday after that : )

More inspiration here!

Happy Weekend!

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So much goodness is going on right now.

I feel like I have finally settled into living in Manhattan {almost a year in the making}. This week I realized how thankful I am for a job I continue to love, one that is developing me personally & the growth of my future career. I've made some great friendships {which is hard to come by not only later in life - aka after college, but especially in this city}. They bring a lot of laughter, dinner parties, & weekend shenanigans.

Okay, enough on my emotional spiel. But life is two thumbs up right now.

Monday started off with stormy weather & a to-do list that had two columns worth of bullet points. Stress levels were out of the roof & the week seemed daunting. Luckily, as the week progressed and one yellow highlighter out of ink, almost all the points are marked off! Hooray!!!

Besides, two great things happened this week.

#1 Monday I got to see an old friend from Alabama. I hadn't seen Corbin in two, maybe three years {yikes!!!}. It was such a delight and good for the soul to see a familiar face.

#2 Broadway Bites is happening right outside my office. Thank goodness my friends & coworkers are foodies too. I'm almost embarrassed about how much amazingness I ate for lunch. I'm talking basil rice balls, pulled pork sandwiches, & cannoli's.

Oh the cannoli's!

If you're in town, check it out. Broadway Bites is here until August 1st!

Any weekend plans? I'm meeting up with old friends and finishing the book I started a month ago. Better late than never, right? Have a great weekend & enjoy these fun links . . .

 

A 90s throwback for your weekend 

I loved Jillian on The Bachelorette. Here's her adorable clothing line that just launched!

These facts are fascinating

Although I don't consider myself an introvert, these are some great tips on networking

The sober dating experiment

A food-lover's dream blog

Fettuccine with mushrooms, walnuts, & parmesan

Weekend outfit inspiration

I've said it before, I love her writing & this is just another example

Why & how to drink rosé this season

beach day

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There is nothing better than grabbing some friends & heading to the beach. A day in the waves, reading a romance novel,  attempting to get a summer glow, but frying like a lobster instead, & passing the crackers & cheese sounds perfect right about now. Too bad I'll be stuck in a cubicle until the next mini vaca rolls around. Guess I'll have to live through my brother this weekend {he's off to the Amalfi Coast - can we all agree he's living the life?!}
Here's what I would pack for a day in the sun . . .
{click the item to shop}

a holiday weekend well spent

Relaxation, delicious food, & impeccable company.
I'd say I accomplished all three of those things this weekend.

Friday

 It's funny how serious New Yorkers take their bagels. There are shops all over the city, but Brooklyn Bagels take them to the next level. A non-toasted coconut bagel with blueberry cream cheese {lesson by Hollis: it's a sin to toast a fresh bagel, so never do it}. This took my coconut obsession to extreme & I'll be having dreams about this breakfast for the next week.

Three grocery stores & a Target run later, we were prepared for a fun BBQ & viewing of the fireworks along the East River for the 4th of July. I think we had enough food to feed an army just for 5 girls.

Appetizers
fruit skewers with yogurt dip
deviled eggs
artichokes with a lemon butter sage dip

Dinner
pulled pork sliders - I'd like to pat mine & Hollis' back for this one. They were delicious!
macaroni & cheese
corn casserole
salad - you gotta have some greens somewhere right?

Dessert
fresh blueberry cobbler

Lauren & Annie

Macy's fireworks off the Brooklyn Bridge

Saturday

A little fresh air in Central Park with the prettiest Ladurée macaroons. I love how Central Park has become a Saturday ritual. It doesn't hurt that I live only a few blocks away. My next trip there deserves a visit to the zoo.

That evening some friends & I took the Staten Island Ferry to dinner. If your visiting the city you should definitely take advantage of a beautiful view of Manhattan & the Statue of Liberty by boat free of charge.

Staten Island in the distance.

Brooklyn Bridge

The Freedom Tower is ginormous.

See what I mean, who wouldn't love this?!

Thanks to Hollis' parents for recommending Beso. It's a quaint, little Spanish restaurant nestled on Schuyler Street only a short walk across from the terminal. We did family style of seafood tapas & watermelon sangria. It tasted like summer!

 

Sunday

Y'all know my love for brunch & many thanks to a co-worker who recommended this spot in the Upper West Side. If you're looking for southern comfort food at its finest, Jacob's Pickles does not mess around. Even though most people left the city for the weekend, we still had an hour wait. It was well worth it too & I left in a food coma. Everything looked so tasty on the menu; it was just too hard to decide what to order! 

Annie & Hollis

I was a little too anxious to start eating, but Jacob's Pickles knows what's up.

Lauren & I

Well that's all folks. Time to hit the gym after this food-filled weekend!

summer's in full bloom

 

Hi there July, where did you come from? This year has absolutely flown by & it needs to sloooow down! I can't seem to grasp anything, but lately life has been real good to me. Summer is meant for exploration, crisp drinks, & outdoors. I've managed to do all of these & plan to continue them until Labor Day rolls around. Summer's in full bloom & I've been getting inspiration from all sorts of sources . . .

 

only Olivia P. could make a sweater & shorts look chic in place of a wedding gown // fresh basil is meant for pesto // live fearlessly // stripes & blue, my summer go-to // I'd like to go on a road trip . . . in this car // a pot of coffee & a morning paper seem ideal // ombréd curls // scrumptious strawberry cake for a 4th of july dessert