Sunday Brunch

Like everyone else, I'm thinking a lot about New York today. It is such a special magical place. I got to thinking what I would be doing right now if I was still living there. More than likely I would be eating brunch. Carmen and I loved to go to different neighborhoods and try new brunch places every weekend but we also had our go-to favorites that included L'Express, Cafeteria, Ritz Diner, Sarabeth's and Max Brenner's. 

Sunday Brunch was something I looked forward to all week. Each of our favorites were in a different neighborhood so of course they each had a completely different atmosphere. L'Express was the first favorite we found. It was close to our first apartment near Gramercy Park and was always packed with people. And, they had excellent french toast and bagels. Mmm. We also found Cafeteria in Chelsea pretty early on. We went there when we craved a Sunday cocktail with our brunch. They had the best wildberry mojitos! 

Ritz Diner was one of the 20 or so diners we tried during our year and a half long stay in New York. I loved going to old New York diners for some reason. But, Ritz was very close to our Upper East Side apartment, so it became our go-to place for french toast and grilled cheeses after we moved.

Sarabeth's and Max Brenner's were the places we went when we were entertaining guests. Sarabeth's was right off of Central Park and had amazing eggs benedict and french toast. Can you tell we had a thing for french toast? And, there is no place like Max Brenner's in Union Square. You feel like you've entered Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory when you go in there and of course the food is delicious. These places were a little more "impressive" to visitors than our regular spots, but I love them all equally.

For some reason, Sunday brunch in New York is so much better than it is anywhere else. Partly because you have infinite options that are all amazing. But, also because you can feel everyone sort of slow down, relax and appreciate the fact that they live in the greatest city on earth. I think it's time to start planning another trip...

Fall Shopping!

I lost a little control yesterday. There were 3 things at work that I wanted to buy, so I was going to narrow it down to 2 and I ended up buying 4 things... Oops. I really don't care though.. I'll have to go hungry for the rest of the month, but I just couldn't live with out these outfits. I can't decide which shoes I like better with the blouse and shorts outfit. The black boots edge it up, but the grey ones are cute and break up the black. Thoughts? And, I know that a hat is totally impractical, but the hat made every outfit cuter, so it was a must-have.

The way I'm able to justify this splurge is that I have a visual meeting in a few weeks for work in Austin. I've never been to Austin, so I am so excited. And, the meeting will last 2 days, so I had no choice but to buy 2 great outfits. So, which shoes?

OB-Sessions: Bow Blouses

I was so excited that The Rachel Zoe Project started back this week. And, of course the fashion queen is on top of one of my favorite trends: bow blouses. They're so cute to wear under other tops and jackets or just on their own. We have one at the store that is so cute and it's my favorite item to outfit forms with. It makes every outfit look more stylish. I think I need to buy it. I've been strong for so long... Haven't shopped in over 7 weeks and am starting to have some serious withdrawals. It's about time to get my fix! 

Dancing in the Rain

Last night, Ed and I saw each other for the first time in almost 2 weeks! After being long distance for such a long time I didn't expect to miss him as much as I did. I was so excited to see him and spend the night in. We cooked dinner and watched a movie. In the movie, the lead character was asked an interesting question: "Would you rather ride on a train, dance in the rain or feel no pain?" My answer was easy: dance in the rain. Ed gave the answer that I'm sure most guys would choose: feel no pain. Although I'm not a fan of pain, I don't think I would want to do away with it all together. Some pain is good. It's what tells us that something is wrong.

Anyway, dancing in the rain is one of my favorite past times. And, out of curiosity I googled what my answer said about my personality and it said: "You are a daydreaming kind of person. Your head is often in the clouds. You don't like to conform to society's standards and are always dreaming of things to make this world better."

I would say that's about right :)

Words of Wisdom

"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light." - Helen Keller

Finally Fall

I know it's not officially Fall, yet, but in my book Labor Day weekend + college football opening day = the beginning of Fall. Along with my girl time, Fall in Mississippi is one of the biggest things I miss about home. There is a crisp in the air that comes to Mississippi towards the end of September that is unlike anywhere else. And, I can't explain the feeling The Grove gives me on an Ole Miss football game day, but it is magical. Even when we do suck...

I'm so excited to be going home in November for the Olemiss/LSU game + Thanksgiving dinner with the fam + another 22nd birthday celebration! I'll have to soak up that magical feeling as much as I can in just a long weekend. I think I'll appreciate the Arizona weather a lot more come January and February when it is bitter cold back home and perfectly pleasant here. Or, atleast when it goes below 90 degrees at night. That would be nice.

So in honor of my favorite season, I have a new blog header dedicated to one of my favorite activities: shopping! The spending freeze should be ending soon and at the perfect time. Happy Fall!

Vacation Recap

Lori's Jersey Shore Birthday Party

Lucy, Hulia and Latifa

The classiest family photo we've ever taken. I'm still laughing at how freakishly tan Ben looks.

Birthday Girl!

The view from our room in Destin

 Strolling the beach

Enjoying the crystal-clear water with Muna 

 Heaven

 Hell

The sweetest pic ever taken

Ok, I know I have been a lazy blogger lately, but I have had a really good excuse. Last Friday, I went home for Lori's week-long 30th birthday celebration. We kicked it off with a bang Saturday night with her Jersey Shore birthday party complete with disco balls, a Jersey-licious cake, fake tans, Snooki bumps and lots and lots of leopard print!

The next morning we rolled out of bed bright and early to head for Destin. Although we were quite dysfunctional, we managed to get there in time to enjoy some beach time and go to one of our favorite beach side restaurants. We pretty much spent the whole trip lounging on the beach, reading gossip magazines, lounging in the hotel, eating yummy seafood, laughing and planning what we would do if the 3 lottery tickets I purchased had the winning numbers. I won't get into that, but it was quite entertaining. Unfortunately, I didn't win :(

It was the perfect trip until I tried to get back to AZ. First, the zipper had broken on my bag, so I neatly taped it shut. But, of course TSA decided to search it and the end result is what you see above in the second to last picture. Then, my flight to Miami was diverted to Ft. Myers to refuel which made me miss my connection which led to me also having to stop in Dallas. Not to mention, I had a window seat on my original flight and of course was stuck in the middle on the one they squeezed me on. After it was all said and done, I spent over 12 hours traveling to 5 different airports yesterday with a taped up ghetto suitcase.

But, the absolute worst part about it all was that I didn't make it home in time to pick up Scarlet. Ed and his family were keeping her, but they left for their beach vacation yesterday and we had it timed perfectly for me to get her. But, due to my delays, she had to stay the night at the Petsmart hotel. To make Scarlet more at ease, they put Ed's Golden Retriever, Lilly, in the small dog room with her so she wouldn't be alone, and the last picture is how I found them when I went to pick her up today. What you can't see in the picture is that there were like 15 other dogs in there barking and going crazy, but Lilly and Scarlet were in their own little world being sweet girls and cuddling :) Lilly was such a good babysitter!

After such a fun trip, a loooong day of traveling, and then an early morning work day today, I am now home on my comfy couch and am preparing for a night of cuddling with Scarlet and catching up on my DVR. Life is good.