Weekend Recap - More Sun and Fun

Good Monday, guys!!  Hope you all had a great weekend. 

We enjoyed another weekend, enjoying the warm sunny weather.  I went for a long run on Saturday and the hubs went for a long bike ride, that involved a pretty bad tumble and a loss of his iphone.  But the good news is that he's fine and we had a lot of fun learning to play with his new phone. It's an LG G2, a very sleek looking thing it is!  

On Sunday, we went to see the bike race I mentioned last Friday and I'm so glad we did.  We fretted about the possibility of crazy traffic and lack of parking, but all went well and we were there in no time.  Made me think how many things I persuaded myself not to do, over things like traffic and lack of parking, i.e. stupid excuses. 

We found a little gazebo where we did a kiss selfie. Gazebos always remind you of weddings, no?! (Randy's eyes are open - eech!!) 

 There were a lot of puppies out there too.  But this 9 year old cutie named, Peanut, was the one that stole my heart.  

And here's my youngest, Speedz, photobombing as I was getting ready for the day.  You know, I kinda don't mind.  He's the cutest photobomber ever. (Btw, I DIY'd my denim shorts, which means, taking a pair of scissors, and putting the shorts in the washer for a good spin).  

Here's to another week of hustling & bustling until the weekend~~

Hello Spring

Hello~~~  I'm back!  

I know it's been awhile.  It feels good to be writing agin.  It's like running - I just gotta do it.  

This whole  year, 2014, has been really up and down for me so far. A lot's been going on at work and at home as well.  But I'm not going to lie, there are days when I just have not been so creative, motivated, or productive enough to get to this place.  

With Spring here and the weather having been AMAZING the last couple of days, I feel energized and really rejuvenated (especially having just recovered from two bouts of stomach problems).  

Last week, in between two medical appointments, I had about 40 minutes to kill and the mall was right around the corner.  Of course, I found myself there in no time.  And I'm glad I was there - I got myself a plant, which NEVER happens. But I did it because apparently, this little guy below, is easy to take care of: submerge him in water for an hour once a week, let it dry upside down, then we are good to go! 

 he gorgeous?  Cross my fingers he'll thrive at my home!

I also got me a terrarium.  Although I'm not sure if I'll get anything to put in it, I thought it just looks good as a decorative object, no?

Guys, I'm so glad Spring is here.  This winter did a number on me a bit, emotionally and physically.  Happy springy week to you~

p.s. Happy passover to those who celebrate!  Hubs and I are off to a passover dinner at one of our dear friends' home.  Finally, I'm living up to my namesake.  (Haha!)  Seriously, I'm happy to be part of this tradition my husband and his family have been celebrating all throughout their lives. 

Winter Vacation 2013

Hi guys!  I'm back!!  

I'm sorry I have neglected this little place.  Like workouts, once I missed a string of days, I had a hard time getting back into it. #feelinglame 

Last week, I was in Aspen, Colorado, our go-to vacation place.  For those of you who have been reading my blog for some time, you know that this is where my husband, Randy grew up.  It's now become a place I'd love to call home, hopefully sometime in the future while I'm still young and mobile! I just cannot get enough of the fresh air, beautiful mountains and its trails, and all the small towns and their quaintness.  

Here are some of the photos I took en route and during the trip. I already miss the place so much...

I can't believe December is almost over! I always get somewhat melancholy once all the winter holidays are done and over with. How about you?   

Luckily, we have one more day of fun before we say goodbye to 2013.  We are off to see Billy Joel perform at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, on New Year's Eve (except I lost the tickets so, we'll see if this happens!!!).  I can't wait.  It'll be a blast. If you are staying home, I also envy you too.  I do fear the traffic and rowdy party peeps on NYE...   

Happy last Monday of 2013~~

Glam Shots

Good Monday~~  Count down to Thanksgiving Day is officially on for me!!  I'm so excited - it's going to be so hard to keep myself focused.  I have so much to do at work, unfortunately.  So, I can already imagine my stress level being slightly elevated.  I'm going to to listen to holiday music and treat myself to some Starbucks to keep my sanity.  

Yesterday, we had our wedding photographer, Hana Cho at our home to take some fun photographs of us as a family.  I never thought I'd be "one of those" dog people, but I am now. I really wanted to take some great photos as a family. Here's a little sneak peak - It's Toby.  

I took a photo of him with my iphone camera.  Isn't he adorable?  I cannot wait to see the rest of our glam shots. Thank you so much, Hana!! (I'll be showcasing more of her work to come because she is seriously amazing!!!) 

Hope you have a wonderful start to the week~~

Splurge of the Month - No Instant Gratification

Good Tuesday, guys!  I somehow survived Monday.  That's a huge accomplishment.  Yup, that's how I feel these days!

This past weekend, I was finally delivered a piece of furniture I've been eyeing forever.  West Elm's Dumont Buffet in white.  It finally went on sale and with their offer of 12 month interest free West Elm card, I went for it.  Prior to this purchase, I had to sell my piano to make room, so the little cash from that sale also helped with the purchase as well.  I'll miss the piano (once purchased via Craigslist) but I really desperately wanted this buffet for some time.  And as I expected, this buffet provides just enough space for my glasswares, napkins, vases, etc.  I share with you two photos I've posted on my instagram.

Please do excuse the white stuff on the floor that came with the delivery box.  Btw, I didn't assemble this piece together.  I had the delivery folks also assemble for an extra cost of $35.  Totally.worth.the.35.bucks. 

So, there it is. My splurge of the month.  One by one, I am replacing and adding new pieces to my home. It's a process that's frustrating yet so rewarding.  There's something to be said about waiting for something, vs. instant gratification (although most times, I prefer the latter).  

Hope you have a great week~~

Celebration Into Fall

Good Monday!  (Is there such a thing?! Alright, out with the negative 'tude!).  I'm in a rush mode to work again.  But a quick  show n' tell of my belated birthday weekend. 

Yes, it was a good one.  My last one before I hit the big Four-O. 
Yikes!!!!

Have a great week~~

Tanglewood Recap

Happy Monday!  

How was your weekend? It came and went for us.  To our dismay, our drive to/from Tanglewood took FOREVAH due to traffic both ways.  That said, we had an amazing time.  


Upon our arrival after 5 1/2 hour drive...

The "shed" where we enjoyed an amazing performance by the Boston Symphony accompanying Lang Lang (all the photos I took of him were total blurs :( )

The next day, Sunday, we enjoyed mucho wine brought from home and some prepped but delicious caesar salad and onion rings from the cafe on site, on the lawn of Tanglewood.  

This is us post lunch. A little power nap before we saw the one and only Yo Yo Ma perform.   

Hopefully, despite the drive, I'll be back again next year~

Have a great week!! 

TGIF - Whatcha Up To?

Today could not have come sooner!  This week was l--o--n--g--- for me.  And hello, August!  It came out of like no where!! I miss saying "July" ...  

This weekend, we are off to Tanglewood music festival to see Yo Yo Ma and Lang Lang perform. I went to the festival last year to see Diana Krall, and dished about it here and here.  This time, my husband will come with me.  It'll be a little mini road trip/vacay for us.  

I hope you have something fun planned this weekend.  If not, one can always just chill the heck out doing nothing!!

Oh - I didn't forget.  Here are the links to the above goodies~

• Fruity Sangria via Pinterest (of course)
• Pretty shades via Linda Farrow Shop
• DIY lighting via Camille Styles (who always looks impeccably pretty)
• Peter Pan Collar Tee via J.Crew Factory

And while you are at it, check this reporting on Minnesota's First Day of Marriage Equality. Melted my heart...

Birthday Monday

Happy Birthday to my hubs, Randy!! He turns 44 today. Old man :)  We celebrated by going to R2L, a restaurant he's been wanting to go to for some time. The food was A-mazing.  We were also seated by the windows which provides a panoramic view of the city.  It helps to RSVP months in advance, right?! I forgot to ask him what he wished for as he blew out the lone candle on our dessert plate.  I'll have to ask tonight. My wish would be that Randy would continue to stay as loving, adventurous, and young-hearted!!  

Here's the Why

Earlier this week, I mentioned how I've been thinking about this blog and where it's going. When I hit my 1st year mark in April, I didn't make any fuss about it.  I had no give aways, no fancy pictures, etc.  I did give this blog a make-over, which was sorta like a gift to myself for lasting this long. 

As a reader, you must wonder why I blog. It feels overwhelming to explain. But I'll try. I can't promise you that it won't sound cliche.

I started this blog because I was feeling really trapped in my day-in and day-out life that consisted mainly of my work.  I started to feel like I was losing myself and I was nothing but someone with a desk job. As a way to unwind from work, I started spending a lot of time just web surfing and that's how I began to see that there was a whole community out there, made up of people like me, wanting to feel and reach for something else other than just getting their job done at their work for a paycheck.  So I decided I would join that community by starting my own blog.  

When I first hit the "publish" button, I felt extremely nervous and ridiculous.  I had no real focus on what my blog would be about. All I knew was that I wanted it to be a place where I could talk about whatever.  And the last thing I wanted for myself was to stress out about something I started for "fun".  

As I started to write more, I became like many other bloggers. I kinda got serious about my writing and what this little "fun" project means to me. I became more reflective about ME and what I value in my life on a daily basis. 

No, this blog will never be a philosophical, deep thinking, serious kinda place either.  After all, I write to escape from the stress derived from the "real" world.  Honestly, I can't quite put a finger on what this blog will be.  Perhaps, that's because I can't quite put a finger on who I am. I seem to change in my ways, views, and thoughts as time passes.  If anything, my hope is to capture all that I appreciate, enjoy, taste, see, experience, and live through.  Because it's too often that I go a day without appreciating what's before my eyes.  

So, this happened last Friday... and yeah, TGIF!

So this happened last Friday!

I met with another blogger!  I met up with Laicie from 1000 Threads.  Laicie also writes for The Every Girl.  In person, she was prettier, warmer, funnier and more exuberant than she is on her blog. (Is that possible?  Yes!).  We gabbed and gabbed for over 2 hours while downing our drinks, sangria for Laicie and some ridiculously fruity cocktail for me. We also shared some crazy yummy tacos as well.  We had a blast talking about our lives, what we want for our blogs, what we DON'T want for our blogs, and so forth. We talked about meeting up again in the future and I hope that happens sooner than later!!

Oh - almost forgot.  TGIF~~  Hope you guys have a wonderful weekend!!  Keeping this post short as I have another one coming for ya tomorrow :) 

p.s. I look so awkwardly frigid in this picture. What's WRONG with me??!! 

One Hot Saturday

Last Saturday was a blast.  I started the day off with a visit to the Rodin Museum in Philly. My friend Nancy was in town and she, as always, came up with this brilliant idea.  I can't believe I managed to ignore visiting this place until now.  Oh so lame...

After our little venture into the art world, we walked around the city window shopping until we got hungry.  We hit Tria Cafe first, a wine and cheese bar that offers some really good appetizers (like the ricotta cheese with pistachio and lavender honey'd bruschetta) and fresh salads. 

Later on, after some more walking around, we found ourselves at Oyster House, and enjoyed some more drinks and a traditional lobster roll and fries. 

Although it was crazy hot, we really did enjoy ourselves getting some sun and talking about nothing and everything.  :) 

Monday Look Back and Forward

Oh, hey, Monday.  You just crept up on me.  Ugh.  

Hope you guys had a great weekend.  Mine came and went with lots of play on Saturday (visited my folks for Father's Day) and lots of work on Sunday.  If all goes well with Speedz, we will be off to our vacation this Friday.  If not, we will stay home. All of this uncertainty is making me a little anxious and crazy.  But I do thank the stars that Speedz is looking much better than he has in days.    

Here's a little recap of the weekend.

  

It's going to be another busy week.  HOpefully, that'll make the week go faster, right?!  

Happy Monday and have a great rest of the week~~

Polo Anyone?

Good Monday, friends~ 
I hope you had a wonderful weekend. 
Saturday, I started the day with a nice long run, before or around 7:00 a.m. to avoid the unforgiving sun.  
Later in the day, I treated myself to a set of fresh flowers ($8 at Wholefoods - not bad!)  

Sunday turned out to be an awesome day.  We were invited to a charity polo match organized by Chester County Hospital.  It was a last minute invitation from a good friend of ours and we had no reason not to go.  We had so much fun being out in the sun, talking to strangers, drinking our BYO wine, and watching the game, although I had/have no idea how the game works.  There was also a good amount of people watching, on my end, as there were ladies who had on some awesome fancy hats!  (what is it about horses and fancy hats?)

I was also happy to make some new memories.  I mean, it's not like every other weekend we attend a polo match!  Btw, I went to extremes with my floral outfit.  At the time I put on the outfit, I thought I was Olsen twins boho-chic, but looking back, I look like a crazy flower bag lady!!  Whatever.  It was a great day and I'm glad to be documenting some of those moments here and sharing them with you.  

How much do you love a set of fresh flowers?!

 Hubs looking dapper in his madras shorts! 

 The view... these tents provided us with just enough shade. 

So cool to see these players up so close.

Yay! Finally a picture of us together. 

This needs to happen more often!

And me in my flower bag lady outfit!

Life via Insta

Hope you had a wonderful weekend.  It was scorching hot here in the suburbs of Philly.  I went for a long run on Saturday morning and was reminded of how unforgiving the sun can be even if it's only 7:30 a.m. The run did give me a burst of energy and Saturday became a GSD (get sh*t done) kinda day where I got rid of more stuff and cleaned the house.  IT FELT SO GOOD.  Here are my instas from the weekend. 

Btw, I LOVE cherries and am so happy to see them in the market. See my two past posts on cherries here and here.  

Hope you have a great, sunny, and energetic week ahead~

TGIF - Whatcha Up To?

TGIF~~  note to myself: short weeks never feel short!!  Those 3 day weekends always spoil me.  Anyways, Friday's finally here and I'm full of happy thoughts! Like eating lots of fruity popsicles.

how to make this from here

Doesn't this look so good? and healthy?  I love the little notes on the sticks.  

With the weather warmer, I'm definitely favoring salads over warm comfort foods.  I've always loved a good nicoise salad like this one. 

how to make this from here

This salad has my favorite proteins (eggs and tuna) with potatoes for just the right amount of carbs.  I would personally add artichokes to this, but I know that grosses some people out (sorry!).  Oh btw, the first time I figured out that this salad isn't NI-KOISE salad,  and instead, it's pronounced "NEE-SOOAH", I felt instantly fancy despite the very simple ingredients of this salad.

I noticed among bloggers that Madeline Weinrib is the latest go-to for beautiful rugs. Upon visiting her website, this is what I found and LOVE (just not the price tag).  

buy it here

Who knew she had non-rug goodies? Btw, don't we just love all these tribal prints?  Can't seem to get enough of them!  Speaking of what the bloggers are loving, I saw this on Vmac & Cheese and had a good lol moment. 

There's more to this "sh%t bloggers wear" series.  Check out the artist's tumbler site here.  Note:  I'm a blogger and I don't wear this kind of sh%t.  Don't get me wrong, I'd love to!

In between doing my usual weekend stuff (running, cleaning up the house, etc. etc. yawn!), I'm going to be listening to Ellie Goulding's 'Anything Could Happen'.  I wish I had a convertible to drive in while listening to this song, you know, with my hair blowing in the wind and all.  Ha! 

Also, Ellie Goulding covered one of my all time favorite Elton John's song, "Your Song".  It's very pretty the way she sings it.  Check it out here.

I hope you all have a wonderful and summery weekend!