hey, manhattan

 

^^bye, boston!  I'll miss that little dude^^

Well, after a long summer, I'm finally in Manhattan.  I'm in love with my apartment and am already falling in love with this city (even the roar of the 1 train that races past my windows at all hours).  I'm headed home (to arizona) for a week or so before my new chapter begins...

 ^^mid-move.  I posted up in the living room for a few days^^

ps- a huge shoutout to charlie, who embodies everything a big brother should be. I was sure happy to have him along for the adventure of moving into this city. I sure got lucky with my brothers.

^^post brooklyn ikea "i'm starving i'll eat anything right now" hot dogs in the back of the uhaul.  the best.^^

HOT, STICKY, SWEET SUMMERTIME

it's been a humid new england summer for me.  filled with long days, fast nights, an overflow of emotions, lots of veggies and evening runs to the most peaceful waterfall.  i've watched a few movies (and docs) and have been working on a long, long book (that i love).  overall, it's been good (but hard, as those who are close to me know) and i'm so looking forward to moving into my beautiful, red brick manhattan apartment next month (that i got to visit last weekend!)  happy friday, friends.

AN UNEXPECTED EAST COAST ADVENTURE

 

last weekend brought the most frustrating travel disaster i've experienced.  i won't go into details because who likes listening to travel sob stories? (except those closest to me, who comforted me as i cried in the philly airport and then a cab and then the train station followed by a bus ... thanks ;) it tested my patience to the extreme (i'd say i did okay minus a few breakdowns over thirteen hours in).  although i didn't get to see k, it turned into an unexpected, whirlwind of an adventure.  it ended up being filled with old friends, a fabulous afternoon at the most amazing bookstore, lots of wine, and rooftop views.  oh, and a visit to my new neighborhood.  NYC, i love you already.

 ^^ a fitting wine for the weekend ^^

 ^^ this beautiful lady saved my weekend, twice ^^

THE WEEKENDER

{a haphazard shot driving through Dayton last year}

We have another relaxing weekend planned.  Other than the awesome (surprise!) date I have planned for us tonight, we're just spending time with friends and enjoying the air conditioning (maybe we'll venture out for a bike ride on Saturday).  Have a great weekend!  Here are some fun links from around the web...

Manhattan inside of the Grand Canyon.

I love Channing Tatum.  Check out his early modeling days and this (more recent) hilarious video.

Netflix has put some awesome shows out lately.  Have you seen Orange is the New Black?  Kurt and I binge watched it last weekend and loved it.

A photo for every subway station in Manhattan.

I was just introduced to this vegan food blog (thanks, Hannah!) and I can't wait to try some recipes!

New York is a pretty unique place and this blog highlights the best of it's inhabitants. 

I would love to stay in this hotel suite (and I wouldn't mind being in Capri either).

I've been loving the gallery wall look lately.

DOCS

I've been lacking inspiration lately.  The sticky, humid air has been making me sleepy and making my runs harder.  In an attempt to get out of my rut I bought some new books and started, per a recommendation of the best books of June by elephantine, A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry.  It seems like an amazing read and I'm excited to spend a portion of everyday sitting down with it and a cup of tea.  I haven't had this much time to play with in a while and I want to make it count so I also decided to start watching documentaries again.  This is something I usually take up over my prolonged winter breaks and I can't believe I didn't start sooner in the summer.  Some of my favorites include Forks over Knives, The Business of Being Born, The Science of Sex Appeal, and A Walk to Beautiful.  I can't wait to start watching more amazing films!

{Photo is in the documentary A Walk to Beautiful from NYT}

THE WEEKENDER

{my beautiful backyard in just a few short weeks}

The past few weekends have been full of traveling and parties with family and friends so we're excited to have a restful weekend at home with very few plans.  We went to the comedy club again last night with an old friend and are planning on biking along the river and grabbing some food at the Silver Fern Cafe (finally!).  Have a wonderful weekend!  Here are some fun links from this week....

We're making this salad for dinner tonight!

I can't wait to see this Disney movie around Christmas time!

Which caffeinated owl are you in the mornings?

As soon as I'm ready (we're talking years here) I'm going to get an English Bulldog.  I can't even handle their cute wrinkles.  But how adorable are these pictures of their brothers the French Bulldogs?

Isn't this beautiful home dreamy?

I used some of these great tips for my yoga routine this morning.

I LOVE kale chips and I can't wait to try this recipe this weekend for a new twist on my favorite snack.

BREAKFAST CHRONICLES

I haven't done a breakfast chronicles post in a while so I thought I'd let you all know what my mornings have been like lately.  I'm enjoying summertime and have been taking my Cheerios and coffee out onto the porch or snuggling back up in bed to read my favorite blogs or my current read (or, lets be honest, watch Private Practice) while I indulge.  I'm not a big fan of cereal but lately I've been craving the Cheerios/coffee combo in the mornings.  I don't mind it's simplicity and it's surprisingly satisfying!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

It's drizzling here in Ohio so we enjoyed a rainy Fourth of July brunch, filled the fridge with Michelob Ultra, and rented enough movies from redbox to last the entire day.  We have some grilling, pie, champagne, and sparklers planned for later tonight.  Happy birthday, America!

RECENTLY CAPTURED MOMENTS

DATE NIGHT

Last week Kurt planned so many surprise dates I can barely remember them all!  One of my favorites was making the drive to Columbus for a Chicago Fire vs. Columbus Crew soccer game.  Soccer was a huge part of my life from childhood until the end of high school and it was so fun going to a professional game with Kurt.  We ate awful stadium food (we're talking some major exceptions), cheered on the Fire as they beat the Crew, and ended the night watching fireworks light up the sky.  It was pretty much a dream date night.

THE WEEKENDER

This weekend Kurt and I are headed to our hometowns for family parties.  I'm excited to spend time with both of our families and visit pieces of our pasts.  I hope you have a great weekend!  Here are some of my favorite links from around the web this week....

I've always liked doing work at coffee shops.

....and it turns out that coffee is good for us too!

How great are these his + her mugs?

Hopefully I'll have time to make one of these beautiful crowns for the fourth of July weekend.

How cool would this bedroom be?

In just a few weeks I'm going to be surrounded by cacti.  I might try making this cute mini cacti garden for the new yard...

I would love to take a road trip and visit some of these beautiful national parks (and make a stop at the Redwoods).

I love these ideas for a little spring cleaning for your body.

BRUNCHIN'

As we all know, my favorite meal of the day is brunch.  Before I left my beloved city of Milwaukee, I had brunch with a friend at one of my favorite spots in the city, Cafe Hollander.  The bloodys were amazing (Grahams had bacon! and mine was infused with avocado. yum.) and the atmosphere was relaxing but upbeat and fresh. We sat outside by the fountain and it was beautiful.  I'm hoping to make it back to Milwaukee for one more brunch before I head out west.  I'm thinking Balzac or Blue's Egg?  Hopefully the southwest loves brunch as much as Milwaukee....

SUNDAY FUNDAY

Every second of this last weekend was perfect but if I had to choose, my favorite day was Sunday.  We spent the whole afternoon biking along the river and through the city.  I discovered areas of Dayton that I didn't even realize existed!  We attempted to get lunch at the Silver Fern Cafe at Riverscape Metro along the river but they aren't open Sundays (along with every other lunch place in Dayton, it seems).  So instead, we enjoyed the fountains at the park, ran into a festival downtown and finally made our way back home to indulge in Chinese take-out (our favorite).  And if it wasn't a perfect day already, Kurt surprised me with tickets to a comedy show at Funny Bone.  We were laughing all night, it was the best.

 Thanks for a perfect weekend, Kurt!

BEERBEERBEE

{I loved the Apple Peach Hard Cider from Ciderboys}

This weekend was perfect!  Friday night we celebrated my mom's last day of work with our favorite fish fry and some Veuve Clicquot. On Saturday we made our annual visit to the Breast Cancer Showhouse.  It was beautiful and fun, as usual!  After the showhouse we visited the newest restaurant in my town, The Bay.  I give it rave reviews, the salmon salad was delicious.  Then we headed home to get ready for Beer Fest. We spent the rest of the day tasting the amazing beers of Wisconsin with friends and enjoyed a barbeque at a family friends house for dinner.  It was the perfect weekend.  

{one of my closest friends, Luckey, and I at our second annual beer fest together}

{me, Charlie, and my mom enjoying the day}

{one of my favorite beers was a chai tea porter from this Stevens Point Brewery}

CRAVINGS

{browsing a vintage store in paris last summer}

I am craving some new pieces in my wardrobe now that there is finally a hint of warmth in the breeze coming through my window.  With my days left living in Milwaukee slowly dwindling it may be time to take one last visit to my favorite vintage store in the city.....hopefully I'll be back soon with some beautiful new additions!

THE WEEKENDER

^^looking out toward the Pacific Ocean on the MV Explorer (S'11)^^

Happy Friday!  I am headed to Baltimore to visit with Semester at Sea friends and am so excited for a girls weekend full of happy hours, relaxing on the beach, and soaking up the sun.  A few weekender links for you.... have a fabulous one!

I am looking forward to reading this book on the beach.  I recently watched the movie and loved it!  Have you read any good books lately?

I recently bought the top to this swimsuit and can’t wait to live in it this weekend.

I drove down to Chicago a few weekends ago to watch my boyfriend compete in a tough mudder and had so much fun.  I have been thinking about training for one ever since!  Would you ever compete?

I can't wait to try these paired with my own baked fries recipe when I get back from Baltimore!  Nothing makes me happier than cookouts on warm summer nights.

These sangria recipes look amazing.  I might have to try them all throughout the summer!