The Weekend Update

Happy Sunday!!!

This weekend as well as last weekend have been all about relaxation and comfort! In one day I get to fly home for Thanksgiving. This will be the first time I have been home since last Christmas! I honestly can't believe how long its been.

Friday night a friend of mine asked me to join her a basketball game for her alma mater. The University of Arizona was playing Mississippi State at Madison Sq Garden. While watching the game I remembered how much I love basketball!!! Being a Hoosier basketball is in our blood! After the game we had dinner at Park Avenue Tavern. I had the salmon and tomato confit! Amazing!!! I've never had salmon with a tomato base. So good!

Saturday I was able to sleep in and wake up to a beautiful Saturday morning! One of my new Saturday routines is to head up to the Equinox on 63rd & Lex and join a friend for Fab, Fit, & Fresh! A workout class I like to call Lunge, Lunge, Lunge! :) Post class I came home and heated of some leftovers and made some popcorn and had the most relaxing Saturday night inside! I have previously mentioned how much I adore my new room and these new curtains I have! I love spending time at home watching movies and spending time in my room.

Today I woke up and made my morning coffee. So good. After reading through The NY Times and getting ready I'm off to church. My small group is in charge of setup today so I need to go earlier. Then it's off to yoga and a thanksgiving dessert with Kelly!!

Only two more days!

Happy Sunday everyone!

Xoxo

B

Dinner Parties

One rule my mother has always taught me was, "to have parties!" My mother is most definitely the host of all hosts and has all of her T's crossed and her I's dotted, when it comes to the details she puts into the parties she holds.  Details down to the serving utensils and how relevant they are for the current season/holiday.  

Sunday night we had a dear friend in town and to honor her visit we decided to throw her a dinner party.  We had about 3 other girls come to the apartment and socialize while we all sat and drank wine, ate delicious food, and munched on dessert!  Even in our little railroad apartment, the dinner party was a success.  Kelly cooked the main coarse-Stuffed manicotti with a Greek Yogurt and Kale stuffing, and I made an appetizer.  My mother's own Baked Brie with Apples & Pears.  What a fabulous evening.  We may not have a kitchen table or enough seating for everyone, but the evening itself was love(er)ly.  We talked about boys and laughed about funny situations with men, work, and friends.  It was the perfect end to a great weekend with Molly.

Fabulous Friends

In Times Square after En Vogue

One thing I am truly thankful for are the friendships that I still have between both my high school friends and my college friends.  Two of my friends from high school came out to visit me at the beginning of October.  There are no words to describe how great the weekend was!!!! Mindy and  Jan flew into NYC early Friday morning.  I still had to work so they were able to catch up on some lost sleep and get a bite to eat.  By the time I was done with work they were ready to get up from their nap and we were ready to hit the town!  I had purchased tickets to En Vogue for the evening and then we were going to go out later that night.

Saturday we woke up and had an amazing breakfast at the new Ihop located on 14th street (a little obnoxious but soo worth it).  Central Park was in order for the day and it was even better because my best friend Katie, from FIT who just moved to NY, was able to join us.  The day was perfect! Great weather; amazing memories!

Girl time

Amazing Grilled Cheese at Juniors 

Cheesecake at Junior's in Grand Central Station (Snoop Dog's fav)

Bethesda Fountain

The Boathouse

Fun at FAO Schwartz

Saturday night we met up with our friend Katie

Sunday we went to a fabulous brunch at The Smith on 13th street in the East Village; one of my favs.  After devouring our food we sat at the table and conversed about our favorite parts of the weekend.  You know you have truly amazing friends when you can sit for hours and talk about nothing, listen to country music while getting ready, and laugh constantly for an entire weekend!

Brunch at The Smith

Mindy and Jan, thank you so much for coming to visit.  You were a breath of fresh air in NYC!  I couldn't have asked for a better weekend with better friends!

Here are a few snapshots from the weekend.  

Enjoy...

New Room

A couple weeks ago I had the privilege of having the entire apartment to myself for the whole weekend. I knew that I wanted to eventually paint my room, but never found a weekend to do it, but then when Kelly told me she would be in CT all weekend, I immediately knew I was going to be busy painting. It had been a few months after moving in and the walls were still white from when Kelly lived in it.  Not that white is a bad color, it's just not me.  I'm a very loud and bold person and I have always reflected my energy and personality with my bedroom decor.  This room was a bit of a challenge because I had already previously purchased my dusty eggplant bedding.  

In the end...I decided to go with a deep plum on the back wall and a light purple on all the others.  Fearing that the room would inevitably become a giant grape I chose to accent with my black dresser and add in a taupe for a little contrast.  Living in a railroad apartment I have a set of curtains hanging from above one doorway to the other.  This gives me the illusion of actual privacy and creates a walkway for others in the apartment.  Pictures are below.  I can't even describe how great it feels to finally get my room in order.  I kept putting off the decorating due to lack of funds and energy, but after buckling down and getting it done, I am so thankful for the end result.  It's great to have a place where I can retreat and relax after a long day in the office.

Enjoy the pictures...

The Weekend Update-Finally Fall

Kimberly and I on one of our little outings-Kingswood in the West Vill. 

Wow! Fall has truly arrived and it's about time!!! This weekend has been so relaxing.  The past couple of weekends were spent going out and hosting guests, and as thrilling and exciting as that is, it can really tire one out.  This weekend Kelly and I had a dear friend come to visit.  She arrived on Friday night.  We chose to go to Yaffa Cafe in the East Village, where I proceeded to order an amazing spinach and brie crepe topped with a lemon sauce and a side salad with asian carrot-ginger dressing, all while simultaneously drinking great wine and conversing about life, boys, and work!!! It was so great to see Molly.  What a gem of a woman! 

Saturday, after taking it easy during the day I met up with my new friend Kimberly.  Kimberly and I met through Kelly and have been getting drinks/dinner each week.  It's amazing how God can place certain people into our lives at the time that we need them to be there.  She has literally been an angel and blessing sent from Heaven.  We met up and went to a workout class and had some hot tub time at her gym and were able to catch up.  I love when I can see people at one point during the week and then we meet up again two days later and still have SO much to talk about.  I am seriously so thankful for Kimberly and I's new found friendship! After working out I went uptown to the Upper West Side where my best friend Katie lives.  She and I went to FIT together and became best friends and has since then moved to Manhattan.  It was an amazing night.  We had a girls night with cookies, great food, movies, and tons of laughter.  Definitely needed in the business of New York! 

Today is church.  I have been getting back into church and have been attending a bible study that I just love.  It starts at 3:00 and then church starts at 5:00pm.  It's great having a whole day dedicated to rejuvenating my life with the Lord!  God has been so good to me lately and I am so thankful for that!  I hope everyone had a great weekend! 

Take care,

love Blair