Caution Wet Paint

I keep meaning to do this, but I have been busy, so tonight I am finally making it a point to share some of the home stuff I have been hard at work with lately. I know most of you probably remember that when I moved into Terrace Street, the entire house was painted yellow with the exception of the two upstairs bathrooms, which were painted sage green. I grew tired of everything yellow so I decided to have a painter come and paint a few weeks ago. I think everything came out wonderful, and it has made it feel new... its "our" home now.

To start we changed the den from a yellow to a gold color. It had to stay in the yellow family because it is right at the top of the stairs and is sort of an awkward room between the stairs and the upstairs hallway which are painted yellow still. It is also a fairly small room, so we wanted to keep it light. You cant tell in the picture, but it is a few shades darker then it once was. Moving along, we changed the master bath from sage green to a calming sea blue, it is the most restful color for a bathroom. Next, we had fun in Joes man cave. We painted 3 walls sand color and one wall bright red. We also got a really great area rug from overstock, and it looks like a brand new space! We both love that room best. Finally, in Joes bathroom we picked a deeper, manlier, blue. He picked this color, I like it, and it made him happy. So, win win.

On a side note, for the den I also puchased a ladder shelf from Amazon. It leans against the wall like a ladder. I have had some fun decorating it in the past few days with things from Ikea. I still have to find pictures for the picture frames but I think it came out really cute. See the video of before and after pictures below! Let me know what you think!!!! xoxo.

Digital slideshow personalized with Smilebox

#GoodnightOTH

“It’s the oldest story in the world, one day you’re seventeen and planning for ‘some day’, and then quietly and without you ever really noticing, ‘some day’ is today… and then ‘some day’ is yesterday, and this is your life. We spend so much time wanting, pursuing, wishing, but ambition is good. Chasing things with integrity is good, dreaming. If you had a friend you knew you’d never see again, what would you say? If you could do one last thing for someone you love, what would it be? Say it, don’t wait. Nothing lasts forever. Make a wish and place it in your heart. Anything you want, everything you want. Do you have it? Good. Now believe it can come true, you never know where the next miracle’s gonna come from. The next memory, the next smile, the next wish come true. If you believe that it’s right around the corner, and you open your heart and your mind to the possibility of it, to the certainty of it, you just might get the thing you’re wishing for, the world is full of magic, you just have to believe in it. So make your wish. Do you have it? Good. Now believe in it, with all your heart”.- One Tree Hill.


For the last time, Wednesday night at 8 pm, I sat down to watch my favorite show, One Tree Hill. I know, most people think its corny but I started watching nine years ago, after my then favorite show, Dawsons Creek ended. In 167 episodes, and nine seasons, this show accompanied me from highschool graduate to college graduate, to LATE 20's.  The show mirrored my life, as the characters went from highschool, to college, to post-college so did I. And while I do believe a lot of the things that happened on the show were far fetched, corny and hopelessly romantic, some part of me always wanted to believe in the world the way that it was portrayed on that show. Of course in the shows final episode everyone's story ended on a happy, sappy, greeting card rhyme. There is only one Tree Hill, after all.

I remember at Delaware, Megan and I watching in suspense in the dorm room freshman year and hanging a larger then llife size poster of Chad Michael Murray hanging outside my door. So much has changed since that time its unbelievable. I went from a high school senior in Rochester, to a college graduate of University of  Delaware, to a working girl in Philadelphia.  I met a guy, held two different jobs, bought a house, and moved in with my boyfriend.  And as the credits rolled on last nights episode, I couldnt help be a little sad. It was a reminder that I am no longer a young adult planning for 'someday'..  in the blink of an eye someday is today..  and most of the things I once wished for have come true. Heres to the end of an era.
#goodnightOTH -- thanks for the memories. #bittersweet

I need a new favorite show.... Sophia Bush (Brook Davis) has a pilot coming out that looks pretty good, I thnk I'll check that out.

While Philly Slept

beep.... beep... beep... I wake up with a start, its still dark out. I roll over and look at the clock.. this seemed like a better idea when I went to bed last night. It is not really that early for most of the world, but I am not a morning person, so for me it feels miserable to be rolling out of bed this early. Its 6am. I sleepily put on my yoga pants, tank top, and sneakers, brush my teeth, grab my water & ipod.. and with that, I am out the door.

Its 6:15 and I go out to empty quiet streets, with the exception of one man walking his dog. This is something I rarely see in Philadelphia. The world seems calm, most houses are still dark with their occupants far away in dream land. I am waking up as I drive, taking notice of how beautifully empty and not conjested the streets are at this time of day. I never really have been out this early to take advantage of that. My usual routine involves fighting hordes of traffic on an eight mile commute that takes upwards of forty minutes most mornings. I pull into the gym and look inside at the people who are already mid-workout. THOSE must be the real morning people, I thought to myself. I wonder what time they go to bed at night? Probably  not 11:30 pm like me.

I get on the treadmill and begin to run. I have been trying my damnedest to like running, but I really really don't inherently like it. I think I was about 10 minutes in before I actually started to enjoy myself. I finish my run incredibly slow jog, feeling energized. I do some stretching and some weights and I am out the door in record time. Its 7:20 and I head back to my house to shower and get ready for work. I get out of the shower feeling great, go downstairs to pack breakfast, lunch, and a to-go mug of coffee. Its 8:00 am and I am out the door again. The streets are crowded this time. Philly has woken up.. and cars clog the narrow, hilly streets of the Yunk. I flip on Q102 and DJ Pauly D is being interviewed. Wow, I feel great today I thought to myself. I never feel that way, usually I am just waking up as the first car cuts me off in the traffic jam.  Today is going to be a great day.

There are so many pros to going to the gym in the AM before work:
1. Far less crowded, can do a better work out in half the time
2. Afternoons are free to do what you please. I hate feeling like I need to go somewhere else after work. When I am done with work, I just want to go home and eat dinner and relax.
3. I am more energised when I haven't worked all day.
4. I think its easier to get up at 6 and not rush then get up at 7:30 and run around like a crazy like I usually do.

Only one con:
I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON. Thus, I plan to try and fit this into my morning routine twice a week. I think this is doable, and not unreasonable.

Another addition to my morning routine I want to share comes courtesy of my sorority sister from college, Erica, of http://4thesakeofcake.com. She has been talking about "overnight oats" on a lot of her recent blogs in her quest to find a healthy, but filling breakfast.I had read a few posts of hers so I decided to give it a try and have loved it. Here is the recipe I use, but you can do a lot with this.

Overnight oats:

• 1/3 c. old fashioned oats
• 1/3 c. plain Chobani
• 1/8 c. milk
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1 handful blueberries
• 4 thinly sliced strawberries
• a sprinkle of chocolate chips

Directions: combine first four ingredients & stir. Place in refrigerator over night. In the morning, stir again and add more milk if necessary. Top with next 3 ingredients and enjoy.

This is cold oatmeal and awesome for a breakfast on the go. The oats absorb the milk and yogurt overnight and create a filling cereal with a great consistency. Give it a try. The best part is, this recipe can be modified to include all different flavors and tastes!

Life in the Fast Lane

Life has been flying by again. I keep meaning to post, and another week passes. Like I said last time, Joe moved in and we have spent the last few months adjusting from seeing each other once every week and on the weekends to every night, every day.. all the time. It has been a hard adjustment and the things that have been hard about it are not what I expected would be. I think the hardest thing is division of labor. We are both busy, we both work, and neither of us really want to do chores when we get home.. but they need to get done, and we need to figure out who is best suited to do each thing and with Joe studying for the PE it has been stressful and a lot of the burden of the house has fallen on me.  Its a constant push pull. Also, there are little things I never noticed before about his personality that now annoy me now that we are together so often. Overall, I am happy, but it has definitely been an adjustment. Each week gets better and I think its going to work out fine.

Back in February we celebrated our 3rd Valentines day. Joe sent flowers to work and we went out for a nice dinner. He never disappoints me in regards to this holiday.. sooo.. on March 14th we celebrated the "man version" of Valentines day... if you don't know what that is.. look it up.. hahah.

Also in February we made a overnight trip to his shore house to meet some of his friends in Atlantic City. We had a nice time but ended up walking away losers from the casino and his friends friends were not all that pleasant to hang out with. The only silver lining of this day was that I feel that I looked pretty cute... hahah.



In the beginning of March, Joe and I attended Philly Craft Beer Fest for the second year in a row. We met up with my friend Allie from work and a few of her friends. She made shirts, pretzel necklaces,  and we wore funny glasses. It was a beautiful sunny day and we had a great time trying all of the beer.

Last Thursday, my mom and I made an impromptu four day trip to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. We had a wonderful time and the weather was perfect. I took off out of Philadelphia after work on Thursday and got to the Marriott Harbor Beach around 9 pm. It was only a 2 hour flight from Philadelphia. On Friday morning we woke up and had a buffet breakfast and sat by the pool all day. At night, we went to a restaurant called Grill 66 which was right on the harbor and had a marina. Let me tell you, the yachts in this marina were amazing! One was bigger then the next. The "small" boats were about 70 feet in length. The 87th largest yacht in the world was parked there and Steven Spielberg's yacht had just pulled out the night before. It is unimaginable to me how much money must have been sitting on this dock. I need to figure out what they do for a living.

On Saturday we woke up and sat by the pool again. The weather was perfect. At night we took a cab to the shopping district and bought some new bathing suits, a cover up and a floppy hat because I have  been wanting one for the shore this summer. After our shopping we went to dinner. We sat down at a moderately fancy restaurant next to a couple who at first I perceived as normal. The more my mom and I listened to them talk the more we couldn't help laughing out loud! The guy was the most pretentious guy I have ever met and my recount of this story does not even do him justice. He was saying how he is the only one who works hard at his company and how he makes all this money. He was cursing, and groping the girl sitting across from him, who was eating up every word. As we sat there we couldn't figure this couple out. Was this a first date, a wife, a mistress? The world will never know. As we sat there, there appetizers came, the waiter sets down caprese salad and calamari. The guy goes "wait we ordered the F***in caprese salad" (tomatoes and mozzarella are obviously sitting on the plate). The waiter goes " that is what you have in front of you". Then the guy proceeds to make comments about the tentacles on the calamari as if he had never seen calamari before. It was so awkward, we were about a foot away and laughing so hard we were crying. The icing on the cake.. was the guy said after the meal. "I just want to take you back to the hotel and bang you". Lets vote - husband, first date, affair?

On Sunday we spent the day sitting at the ocean. At night we went to the Hardrock Hotel on the Seminole Indian Reservation to gamble and have dinner. We had a great time however I ended up misplacing my license and didn't realize it until we started packing to get onto our 6 am flight back to Philadelphia. I had my dad fax me a copy of my birth certificate, but you cant imagine the hard time the TSA gave me about getting on the plane sans license. I almost had to become a Lauderdale resident, but was eventually allowed through security.

All and all I would highly recommend Ft. Lauderdale for a quick getaway.

So, that's whats happening in my neck of the woods.. at least that is the notable stuff. Back to real work now. Happy Friday! xoxo.

Baby, You Can Have Whatever You Like

Hello All,
I hope this post finds everyone doing well. I feel as though I have lost touch lately as the first month of the year has already flown by. After my New Years party started the year off with a bang, the month only continued to get better! In the second week in January, we celebrated Joe's 27th birthday! This was followed by my family vacation to Park City & Sundance and capped off with my 27th birthday!

Our vacation was great! The night we arrived in Park City, UT, it snowed 33 inches! My dad rented a two bedroom condo that was very cute and cozy. Our first full day was spent skiing in a blizzard at Park City Mt. Resort which made for amazing skiing, but cold conditions! Here is a pic of Joe and I skiing Day 1.  That night, we went out to an amazing seafood buffet that we had been to the previous year. The buffet had literally any and every meat and seafood you could ever imagine. We had oysters, sushi, bass, mussels, crab legs, clams, steak, shrimp wasabi mashed potatoes, cheese, salads, scallops.. the list goes on. This was probably my favorite dinner! After a long day of skiing, nothing better then taking on an enormous buffet!

The next day, we woke up and prepared for skiing Day 2 at Deer Valley Resort. The conditions were much better on Day 2. It was warm and sunny, cold but not freezing. Perfect day to get outside and enjoy the scenery. That night we went out to an Italian restaurant in town. We sat down, and in walked Ice T and Coco (the rapper and his wife who have that reality show). Joe and I turned around and said 'whats up' to Ice, he was pretty cool about it even though it must be so annoying for celebrities. They are really odd looking in person by the way...

After two days of skiing, we were pretty tired and sore. (Especially Joe & Bren who skiied off the main trails, ending up in waste deep powder and off to another ski resort. Joe also ended up wrapped up in a pine tree--hahah--- but I digress.) On the third day, and Joes final day, we decided to go walk around the town and do some celebrity watching. We snuck into a few private parties, one of which we ran into Tommy Lee and both of which we scored open bar and free appetizers! Man, it kills me that these celebs have the most money, yet get EVERYTHING FOR FREE. Tommy & his entourage scored free Sorrell boots, each custom fitted, as we watched. We had a great time drinking and mingling and taking pics in front of the step and repeat like the celebs do!

On Day 4 we had to return Joe to the airport to head home. That day was pretty much spent relaxing and chilling. We went to a Japanese hot pot restaurant which was pretty cool. I had never been to one. Basically, you get a large pot with about 4 cups of boiling water in the bottom. They then season the water with soy sauce, hot sauce, garlic and spices and you order a meat and veggies to 'cook' in the pot, much like you would fondue. Once you have cooked all your meat and eaten it, the remaining broth and veggies are poured into a soup bowl for you to eat as well. It was spicy and filling, and something  fun to try if you ever get a chance. 

The next day my mom and I pretty much spent the day shopping and relaxing. We went to all the cute shops and bought some souvenirs. We saw a few more celebs that day including David Duchovny, Dennis Quaid, and some singers. 

The next day was spent skiing again, this time at the Canyons resort. I really liked the Canyons, it was not as steep as the other two and much more groomed. By the end of skiing Day 3 everything from my head down was just about killing me. Here is a picture I took while we were eating outside on the 'snow beach' at the Canyons!

The next day was my birthday, and I decided that on my birthday I did not want to do anymore work.. ahem.. skiing. So my mom and I went to the spa while Bren and my dad did a snowmobiling excursion that took them up to 14000 feet above sea level. I capped off my birthday with a jalapeno beer from a local brewing company that was absolutely fabulous. As well as dinner and drinks with my fam at a sky bar over looking main street and a new triangle shaped clock for my house as a birthday present.

On Saturday, I flew back to Philadelphia..when I arrived at my house, Joe was there with dinner, balloons, cupcakes and candles waiting for me to celebrate two milestones: my birthday, and my new roommate! Yes folks, that's right, Joe and all of his things now reside in Philly and were moved while I was on vacation (nice planning choice on my part). I am so thrilled to be opening up this new chapter in my life and hope that all goes well as we make this transition. Please wish us luck. 

A new year, amazing friends to celebrate with, a memorable vacation with my amazing family, a birthday, and a boyfriend to live with.  They say no one gets everything they want... but maybe every once and while.. life cuts you a break.. and you do... get everything you ever wanted.. and all at once. 

"There are two things to aim at in life:

 first, to get what you want; and, after that, to enjoy it."

A New Year..

This holiday season was a great end to a good year. Lets recap a bit.

Looking back, this year feels long to me and short at the same time if thats possible. I started 2011 in Manayunk at a house party with my boyfriend away in Mexico after a long stint of him traveling the US for work... I thought for sure our days together were just about numbered at that point.. but those days feel like a distant memory now in retrospect. A few weeks later I took off with my family to ski in Utah and had a great time celebrating my 26th birthday.















A few months later, Joe and I took our first vacation together to Aruba and had an amazing time there! Things started to become a lot better between us as well, because Aruba was followed by a new job for him, one that he absolutely loves, putting an end to all that crazy travel once and for all. We finally started to be able to be together like a real couple.

April brought more changes when my roommate got engaged and two months later, moved out and in with her new fiance. For the first time in my entire life, I was living alone, and in a 3 bedroom house no less. But even that didnt turn out as bad as I was expecting. As my time living alone winds down, I have come to be ok with the quietness that comes from being alone and enjoying your own company. As I sit here writing this blog, enjoying a cup of tea, I cant help but feel like I will miss this time when it is  gone. I have learned that I can handle just about anything, and while its nice to have a partner in life, if there ever comes a time where I only have myself to rely on.. I'll be ok.















In June, my family took a trip to Rehoboth beach to visit my brother who had a beach house there this summer. A lot of our time was also spent at our boat in Sodus, a place that will always hold a special place in my heart. Its a place of my childhood, one where I spent a lot of carefree summers in the days before work and adult life. I am so happy that we can still get together as a family out there, and when we do, its like nothing ever changed.

This fall was mostly spent going to Phillies games, decorating the house, and relaxing with friends. Nothing too crazy.

Which brings me to December. I had a great holiday with my family and enjoyed a week off home with them. I am so thankful to have my grandparents still with us and my immediate family happy and healthy. When I returned to Philly I got ready to throw a  New Years party, and although it was exhausting hosting the party, I thought everything turned out great. The food was wonderful, the drinks were flowing and most of all.. most the friends I hold dear in life were on hand to celebrate with me!

Reading back through this blog has made me remember what a blessed life I already have. Looking forward to 2012, my wishes are simple. I want Joe's move into my house to transition smoothly and to stop freaking out and measuring our relationship against my firends. Joe is a great guy, and I need to remind myself of that more often.  I want to enjoy the time I have with my family, even if it is limited. I want to spend time with my friends and make an effort to keep in touch with them regardless of our geographic location. I want to live a more enriched life by working out and reading more. And I want to live in the moment. Because lets face it, the best time in our lives is right now.... and there is no use worrying about the future because things never turn out the way you think they will..

Cheers to 2012 xoxo.

Random Happenings

This past week I returned to Philly after the Thanksgiving holiday. I had a great time at home catching up with my family and seeing some of my old friends. I have so much to be thankful for this year and continue to be so blessed. As always returning to Philly was bittersweet, on one hand I was excited to see Joe and my friends and on another sad to leave my family... and so continues the dilemma of all of the things I love being torn between two cities. I hope someday I will be able to figure out where I really want to be, but for now, I am just taking the 'wait and see' approach as a few key elements continue to unfold... Anyways, I digress. 

After another unexciting week of work and housework.. I was ready for another weekend. I bought Joe an Ipad for Christmas and was so thrilled when it had come in the mail on Thursday. I wrapped it up in an abnormally large box for an ipad to throw him off and hid it away. I spent all day Friday convincing him that I had bought him a ski helmet for Christmas for our trip to Utah. He did not want a ski helmet, but I have been saying its a good idea for skiing out west. He would have been disappointed with that gift. I lasted until Saturday afternoon, when I caved and gave him his Ipad as an early Christmas present. I know, I know.. its December 4th, but patience has never been my virtue and I love giving gifts probably more then I like getting them. Now I know why Oprah got a "high" off of her favorite things show! Its really fun giving people expensive things. We spent a few hours on Saturday messing around with it, it is so addicting. I am very excited because I also will be getting one from my mom for Christmas. Ipads for everyone! hahah. 

To thank me for being such a wonderful girlfriend, Joe took me to the Christmas village at Love Park in Philadelphia. We shopped around to all of the different Christmas stands and ate and drank our way through the village. After the Christmas Village, we made a brief stop at Macy's to see their annual light show. After that, we stopped and got a drink at R2L at the top of the Liberty Two building in center city. From the restaurant you can see the whole skyline on a clear night, it was beautiful. After that we went to Vintage, a wine bar that I had been previously last year for a wine and food pairing class. Our meal was great, and we were able to be seated right away which was good because by that point we had done a ton of walking!

Today we relaxed for most of the day, then Joe's parents stopped by on their way back from KOP mall. I had brought them back some Abbott's, so I am glad we were able to get together so I could give it to them. We went out for a nice dinner, and they stopped by after to see my Christmas lights and retrieve their ice cream. 

All and all, a great weekend. Looking forward to more Christmas celebrations in the coming weeks. In a week, Joe and I will celebrate our THREE YEAR anniversary. Time is really starting to fly lately. I have made it my goal for December to really try and enjoy today, here and now. Because soon, today will be yesterday... I have spent a lot of this year worried about the future. For now, I am just letting it go and enjoying all the season has to offer. xoxo

"For me, that year Christmas stopped being about tinsel and wrapping paper, and started being about memory. At first I was disappointed. Until I learned that memory is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, the things you wish to never lose. And I learned from Winnie, that in a world that changes too fast, the best we can do is wish each other Merry Christmas." - The Wonder Years