It was another rainy night in the Big Apple so Amanda, Miriam, and I headed off to the MOMA for a night at the museum!
Friday, July 31, 2009
beautiful disaster
This morning I got up at 5:30 AM to go to Central Park with Katie to see KELLY CLARKSON! It was pouring out. I literally came back soaking wet, but it was well worth it to see Kelly Clarkson live! I think the last KC concert I went to was like 5 years ago. Why is she SO good?!? Here are some pictures & video...
Soundcheck...
The rain...
The concert!!!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
surprise surprise
This morning I go to a TV segment at GMA and as I'm going in to the studio there are CROWDS of people in my way with cameras...and my first thought is, "YES. Someone famous is here." I go in and head upstairs to the green room and on the way to the green room we pass through the studio (which was recording at the time) and guess who I see?!? MERYL STREEP! What a great start to the day. I get so thrilled with minor celebrity encounters. I wish Amy Adams would have been there, although its probably a good thing she wasn't because I would have gotten kicked out. There is no way I would have let her leave without a picture and/or autograph. I can't wait to see Julie & Julia.
Also - I've been to a few shoots now with Cynthia Sass and today it finally clicked as to who she was - Flat Belly Diet!! I wish I would have remembered that when I was in the green room chatting it up with her because instead of talking about pets I could have been getting free health tips from a well-known dietician! Next time! She also has a bangin' chocolate cherry smoothie recipe that I have gotta have.
Aside from this morning's TV spot, work today was kinda boring. Lizzie and I have been working on the same project for days now so I have a hard time sitting still and focusing. My eyes have also been throbbing (probably due to the massive amount of time I spend in front of a computer screen) I think big companies that have employees that use computers everyday should pay for all of their eye insurance or lasik or something.
After work I met up with Katie in Union Square. Apparently they have concerts there on Thursday nights so we enjoyed free music from a band from London. They were pretty good.
We also saw this in a store window...
And we finally tried out Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar! I personally think it's overrated. I had the compost cookie (pretzels, potato chips, coffee, oats, butterscotch, & chocolate chips) and Katie had the cornflake chocolate chip marshmallow cookie. They were both kinda weird, but not really bad. Mine tasted like maple syrup and hers tasted like butter. We also tried their famous Cereal Milk Softserve. I thought it tasted like salty cornflakes. EW. I can make better cereal milk.
I came back to the apartment after our little adventure and found 2 packages for me! Kristi surprised me and sent me a copy of the Hello, Cupcake! book which I have wanted for a while now. (Thanks girl! - I spent a good part of tonight drooling over those delicious looking treats!) And my aunt sent me Mary Kay skin care products. I love trying new stuff!
Tomorrow I am getting up early to see Kelly Clarkson in Central Park!!!!!!!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
best thing i ever ate
Not to make another entry about food (the Zagat really should just hire me), but I had the best milkshake I have ever had in my entire life today. Yes, even better than Sonic's birthday cake shake. It was the toasted marshmallow shake at Stand, right around the corner from Union Square. Try it. Love it.
Monday, July 27, 2009
i like to move it
Today I went for a nice little run (jog) in Central Park - no need to explain why, just see the pictures from this weekend. It was really nice out and I literally ran right into the Central Park Zoo! I stuck around and watched a seal show from outside the gates (you have to pay to actually go in) for like 30 minutes. All I can think about when I see that zoo is the movie Madagascar. I was expecting to see a hippo, lion, and zebra on the loose...no such luck. I did, however, see a man in all gold posed as a statue and lots of people with missing limbs - kinda weird. You see it all here folks. After my run I treated myself to a free massage in the massage chairs at Bed Bath & Beyond. I think the people there are catching on because I frequent that place pretty much on a weekly basis. Oops.
a few of my favorite things: make-up
After spending a weekend surrounded by all-things girl I was inspired to share a few of my favorite make-up items here. Enjoy!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
lets go G.N.O.
I just had the ULTIMATE Girl's Weekend with my aunt and sister! They flew in on friday afternoon so I met them over at the hotel as soon as I got off work. I cannot tell you how good it felt to sleep in a bed that was not three feet in the air. Anyways, we started off the weekend right by getting pedicures downtown at a place called Dyanna's. If you are ever in the city & need a pedicure you have GOT to go there! It is fairly cheap and the women there are hilarious - they are from the Ukraine and they make it really fun. We shopped around until it was time for our dessert reservations for a restaurant called Sweetiepie. It is probably one of the cutest/girliest restaurants I have ever gone to in my entire life. Needless to say, I LOVED it! We ordered mini ice cream cones (which had the best sprinkles!!!) and a trio of micro cakes - lemon, orange, and chocolate. And when they say "micro" the mean "micro" (see picture below) We felt like food critics swapping bites and passing plates.
Saturday we got up early and went shopping for a few essentials...aka new make-up. I am pretty much obsessed with Philosophy skin care products. If anyone feels the need to buy me s'mores lip gloss or the pink frosted layer cake shampoo, I mean, I wouldn't argue. We spent a majority of the day shopping all around the city until about lunchtime when we slipped into a series of meltdowns...starting with me (who is surprised?) A couple hours later...one of those hours involved me standing in a lengthy line for a Shake Shack burger - wasn't disappointed, but won't be doing that again...and we were much better. My aunt decided that our meltdowns deserved a different type of meltdown which ultimately led to a trip over to Union Square for Max Brenner!!!
Saturday we got up early and went shopping for a few essentials...aka new make-up. I am pretty much obsessed with Philosophy skin care products. If anyone feels the need to buy me s'mores lip gloss or the pink frosted layer cake shampoo, I mean, I wouldn't argue. We spent a majority of the day shopping all around the city until about lunchtime when we slipped into a series of meltdowns...starting with me (who is surprised?) A couple hours later...one of those hours involved me standing in a lengthy line for a Shake Shack burger - wasn't disappointed, but won't be doing that again...and we were much better. My aunt decided that our meltdowns deserved a different type of meltdown which ultimately led to a trip over to Union Square for Max Brenner!!!
We each ordered three separate things to share. I ordered the Melting Marshmallow Crepe with vanilla ice cream, gummy bears, and chocolate sauce (left), Aunt Patsy ordered the Urban S'mores with peanut butter, raspberry, and banana side sauces (middle), and Brie ordered the chocolate pizza with strawberries and bananas (right)! Max Brenner has replaced Crumbs on my list of favorite places in NYC.
We were beyond full after Max Brenner so we justified all we ate by walking around for some more shopping! Then we crashed at the hotel for a bit before we went back out to see Mary Poppins on Broadway. The show was really cute and the New Amsterdam theater is beautiful!This morning we packed up our things and went to the Upper East Side to go to Alice's Tea Cup on 81st for brunch. My blog entries kinda make it seem like all I do is eat - oops! We shared brunch again and here is what we ordered: raspberry nutella & pumpkin scone (my choice - left), marshmallow nutella crepes (brie's choice - middle), and eggs benedict with chicken hash (aunt patsy's choice - right). We also had the Roobios Admiral's Cup Tea - yum!!
After brunch we did some browsing, not to be confused with shopping, at Jimmy Choo and a few other places around my apartment. We also hit up the street fairs. I think I should open a stand b/c I am seriously there every weekend. It was great. We only had a little time together before Aunt Patsy and Brie had to catch the train to JFK. It was really sad to see them go. I got teary-eyed every time I have to say goodbye, but we had a lot of fun while they were here. Tomorrow's agenda? A looooong run in Central Park.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
say what?
Today was really fun for so many reasons. Suzanne treated Lizzie and I to Pump for lunch! We even got to eat outside at Bryant Park before the monsoon hit NYC. It was great. Suzanne is so nice and she knows a lot about the digital side of Shape so I feel like I learn a lot every time I see her. I also got to spend a few minutes with Jenna who has been an incredible mentor to me these past few days.
After work I went to the Charlotte Russe fashion intern event - just one of the many perks of having a roommate that works for a fashion PR company. I got picked to be styled by Gossip Girl stylist Eric Daman so I got my own one-on-one Q&A session. It was AWESOME. There was even free Dylan's Candy Bar candy & Crumbs cupcakes!
Tomorrow my aunt and sister get here for a girl's weekend in the big city! I can't wait!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
lessons from nyc (take 2)
Oh, just a few more things I have learned while living in the city...
1. Apparently smoking is "cool" in NYC. Did NYers not get the memo that smoking causes lung cancer?? I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to go on the patch when I get home because I've picked up second hand smoking from living here.
2. There is no such thing as a dollar menu. I left McDonald's pretty disappointed about that.
3. Everyone has a Blackberry. Literally everyone. I was on the subway with a 60ish year old grandma that was texting away on one. Seriously? Yeah. My less than one year old Voyager has now taken a backseat to the "Can-I-have-it?!" Blackberry.
4. People always seem to be in a rush. Whoa - take a chill pill. This is especially frustrating when I am trying to order lunch.
5. I can't afford 9/10 stores that I go "shopping" in. I have resorted to buying knockoffs of what my co-workers wear instead.
"america runs on dunkin"
In an attempt to quit drinking soda, I have somehow stumbled upon a new addiction to coffee. A more caffeinated and expensive hobby - great. Thank you Dunkin Donuts. I have successfully managed to try every DD flavor, and since I know you are dying to know my favorites I have placed them in order of preference...
Toasted Almond
Hazelnut
French Vanilla
Coconut
Caramel
Blueberry
Raspberry
Cinnamon
However, I doubt many share in my sweet tooth (my coffee is tainted by a packet of hot cocoa mix and a packet of splenda) and I'm pretty sure no one else has the same taste buds as me. Have I mentioned my love for cheez-its & chocolate? Either way, I thought you should know. That's all.
Monday, July 20, 2009
green goes with pink!!!!!
The most anticipated day of the summer came with Jen's arrival on Saturday morning. I picked her up in Chinatown at 7 A.M. I repeat 7 A.M. We pretty much had the best day EVER and it all started when we discovered Godiva's Chocolate Rewards - basically you give them your e-mail address to sign-up & you get a free truffle in the store! There are 3 Godiva stores in and around Rockefeller...just sayin. After we got our chocolate fix we went down to the Gershwin to try and win tickets to Wicked and I am so thrilled to say that we WON!!!!! My name was the very last name called! So we got to see the show in the front and it was AWESOME (checkin' that off my NYC to-do list) Alli Mauzey is an excellent Glinda by the way! After the show we went shopping downtown and ate dinner over in Chelsea. The next morning we got up early again to meet my parents! They flew in for the day and I cannot even explain how good it was to see them. They are hilarious. We went to the street fairs in SoHo and then shopping in Chinatown, which is always an adventure. We ate dinner at Bleecker St. Pizza and then went to the new Billy's Bakery in Tribeca where I had the best banana cupcake! Thanks Mom & Dad :) We took the train up to Rockefeller and sat at the Rink Bar and had drinks (and by drinks I mean diet coke) until my rents had to catch their flight home.
This morning was, again, another early morning - though well worth it. I got up early to meet Natalie for coffee (her flight back to OK left today) and she caught me up on all of her Kamp adventures. Being up that early reminded me of our last two weeks at Kamp last year when we would have to get up wicked early to catch up with each other. We only had about an hour before I had to rush off to a TV segment for the Today Show where I was volunteered to dance on national television. Don't worry if you missed my 30 seconds of fame because it is available to all via the Internet - Calorie Counting Quiz. You might want to go ahead and get my autograph now before I head off on tour next week...kidding. The rest of the day was spent roaming around the city with Jen. We even went up to Central Park and rode the Carousel! Tomorrow I am so glad that I finally get to SLEEP IN!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
hello mr.president
I am walking home from work on Thursday, minding my own business, when I start to notice a slew of police officers. Now this is not completely uncommon in NYC. I frequently see groups of them when I get off the subway, outside on busy streets, etc. But on EVERY corner on my way home? C'mon. So I get to about 51st & 2nd Ave. when all the streets are completely shut down and I'm trapped behind a barricade with other NYers. I immediately whip out my camera (of course) just in time to catch a glimpse of Obama driving by to go to an NAACP meeting at the Hilton. Hello there Mr. President.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
outta this world
Today was truly a treat. My morning started off great when Liz discovered DD coupons - no better way to start a morning than with DD coffee! Then I got one of the most hopeful e-mails about making my dream job a reality (props to my old boss Johanna for the hook up on that). THEN I had lunch with all of the other interns and editors at Shape, which was really fun. Afterwards, I talked with Jenna Autuori who is the assistant to the editor in chief. She is seriously awesome - so cool and down to earth. Check out her blog here. I am having lunch with her tomorrow and I could not be more excited. To top off my day, I came home from work to meet up with my old co-counselor from Kamp - NATALIE!!! I haven't seen her in a year and it was so bizarre that we would both be in the big apple at the same time. I don't think I have ever become friends faster with someone than I have with Natalie and she will probably be a close friend for oh...the rest of my life. I met up with her and her family and we toured the city before heading to MARS for dinner...Mars 2112 that is. It was a really fun night. The restaurant we ate at included a 5 minute space ride to Mars where we dined among the aliens before returning to Earth. It was great. Here are some pictures (& a short video) from our outta this world adventure...
Monday, July 13, 2009
i think i'll go to boston...
I had THE most relaxing weekend this past weekend! I hopped on the Boltbus Friday and headed up to Boston to meet Kerri. I love Boston. The people are friendlier and its a lot cleaner than NYC. Plus, Boston is home to one of my all-time favorite restaurants...Fire & Ice! We ate there on Friday night where I enjoyed four (count 'em...four) plates of grilled goodness. Then we walked over to the North End to snatch up chocolate chip cannolis from Mike's Pastries! We were walking back over to South Station when we caught a glimpse of some familiar street dancers. Perhaps you will remember them from the video I posted when Kerri visited me in NYC...
How crazy is that?! They must travel. Saturday morning Kerri & I got up early, grabbed some DD, and headed over to her cottage on Lake Winnipesaukee. It was absolutely beautiful out. We spent the entire day laying out at the beach. That night we took a stroll, listened to some old jazz band music, and fell asleep to the sound of summer rain. Sunday morning we woke up and took a boat ride around the lake before heading off to church. We ate a buffet style lunch afterwards and then Kerri and I headed back to Boston where I caught the Boltbus back to the hustle and bustle of NYC.
Monday, July 6, 2009
gossip girl
I came home today to a wonderful treat...Gossip Girl being filmed right outside of my apartment. How perfect!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
the 212
I am just finishing up another wonderful weekend in the city. I had a blast and now I am literally beat. Like I could fall asleep as I type this.
Jess & Nathan came up to visit Friday and we explored all through Manhattan. We had lunch in Greenwich Village and then went down to Chinatown - an adventure all on its own. Nathan was a trooper as Jess and I sifted through tons and tons of designer bags. We finally came across two Coach bags that fit our fancy and Nathan took care of the rest - how sweet :) After our successful shopping trip, we headed uptown to Central Park. It was the perfect weather outside so we spent a lot of time just roaming around. We eventually made our way down to Times
Square and grabbed Ray's for dinner and (of course) Crumbs cupcakes for dessert! Nathan had a pink strawberry banana cupcake with strawberry gummis on top, Jess had the "elvis" with peanut butter and banana frosting, and I had a raspberry chocolate cupcake with chocolate chips and raspberry jam filling. It is my favorite Crumbs cupcake so far. We were people watching at the Rockefeller Plaza when Nathan and Jess agreed that there was no way they could leave that night - perfect! Instead of heading home, we went up to the Top of the Rock. The city is so beautiful at night and all of the buildings were lit up in red, white, and blue for the 4th of July. Check out the Empire State Building...The next morning we got up early and went to Coney Island for the hot dog eating contest! Props to Joey Chesnut for reppin' the USA. There were SO many people there. It was crazy. All we could see in front and behind us were tons and tons of people. We had to wait around a little while for the contest to start, but it was well worth the wait. After watching the contestants literally stuff their faces with hot dogs, we went and enjoyed the famous dog ourselves. Yum!When we got back to Manhattan I said goodbye to Jess and Nathan and then came back to the apartment to meet up with Katie and her roommate Courtney for the Macy's Fireworks. We went down to Chelsea Pier to watch them and it ended up being a great spot!
This morning I got up and went to the Journey on the Upper West Side - all 4 locations were together this morning. When I got back to Midtown I met up with Katie and we went to brunch on the Upper East Side at a place called Alice's Tea Cup. It was really cute and everything was Alice in Wonderland themed. My eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach when I ordered. I had oatmeal with raspberry swirls and fruit, a pumpkin scone, and my own pot of Roobios Coconut Vanilla tea. Everything was delicious. I already want to go back again.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
being grown up isnt half as fun as growing up
Well folks, it is the moment you have all been waiting for...I think I finally know what I want to do with the rest of my life...
I want to start a Christian girl's magazine and own a bakery. Is that too much to ask? An entrepreneur. That's what I want to be.
Now now, I know what you are thinking. I'm sure right now your mind is scrolling through all of my past entrepreneur failures. So my 3rd grade road side stand didn't exactly block traffic. And maybe the Barbie hair salon was a little premature. Da Bomb Waffles was a precursor for Diabetes, but Miranda's Milkshakes was pretty good, yeah? And who DIDN'T sport a henna tattoo compliments of Tats By Mir?!
This time, its for real. I semi-started an online bakery around February of this year. It's a growing business, and currently I am in the city without an oven so its also on hold, but I think its going to be great. I eventually want to open a real store bakery that has a huge room for throwing parties. Perfect, right? In the meantime, check out my shop - UmmYum Bakery.
I'm sure come fall I will need some taste testers...
As far as the Christian girl's magazine goes? I feel like there is a huge need for one, especially since Brio folded this past year. It has been a burden that God has put on my heart for a long time now and is something I am truly passionate about. Stay tuned.
I figure if all else fails I'll settle on naming nail polish colors.
"I am guiding you in the way of wisdom, and I am leading you on the right path. Nothing will hold you back; you will not be overwhelmed." - Proverbs 4:11 (NCV)
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