I'm hosting an event... you should be there!

A Night with Style Makers

The last Wednesday of each month, in the back corner of the very chic Trade, a group of stylish Bostonians get together to talk industry over cocktails. (In my case, lots of cocktails.) 

I was invited to Style Makers by the wonderful team from Bow and Drape, and was excited to check it out.  I was pleasantly surprised when a group of my new blogger buddies showed up, plus the hosts Amy and Tiffani, are wonderful!  Admittedly, I spent a majority of the night discussing boys, local drama, and the job hunt, rather than fashion.  But it didn't really matter, I had a fantastic time and look forward to attending more meet-ups! 

My dress is an $8 vintage piece from Garment District - Photo from Tiffani

I wasn't kidding about the cocktails...

If you are a part of the Boston style industry, in any way, definitely check out Style Makers and follow them on Twitter!

Cooking 101: Guacamole

Guacamole is my favorite thing to cook. Maybe because it involves no actual cooking, but mostly  because it's so darn delicious.  My older sister, the real Betty Crocker of the family, taught me how easy it is to make guac when I was in college.  People are always impressed when you show up with the yummy green dip at a party. "Wow, you know how to make guacamole?!". Duh you do, it's easy as pie. (It's actually way easier, they should change that saying to easy as guac.)

Here's what you do:
1 avacado
1/2 tomatoe
1/2 small red onion
1/2 lime
salt

Chop up the avocado, tomato, and red onion. (I prefer a chunky dip.) Mix them with a fork, do not smoosh.  Squeeze lime over the mixture and sprinkle salt (both amounts to your liking).  Eat.

Tip #1: Cut out the seeds and mushy part from the inside of the tomato. That way, your guac doesn't have extra watery stuff or unnecessary seeds. Also, because I said so.

Tip #2: Buy this stuff.  We've always marinated steaks in this special salt, and yesterday I used it instead of regular salt in our guacamole. #Amaze.

Tip #3: Put the avocado pit in the dip.  This is one of those things that my Mom does, so I do it without asking questions. She says it works, so it has to, right?  Well, the bf asked "but, why?" because he is a smarty pants and wanted a real, aka scientific, answer.  The pit-trick doesn't actually help as much as I expected, but here's the scoop (pun-intended).

Enjoy being the most popular person at the party!

#EnjoyLife

I am beyond excited to have all of next week off. Vaca time! I've had so many mini issues causing stress that it's almost become this constant subconscious feeling.  Even at yoga class, I have trouble getting to my happy place.  One of my true, physical, happy places is Brant Lake, NY.  The bf and I will be driving out there for the long weekend to celebrate the Fourth with my extended family. They are the best.  I'm never happier than when surrounded by these genuine, hilarious, intelligent people I have known since birth...swimming in a lake and reading in the sun.

I cannot wait to take a deep breath and enjoy every minute of my vacation.


*I'm having trouble finding the source of this photo. I Instagrammed it from Upworthy, but I can't find it on their site anymore. If you know the source, please email me so I can properly credit! Thanks!

The Story of Oxford Shoes and the Man that Walked Away

Below is an unedited conversation with my very good friend and writing companion, 'Dave'.  He has a lovely  hilarious website called Dave on the Dole where he posts about the adventures of an unemployed 20something living at home with his parents who don't appreciate his rearranging of their kitchen cabinets. (You should really check it out, especially if you enjoy crude humor and Irish men.) 

Enough about him... As you know, I have dozens of interests, one of which happens to be masculine footwear.  This story has become a running joke with my friends, and reveals more about me than just my style. Read on to find out why I trashed a perfectly good pair of oxfords (but don't judge my chat grammar, it's horrendous). 

Sent at 10:28 AM on Tuesday

me: Have you read the Man Repeller?

I commiserate with her, bc i've always (well, used to) dress differently than other people, not care, wear weird shit

in 8th grade I wrote song lyrics on a pair of pants in permanent marker and wore them to school

i also had pants with comic book faces on them

Dave:  ....................................

me:  where did i get this shit

I should write this down

Sent at 10:39 AM on Tuesday

Dave:  I think you have your next post

me:  i wasn't done with that story yet..

BUT WAIT! there's morrrreeee!

(infomercial voice)

i tend to buy manly shoes

i don't know why

when oxford shoes were in style like two years ago, i wore them

black shiny ones

wore them to a bar one night. a guy was chatting me up, super cute, okay convo, yada yada

15 minutes or so into it, he looks down

he sees my shoes

he was going to marry me...until he looked down...at my shoes

Sam was there (my bff)

The guy just stopped. mid sentence. and goes "what are those?"

I tried to explain...i tried to save our marriage

#fail

he walked away

STRAIGHT UP WALKED AWAY

from this beauty!

bc of my shoes!

i threw them out that night

Sent at 10:44 AM on Tuesday

Dave:  I'm having a hard time figuring out your thought process for buying those shoes and his thought process for walking away

me:  i bought the shoes bc they were trendy

and i notoriously like manly shoes

he walked away bc they were ugly

and manly

he didn’t want to marry a girl in man shoes, i suppose

The End.

Happy Summer Solstice! {Friday's Fancies}

BeachDay! by kaitmills

 

Meaning of a Birthday

After a suggestion from a friend, I checked out The Secret Language of Birthdays website yesterday. Basically, you choose your date of birth, and based on a 40 year study, some information about your personality, health, and life motto is revealed.  (If you want to know the ins and outs about my soul, here ya go.) On the site you can also input two birthdays and see what the study has to say about your relationship with another person (yes, of course I did that part too).

I'm a believer in these sort of things, mostly because I continually find my horoscope to be (somewhat) correct; I am a true Aquarius.  As a kid, I had this huge map of the stars with astrological symbols explained in my bedroom.  I think I've always been entranced by stars, especially because seeing a sky full of them is a treat (growing up around lots of lights and living in cities makes them difficult to see).  Anywho, as someone who is not religious, it's fun to believe in something, even if I can't really describe what that something is just yet.  It's also just really fun to read about this kind of stuff!

A few key points from my DOB [2-18-88]:

*The magnetic individuals born on February 18 enliven their surroundings with their ideas and energy.

*Although it is true that Feb 18 people are often self-assured, highly autonomous individuals who need a great deal of time to themselves, they rarely cut themselves off from their fellow human beings or resist calls for help.

*Because of their sincere desire to know the truth, they are open to listening to various points of view, if only to learn from them. 

*They must release the need to control.

*Motto: I Universalize

 

Love: Bike Shorts

With all the bike riding I've been up to lately, it was time to purchase some bike shorts. If you've ever ridden long distance, or even just to your neighbor's house, you might know that biking, well, gets a little uncomfortable.   

It may not have been thrilling to hit the "checkout" button, but trust me I was smiling ear to ear once I took a ride wearing these babies.  After asking a few cycling friends and reading reviews, I ordered Canari Pro Gel cycling shorts from Amazon.  The only real tip I used was 'the more panels the better', and these are 8 panels.  The gel pad is comfy, but it does kind of feel like you're wearing a diaper.  (I don't see any way around that, they are padded shorts after all.) One of my bff's is an avid Soul Cyclist, and she wears these from Lululemon.

If biking of any kind is in your future, including spin class at the Y, I highly recommend getting a pair of padded shorts.  Spending $40 on a functional piece of clothing feels like the pits, but down the road, it's the right thing to do.  Plus, do you really need another Kate Spade iPhone case?!  (OMG that was a mistake, how adorable is that?! And it's a bike for crying out loud! I need it! Aak!)

priceless.

Must Have Monday: Summer Sweater!

Especially here in Boston, you can never be too sure what kind of weather the summer has in store.  Perfect example: this morning I walked to work in this adorable Madewell lobster sweater, was sweating by lunch time, and now a thunderstorm is brewing and I am sans jacket/rainboots/umbrella.

As a frequent visitor of a beach town in Maine (and a generally chilly person), I always carry a light sweater or scarf in my bag.  I love these three options for cute, thin, easy tops to throw over any outfit.  A strapless maxi that needs some extra coverage, a sundress with too-thin straps for the chilly office, a bikini on a windy beach.  Seriously, sweaters can come in handy in an endless array of situations. Do yourself a favor and grab one.

It's a must have!

Friday's Fancies with Long Distance Loving

It's that time of year when your summer weekends seem to disappear in the midst of champagne and wedding bells.  The only event I have to attend this year is in September, but if I had a couple more, these outfits would be front runners.  Ceremony on the Cape? Bash at a downtown hotel?  BCBG is my go-to for a dress to suit any occasion.  Whether inspired by the waves or the city lights, here's what I would be wearing this wedding season!

Check out all the Friday's Fancies submissions on Long Distance Loving!

A Cleanse

So I've been thinking a lot lately about healthy living.  Not only did I make it a goal to be a vegetarian 4 days a week in June, but I'd also like to clean up my eating in general.  I'd say my diet is decent at the mo (that's short for "moment", says my Irish friend), but my body is my temple, right?! So I should take this seriously every month, not just for the next two weeks.

Source

One of my more obscure interests is watching food documentaries.  While most people in their right mind, are frightened and grossed out by them, I really enjoy watching these films.  Well, I don't actually enjoy seeing how vile the food industry is, it's more that I find it extremely interesting.  Docu's such as Farmageddon, Food Inc, and Vegucated, have taught me a lot about how the food I ingest was treated and the consequences of a modern diet.  Somehow, I'm still an omnivore. Frankly, I'm shocked that I can eat anything at all after learning what the FDA thinks is standard living for cows and chickens.  But I won't preach, I suggest you educate and make decisions for yourself.  I currently continue to eat meat, I am far from perfect.  Even if I become 100% vegetarian, I will not force it on, say, my boyfriend, who I will still grill up steaks for next to my black bean burgers (yum!).

Cleansing breakfast

In order to jump start my healthy bod, I've been considering a juice cleanse.  You know one of those things where you pay $100 for a day worth of bottled juice or waters?  Before investing in a program, I decided to test myself for an 8 hour work day.  Yesterday, I only ate fruit, veggies, and nuts at work.  I figured it could be a mini-cleanse and a test of my will power.  Here's my unedited diary from the day:

By the time the clock struck 5:30, I was running out of there drooling.  Okay, maybe I'm being a little dramatic.  It was not actually that hard.  Plus, depriving myself of my usual indulgence made everything taste that much better today!  I certainly don't think one eight hour stretch of fruits and veggies is going to rid me of all my dirty toxins (looking at you, Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy).  But I am proud of my little show of will power.  It also helps to tell people what you're up to if on a cleanse or turning to vegetarianism.  That way, you not only hold yourself accountable, but your friends and co-workers do too!

Snack time! 

If I ever get around to an actual cleanse, I will certainly report all about it.  For now, I'm happy to be making steps to a cleaner diet and a healthier me!

Captain Planet, he's my hero!

(sorry, I just had to go there)

Friday's Fancies with Long Distance Loving

 Check out more blogger boards for Friday's Fancies #132!

Setting Goals

As I've mentioned before, I'm not usually a New Years Resolution writer or one to set strict short term personal goals.  That sounds terribly lazy, but what I mean is it is what it is;  I'm not one to go on a fad diet or take up the latest trend in aerobics.  I attempted to be a vegetarian once in college and it lasted about two weeks.  Admittedly, I have little will power for these kinds of things, so that is something to work on in and of itself.   So, this month, I'm feeling ballsy.  I'm going to publicly make 3 big goals for June (I know it's already the 5th, cut me some slack). 

If I can accomplish one of these goals, let alone all three, I will be proud of myself.  Props to people who do all of these things everyday of their lives.  I know lots of vegetarians who say it is not hard and the benefits are more than worth it, but I cannot imagine never eating bacon again.  My desire to get in shape is always trumped by my love of going out to dinner or reading a book instead.   This summer I'll be learning to surf (or attempting to learn), so the WaveShape workout will give me a huge advantage! And shopping, well, a look around my blog says enough about my obsession with shopping.  But I am moving in September, and that comes with a high price tag, so I really really need to stick to #2 and not spend excess dollahbillsya'll. Phew, this is going to be a challenge.

Wish me luck!

Bikes, Booze, and a Fat Cat

Oh, where does the time go?  Am I going to say that phrase like every single day for the rest of my life?  Time did not move this quickly when I was a kid.  Is that a gray hair?! Just kidding.

Memorial Day Weekend just flew by and, oh my, it was a blast.  My parents host an annual BBQ with our big rowdy group of friends, and although it rained, the good times rolled on.  Nothing that a little sangria and Cafe Patron can't help! (Drank separately of course.)  The bf and I also took my parents on a bike ride, which was a really fun family activity and Mom even impressed me with her speed!  Below are a few pictures of the past two weeks that I just happen to like, the first two from our bike ride... 

I need to find a store that sells these.  Alcoholic cranberry juice. YUM

 My cat is scary.

I love Ducali in the North End. I asked for white sangria (not on the menu) and the bartender made up a recipe for me. Perfect summer beverage!

Wow, this post makes me look like a certified alcoholic.