What's New With Me: June

June was a craaaazy busy month, but that's because it's finally SUMMER and time to get outside after the endless drone of winter and the non-existent spring. We kicked it off with free VIP tickets to the JerseyFest Food Truck Mash-Up (thanks Michael!). Blue and I stopped attending these because though the food trucks were good, the lines were certainly not, and sometimes they ran out of food before you even got to try it. But with these tickets we got in 2 hours before everyone else and some specialty dishes. Plus, we finally learned how to do it right from prior experience. Not only did we split everything we tried, but we brought tupperware to bring home even more good eats for dinner. Here's some other stuff that happened in June...

BOOK CON! I attended my first NY BookCon and it was awesome! So many books, and authors, and fellow book nerds all in one place! If you've ever been to a comic con it was kind of like that, except with books and literary swag. My favorite parts were getting to hear James Patterson and Bill Clinton talk about the book "The President is Missing," a panel with Rainbow Rowell and Charles Soule called "Marvel: From Pose to Panels" co-presented with NY ComicCon about the similarities and differences between writing novels vs. graphic novels, and "The Reel Real" panel about the process and what's it's like having your book turned into a movie with Angie Thomas (The Hate U Give), Becky Albertalli (Simon vs. the Homo Sapien's Agenda/Love, Simon), Lauren Oliver (Delirium series), and Soman Chainani (The School for Good and Evil series). Oh, I also got Sarah Morgan to sign a free copy of her latest book, "Holiday in the Hamptons." It was such a fun experience! 

We went to see Vertical Horizon, Tonic and the Gin Blossoms perform at a local theater turned venue. Be still my 90's loving heart! They had so much energy and were just as fantastic as they were back then (minus Robin Wilson... he was lacking, but everyone else totally made up for it). 

Blue and I attended the PopSugar Play/Ground, which promised to be fun pop-up weekend (with single day passes available) filled with yoga by Kayla Itsines, panel discussions with Mindy Kaling, Kate Hudson, Arianna Huffington, and Tiffany Haddish among others, shopping, free makeovers, and concerts by Tinashe and AlunaGeorge. It was not fun. It was a hot mess, which I should have known because even the online schedule was a disaster. Honestly I should have known when I read the description for one of the panels described as a "talk about owning your smart-girl self." It was very, very YOUNG (think early 20's- I'm 34...) and very crowded. I think we stayed for 2 hours (including the panel discussion). I'm glad that we went (no FOMO here), but ecstatic that I was able to get tickets for $20 instead of $70. 

I think the best part was that afterwards we found this tiny Southern comfort food brunch spot  called Spoonfed NYC serving up fried okra, grits, and fried chicken and waffles. 

I joined my mom at Trinity Church for a Pulse Nightclub memorial mass and reception, and on the way back found some really cool recent murals near the Oculus. 

Michael joined me for a night at Gulliver's Gate. I first heard about from my friend who builds models there. Basically it's an entire world of miniatures. And yes, I mean literally the world. There was a New Year's Parade in China, the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil, the Sphinx in Egypt, even the Muslims on their pilgrimage to Mecca. My favorite parts were the interactive ones though; they give you a key to insert in certain places and you can make Santa and his reindeer circle a mountain, raise and lower the London Bridge, and even get your face to appear in Niagara Falls! You also get a "passport" that has things to look for in each location (like the Beatles crossing Abbey Road in London, pictured below). If you are in the NYC area, I HIGHLY recommend checking it out! 

I had to take 8 days off from work or lose them by June 30th, so I didn't work any Mondays or Fridays the whole month. I can't say I did a whole lot during that time besides rest and relaxation, but I did redo my bedroom (does anyone else remember doing this as a kid/teen?) and purging a whole lot of stuff. That pic below was the second Vietnam Veteran pick-up this month! I'm really happy with my room now; I feel like I'm finally utilizing the space well and everything has a place. (Sidenote: when you move your bed, waking up and not seeing the same view you wake up to every day is very disorienting.)

Always good eats- sliders, seafood Paella Valencia, personal pizza, and classic mac n cheese for national cheese day. 

We celebrated some birthdays with day drinks at a local bar, my friends came in from Denver for a short weekend trip and I met them in NYC, and I saw some old coworkers turned friends for dinner at my favorite Portuguese restaurant.

The month ended with a quick trip down to Key West, FL for my friend Kathy's wedding. It was extremely hot, but the ceremony was short and the food was great and after the reception we all went out to Irish Kevin's and danced the night away... until my shoe literally fell apart (pictured below) and I hobbled back to the hotel in one shoe. Also of note: they had a mac and cheese AND a mashed potato bar which is something I've always wanted for my wedding. It was as amazing as I thought it would be. Also, check out that Cheeseburger in Paradise wedding cake (ya know, because of Jimmy Buffett)! It was alternating layers of vanilla and chocolate with cream filling. Nom. 

That's it for me. What's new with you?

Linking up with Kristen! 

TBB Asks: Vacation Edition

1. Will you go on vacation this year?

Yes! On it now in Key West, Florida!

2. Do nothing but relax or pack it all in?

Usually we go on 2 vacations a year, one for relaxation and one where I try to do and see allthethings!

3. What month do you like to go on vacation?

March (to warm up after winter) and December for my birthday. 

4. Cruise yes or no?

YES but I haven’t been on one in a few years.

5. Favorite vacation tradition?

I always take a vacation for my birthday. I pick the place and itinerary and it’s the best!

6. Most memorable vacation?

Probably India as it was for a wedding and we had a MAJOR snafu getting to/from the Tah Mahal. But my first trip with Blue to Puerto Rico was memorable as I got to introduce her to family and new experiences like swimming with sea turtles and exploring a bioluminescent bay.

7. Pack light or pack it all?

I used to pack it all but now I pack specific outfits with one extra “just in case.”

8. Hotel, condo, or house?

Hotel or Air bnb for short trips.

9. Favorite things to eat on vacation?

Whatever the local fare is. For example, I’ve been eating mostly fish/seafood in Key West, beignets and gumbo in New Orleans, saag paneer in India... you get the idea.

10. Warm or cold destination?

Preferably warm, though that’s not always the case in December, and my next international vacation will be Iceland which will definitely not be warm no matter what time of year we go!

What was your favorite vacation?

Linking up with The Blended Blog!

California Dreamin' Part 2

Today I’m continuing to recap my whirlwind trip to LA/San Diego. For part one, click here!

On day two, we woke up early and took an Amtrak to San Diego so we could see the scenery off the Pacific Coast Highway without the hassle of renting a car and driving. Upon arrival in Old Town, we left our bags in the hotel and headed to the closest Mexican restaurant, Café Coyote. We only wanted a snack because we had dinner plans, but Blue’s steak quesadilla turned out to be the size of her head! Their salsa was just the right mix of flavor without the heat, and so fresh!

We meandered down the main drag for a bit before headed to Stone Brewing. The menu and the food were TERRIBLE. By far the worst meal I’ve had on vacation, perhaps ever. I got a pork belly adobo, which was basically pork belly on a steamed bun with greens, and I couldn’t even finish it. That’s the other thing- they didn’t have any “regular” food; it was all like duck tacos and quail knots. They didn’t even have a regular burger! One was plant-based and the other was a bean patty. No, thank you. At least the beer was good.

The next day we were up and out early for a day at the San Diego Zoo. I think we only made it through about half the park- it was HUGE! We headed back in the early afternoon and took a nap before heading out for the night.

This dinner was my choice and of course I chose Trailer Park After Dark, a retro dive bar in the Gaslamp District with retro trailers inside, chairs crafted from shopping carts, and a fake “lawn” with plastic chairs. It was kitchy as hell and I loved every minute of it. I had grilled cheese sticks with a shot of tomato soup, tall boy PBRs, and a jello shot. We continued on our night of debauchery to Tipsy Crow (great cocktails), Whiskey Girl (where I met 2 others from NJ, one who attended school where I work- small world!), and ended the night in San Diego’s smallest bar, Pop’s Liquor Cabinet- max capacity: 12. Also delicious cocktails, and luckily only about 3 other people were there.

Our last day was Cinco de Mayo. Old Town San Diego marks the site of the first Spanish settlement on the West Coast and features 12 acres of Mexican heritage and historical sites, and San Diego's Cinco de Mayo celebration is held in Old Town every year. So clearly, the whole area was closed down and jam packed. There was a huge street fair with vendors selling pretty much everything, and a wrestling ring where they had lucha libre matches. Luckily we only had to wait 45 minutes for lunch at Los Locos Bar and Grill, and it was well worth the wait. After shoving our way through the throngs of people at the street fair, we spent most of the afternoon checking out the "historic" Old Town area, which was all old time-y shops like the Blacksmith and Carriage House mixed in with some Mexican shops where I picked up some worry dolls for my friends. By dinnertime, the crowds had grown even more and we were OVER it. Every Mexican restaurant (which was just about every restaurant in the area) had 3-4 hour wait times. So for our last meal we each had a personal pizza at Bella Italian Bistro before heading back to the hotel. 

Have you ever been to Old Town San Diego? 

Wanderlust Wednesday: California Dreamin'

Back in early May, Blue and I took a whirlwind trip to Los Angeles and San Diego. I was originally registered for a conference there, but it got rescheduled to October, so we decided to make the most of the trip anyway!

Unfortunately Blue had to go ahead without me for one day because we were finishing up a big project at work. I’m sure she was grateful for a night of rest though, because once I got there it was all “go-go-go!”

We met at the hotel then went straight to Mama’s Shelter, a fun hippie-inspired rooftop lounge complete with oversized couches, giant pillows, tapestry dividers, and an enthusiastic Rasta-wannabe bartender. It was much colder than we anticipated, so we only stayed for a drink before heading over to Grand Central Market for some eats. I wanted to check out Sarita’s Pupuseria, serving up authentic Latin cuisine including “pupusa,” which is a traditional Salvadoran dish made of a thick corn tortilla stuffed with cheese, coleslaw and spices. (The shop was also in a tiny movie you may have heard of called “La La Land,” but I didn’t realize that until after we were seated at the countertop exactly where they were and saw signs posted up.) I tried the pupusa, and Blue had the skirt steak platter- both were absolutely delicious! 

After filling our bellies, we headed to The Grammy Museum. Honestly, I thought it would just be an easy way to kill some time before our scheduled time slot at The Happy Place, but it was so much fun! Not only did they have a lot of very famous outfits from people who graced the Grammy stage, but they also had interactive singing and productions booths, DJ mixers, and other instruments which were plugged into headsets so only you could hear the ruckus you were making. 

After that, we continued to make our way over to The Happy Place. I don't really know how to describe this "museum" so here's what they said about it: "[The Happy Place is a] massive pop-up experience is filled with larger than life size installations, multi-sensory immersive rooms, and dozens of moments curated to Capture Your Happy... Highlights include: dancing in the middle of world’s largest indoor Confetti Dome, jumping off of a larger than life double rainbow into a pot of happiness, and posing inside HAPPY PLACE's signature rubber ducky bathtub of fun! and let’s not forget 7-foot stilettos made of a million candies and 6-foot-tall X and O letters made out of thousands of tiny mirrors, surrounded by a wall of one thousand red lips!!!

HAPPY PLACE will be in Chicago from June 28 – August 6 before it hits the road again!"

Remember at the beginning of this post when I say I was all "go, go,  go?" Well, we weren't done yet! Since this was my only night in LA, we made one final stop at a "speakeasy" called "Good Times at Davey Wayne's." I put speakeasy in quotes because when I read about it online, it made it sound like it would be really hard to find and you had to walk through a refrigerator to get in, yadda yadda... meanwhile we show up and there's a huge bright blinking sign with an arrow pointing down. But it was super cool inside. There were multiple rooms, some open air, some night, lots of seating- couches and swinging chairs- the bartenders were all dressed up in suspenders and the drinks were strong. I wanted to take pics inside but it seemed more like a locals hangout and I didn't want to be that person. (Plus they didn't come out, they were all too dark.) 

And that concludes Day 1! I was going to put the whole trip in one post, but I think we've covered enough today, yah? Check back tomorrow for the rest of the trip! (I'll try to keep it condensed!) 

ABC's of Spring and Summer Goals

Happy first day of summer! I'm back to recap the outcome of my spring goals. If you missed the last update, you can see that here. Also, if you try to comment and I don't respond, my apologies. I added Disquis when Blogger stopped sending comments to my email, but it hasn't been syncing properly. Anyone else having this issue? It's such a pain! Anyway, moving on... ones marked with an asterisk are from my March goals, and "101 goal" ones are from the Day Zero Project. 


Albums (101 goal)- I have photo albums, and I have photos. I need to put them together lol. 

Dentist appointment*- Scheduled for 7/17! 

Eyebrows- clean up, reshape and learn how to fill them in.- Cleaned up and reshaped, and going again next Wednesday. 

Fix wireless printer*- I didn't specify who was fixing it, right?! Blue was able to set it up properly again. 

Gallery wall- I have frames, I just need to fix the printer so I can print some recent photos- Got printer fixed, and even got photo paper, but this still didn't get done! 

High Line- this has been on my Spring bucket list for at least 2 years. I really want to get there! 

Jigsaw puzzle (101 goal)- Blue and I started doing one 2 years ago (ha!), but she got tired of doing it and would get aggravated. I still have it though and would like to complete and frame it.  - Big fate NOPE. I started doing it again, but then I realized I just didn't feel like actually accomplishing this goal, so I donated it. 

Obtain a new scale* (101 goal)- Totally forgot this was one here. 

Pedicure- I'm marking this as a pass since I'm going next Wednesday right before vacation. 

Set up my Echo Dot and Alexa-fy my apartment*- Not sure about "Alexa-fying my apartment," but I did set up my Dot!

Take a class (101 goal)- Some ideas include a wine pairing, cocktail mixology, cooking, chocolate making, or woodworking (if I can find one locally). -Nope. 

Update my resume fo reals (101 goal)- Always a work in progress, but it's in a great place right now! 

Visit Citi Field for a Phillies/Mets game... it's tradition!- This will not be happening. We missed the series in April (and 2 got postponed), and the next one isn't until July. 

eXamine Spring wardrobe; pull out and purge as necessary- Yes! 

Yelp reviews- I'm going to set this one low at 15 or 5/month, for starters.- Haha, I completely forgot about this one. Oops! 

18/26- not too shabby! There are definitely ones I could have completed easily that I just didn't, and ones I straight up forgot about, but oh well. 26 is a lot of goals, and I'm happy with the progress I made!

That was a fun way to do goals, but I think I need to cut back a bit for summer. These are less "goals" and more fun stuff/bucket list type things I'd like to do this summer. 

Summer Goals

Visit the dang High Line!

See an outdoor movie- getting on this one early; seeing Thelma and Louise next week! 

Go to the dentist

See an outdoor concert- tickets purchased for Evanescence and Lindsey Stirling! 

Work on Erin's 9.0 Book Challenge- it starts 7/1 and if you're interested, you can join here! 

Continue the purge

Visit the NJ State Fair

Go down the shore

Visit Citi Field for a Phillies/Mets game... it's tradition!

Complete 10 goals from my 101 in 1001 List- I know I'm not going to complete the whole list (I had a lot of lofty travel goals on there), but I would like to make some more progress on it! 

Other summer plans include a destination wedding in Key West, Florida, our annual camping trip in Delaware, planning and celebrating my sister in law's retirement, and of course, celebrating Blue's birthday. It's going to be an awesome summer! 

What are your summer plans?

Linking up with The Blended Blog, Betsy, and Sara! 

Show Us Your Books- May

Tin Man- Sarah Winman: 2 Stars
Netgalley

For some reason, I thought this was YA, which it certainly wasn't. I thought it would be a light-hearted coming of age story of friendship between Ellis and Michael, and while there is some of that, there definitely wasn't enough. The way the story was told was very convoluted as it jumped timelines and left a lot of gaps. Also, I found the lack of quotation marks when people were speaking to be very confusing; I couldn't tell who was speaking half the time which was distracting. Though the writing was beautiful, it seemed overly described and the settings, with all of the names of places, made it hard to make any real connection for me. There was no real action and I became thoroughly bored. I don't think I would have finished this if not for how short it was and the fact that I was given a free copy for review purposes.

How To Walk Away- Katherine Center: 4 Stars
library e-book

I figured this would be some fluffy chic-lit, but it wasn't. It was way better than I expected, in that everything did not wrap up in a neat little bow with a perfect ending. There was a lot of adversity, it was realistic, and I was really rooting for Margaret the entire time. I also loved the banter between Margaret and her sister Kit. And there was one twist that I didn't see coming at all which just made this story even more enjoyable. 
DNF: Fahrenheit 451- Ray Bradbury. I tried. But after about page 50, I just wasn't feeling it.

Currently reading: Love and Other Consolation Prizes- Jamie Ford and Dear Dwayne, With Love- Eliza Gordon

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Erin's Reading Challenge 9.0

I actually had a lot of trouble coming up with some of these categories, particularly the water one and the one where I find a character that works in the same profession as me. Luckily Alexandra mentioned that the main character in "The Wild Woman's Guide..." was an IT consultant, so I'm going to give it a go. Yay for the book-loving community! I was also trying to find books that I already had and/or fit categories for the other 2 reading challenges I'm participating in this year. I decided not to add those here because it would make this post extra long, but let me know if you're interested and I'll share! 

(5 points) Freebie – Read a book that is at least 200 pages: TBD

(10 points) Read a book that starts with the letter “N”: Night Road- Kristin Hannah (385)

(10 points) Read a book that has a (mostly) orange cover: This Is How It Always Is- Laurie Frankel (336)

(15 points) Read a book with an unlikeable character: Dumplin'- Julie Murphy (371)

(20 points) Read a book from the list of 100 books that PBS calls “The Great American Read”: The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao- Junot Diaz (335)

(20 points) Read a book with something related to water in the title: Water Cooler Diaries: Women Across America Share Their Day At Work- Joni B. Cole (320)// Something in the Water- Catherine Steadman

(25 points) Read a book you've owned the longest but haven’t read yet: One Hundred Years of Solitude- Gabriel Garcia Marquez (417)// Night Sister- Jennifer McMahon (Netgalley)(322)

(30 points) Read a book with an emotion word in the title: Love in the Time of Cholera- Gabriel Garcia Marquez (348)

(30 points) Read a book where each word in the title of the book begins with the same letter: Summer Sisters- Judy Blume (416)

(35 points) Read a book featuring a character who shares your profession or similar one: 
Personal Days- Ed Park (256) (cube rat)// The Wild Woman's Guide to Traveling the World- Kristin Rockaway (352) (IT consultant)

What's next on your bookshelf?

What's New With Me: May

I feel like a broken record, but May flew by. 

It started out with a whirlwind trip to California... 4 days to be exact. While I plan to do a full post on this soon (because we really packed in a ton in those few short days), highlights included checking out The Grammy Museum, going to the San Diego Zoo, celebrating Cinco de Mayo in Old Town, and discovering the most awesome little pop-up called The Happy Place where they pumped up the jams, fed you candy and let you take all the IG-worthy pics your little heart desired. 

The following weekend I got to hang with my former blogging buddies (only one of them still blogs) for an NYC day. We brunched, went to see Avenue Q on Broadway, and then wandered around a nearby street fair. It was great to see these lovely ladies again!

That same weekend was Mother's Day. We did what we usually do, which was go to West Bumblef*ck Long Island to visit my grandmother's grave. We go by train which takes hours, so that was basically the whole day. We celebrated my mom the following weekend at The Brooklyn Museum where they had a fantastic David Bowie exhibit. I was never really into Bowie, but I found myself transfixed by his style and story. The way they did it was super cool too. Basically they gave you what looked like a tape player and headphones, and as you walked in front of the different pieces or TV screens, the audio would come on that matched that piece or music video. I may have walked back and forth between pieces just to see if it would mess up, but it never did- how awesome is that?!

Other fun things: I finally got together with two old coworkers that I haven't seen in 6 months, and had a double date with our friends who just moved in to my town. Both times we went to the same Portuguese restaurant and both times I forgot to take pics of anything other than food. Oops. We finished up the month with a trip to the DMV to renew my license (and finally get a pic I don't completely hate), Blue making my favorite, chicken parm, and watching I, Tonya (finally!). Oh, and I mentioned this in my goals post, but I finally bought a sectional! I've been spending a lot of time contouring it to my body lol. 

What's new with you? 

Linking up with Kristen!