Eye on The Prize

Bo and I are both highly motivated when there is an end goal in mind. Therefore, I knew that if every speaker was going to be mounted, every wire hid, box unpacked, and rug purchased, we needed to have a goal completion date. After debating back and forth we decided that having a housewarming party the first weekend of May would be a great opportunity for multiple reasons:

1) Celebrate our move into the city with friends

2) Get back to our Southern roots by giving it a Kentucky Derby theme and starting it before 5pm when the Derby takes place

3) Experiment with fun food ideas all relating to either the South or Bourbon in honor of the Derby. (Anyone have any recipe ideas?)

4) Have an opportunity to introduce all our amazing friends from different aspects of our lives.

5) A perfect address to don seersucker and a fun summer frock.

With only a week between our move in day and housewarming party, we knew that we had to make the most of every moment this weekend. Therefore, Friday evening until Saturday afternoon we lived and breathed the unpacking process. There were countless trips to The Container Store, Home Depot, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Pottery Barn. We were quite the site as we lugged our goods ten blocks having to stop every few minutes to rest our arms. Moving is hard work and lots of heavy lifting!  We made great progress on the apartment by the time we left for the first time around noon on Sunday for Lauren’s birthday brunch.

For your enjoyment, here are some pictures from our work in progress. We are very open to any design criticism or suggestion so please, feel free to provide! Blog Pictures 2010 010 Blog Pictures 2010 009It’s scary how quickly we were able to fill this walk in closet. The next thing on my shopping list is a full length mirror for the side wall behind the door. I do love how I can get ready in one spot since i’ve made one shelf into a mini vanity.  Blog Pictures 2010 008 Blog Pictures 2010 011It’s amazing how much one change can make to a room. Bo and I received this vibrant duvet cover as a wedding present and waited until our move to switch it with the old one. We went from navy and cream stripes to bright peacocks and florals. We both love the richness of this with the dark wood. Blog Pictures 2010 007 Our amazing wedding party gave us the hutch you see in the background as their wedding gift. It has been the perfect place to store our china and crystal. It is also a gorgeous piece. I can’t wait to clear all the clutter off of it so it is only displaying our one large floral piece and our 8*10 wedding picture.  Blog Pictures 2010 006 Blog Pictures 2010 005 The new kitchen is definitely smaller than the last one but they made great use of the space. The biggest adjustment is the tiny dishwasher. I’m sorry Earth but I feel like we’re going to be running the dishes every other night. Oh, and our building is very strict about recycling. This is exciting except when you don’t know about it. Imagine my surprise and fear when I was throwing trash down the chute and heard “RECYCLE YOU NEW PEOPLE.” Evidently the maintenance staff wasn’t pleased with my empty milk jug going down the chute. Ooops! Blog Pictures 2010 004I’m currently in love with this pantry! Bo and I installed shelves on the right side wall this weekend which compliment the California Closet shelves perfectly. A pantry may seem like a given but after not having one for the last year you realize what a great asset it is! Our has been freshly stocked on the top 3 shelves with teas, oats, cereals, and other staples. We’ve also restocked our spices after throwing out any that didn’t pass Bo’s sniff test. I kid you not, I can’t make these things up. 🙂 Blog Pictures 2010 003

This area isn’t complete as we are getting another component to our bar area via UPS tomorrow. The rug was one of my many stops today after work. I went from the UPS customer service area on the lower West side in search of a box, uptown to Pottery Barn where I lugged out this huge rug and two other bags, then over to Crate and Barrel! Phew.

Yesterday afternoon was filled with great food, friends, and laughter as we celebrated Lauren’s 26th birthday. It is amazing how convenient living in this area really is. Most of our friends live either in Union Square area or the Village. Therefore, our apartment is in between our offices in Midtown East and our friends. Leaving the apartment on Sunday and having the opportunity to walk from here to Lauren’s apartment in the village while making 3 stops along the way to pick up wine, gifts, and fruit was so refreshing. Even though LIC was only 1 stop on the 7 there is something to be said for not having to set foot on a subway. The afternoon included some spur of the moment blueberry margaritas made by Casey, Lauren’s boyfriend.laurens bday

Strawberry Shortcake, the birthday girl’s favorite: laurensbday2

and lots of smiles!

laurenbday1

The brunch birthday worked wonderfully as all 18 guests were able to socialize casually in Lauren and Casey’s apartment, everyone brought a dish, and there was no tipping or group difficulties to worry about. The hit of the afternoon was definitely Casey’s scrambled eggs. He made everything from plain jane, to cheese eggs, to finally bacon eggs! He went through 36 eggs in just a few minutes!

It’s off to bed for this tired gal! I’m looking forward to another morning of running at our new Equinox after having a great 5 miler this morning. I guess after almost a week break my legs were craving a run. This week I’m going to focus on running versus spinning as I’ve been a bit burnt out on spinning lately. Hopefully tomorrow morning I can beat today’s 5 miles in 47 minutes!

Please feel free to provide any Kentucky Derby/Southern recipe ideas, decorating ideas, or more! I value y’alls feedback and comments!

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What I’m Wearing Today: Comfy yet office acceptable Monday

What im wearing today

JCrew White Roll Sleeve Tunic Blouse– Outlet find

Tory Burch Gold Reva flats– I bought these as my wedding day shoes and have absolutely loved them! The gold goes with so many colors and outfits.

Gold JCrew Skinny belt: The above belt is the belt i’m wearing today except mine is gold to match the bracelet and Tory Burch flats.

JCrew Black Everyday leggings: I found these on sale at the outlets and love them. They are long enough for my long legs and aren’t sheer.

I owe you all an amazing moving weekend recap! I have already blocked out time tonight after my appointment, Pottery Barn pickup, UPS pickup, and more organizing to do this! Happy Monday!

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Going to the Big D Dallas

By the time most of you guys are reading this post, I’ll be safe and sound in Dallas, Texas.
 
I have an insanely early flight out of Newark tomorrow morning and still have to finish packing. My trip to Dallas is 100% work related but there are a few highlights:
-80 degree weather and a hotel with a pool means that I’ll hopefully be conducting conference calls poolside at least a few hours
-shopping at Nordstrom 
-getting to work with a few co-workers who I rarely see but speak to via email or phone daily
-my own delightful queen size Heavenly bed at the Westin
 
As some of you know, my job is in the fragrance industry and therefore a portion of this trip will be spent conducting store walks with my team to see what retailers and our competition is doing in store. This means that i’ll be on my feet for at least 8 hours each day. How I wish i’d already purchased these gems to wear all day!
 
I absolutely love Cole Haan’s Nike line and unfortunately ruined my only pair on NYE during my epic walk home in the snow. Oh well!
My packed bag does include a few great items perfect for a week long business trip:
Yoga Tune Up balls for some in room muscle therapy 
-iPod filled with a new playlist and some workout podcasts I downloaded today including 2 Physique 57 podcasts
-workout clothes Per Meghann’s suggestion, i’m going to use the hotel gym to focus on speed and strength this week versus endurance. My goal is 2 days of speed workouts and one day of hills on the treadmill and then arm/abs each day. Luckily Westin Hotels are known for their Reebok gyms!
-Crest White Strips All the questions regarding tooth whitening has made me realize that it has been a while since I focused on my own pearly whites. With Meg’s wedding coming up it seems like the perfect time to start a whitening routine again especially since I know i’ll have some down time in the late evening
-Kindle: Bo and I are both obsessed with our Kindles and use them each day on the subway commute to catch up on news and books. I just finished my last book and would love recommendations. What is your favorite running book and what is your favorite fiction book that you’ve read lately?
 
Congratulations to Ashley for winning my Pearly Whites giveaway. Please email me your mailing address and i’ll mail the loot when I return from Dallas.
 
 
 


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