Happy Valentine's Day (belatedly)!

I used to not care about Valentine's Day, but then I was single.  Haha.  Not saying I go crazy about it now, but it is fun to get a little caught up in the red hearts, the roses, and the roses glow.  I started the day with a home-grown Valentine's manicure.  It turned out great, and then I put on a top coat and my cute red hearts ran...don't look closely. 

Then I was trying to figure out what valentine to make J.  Last year I made him one with candy nerds that teased him for being Nerdy, but this year he's on a health kick so I decided to do something non-candy related.  I had this foam dragon from a project with the kids I babysit, and I thought it was too cute to not incorporate.  Initially I was trying to think of a pun with the word "dragon/dragging" but there's nothing romantic with the word dragging...so I went for the slightly non-sensical message. 

J  brought me amazing roses, and a card! I was actually most impressed by the card because he doesn't believe in them.  Haha.  We've had many a discussion about how cards are important, while he contends, they're just a way to give hallmark money.  I love cards though, especially knowing how much he was going against his principals to buy the card. It's the little things.

We don't have a single vase in our house so I took the label off a nearly empty salsa jar and washed it out.  Necessity is truly the mother of invention.

I said I didn't want to do anything crazy, and J didn't think about making reservations early anyway, so on Friday afternoon he found a 5:30 reservation for a seafood restaurant.  lol.  It was fine with me, and they ended up having a special Valentine's menu, plus complimentary photo, and a rose.  We took the train and walked to the restaurant in the snow and it was quite romantic. 

 

We we got there the photographer came to the table just as we were unbundling and I joked about how I had hat head, to which she replied, "should I come back?" I laughed and told her it wasn't going to get any better and she could take the picture.  I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome though, there is only one weird hair bump on top of my head.

 

I think we were the only ones who noticed the typo in their template...this picture is now on our fridge and it makes me smile whenever I see it. 

 

Date night - A year later

First of all, I would like to say, New York City doesn't disappoint.  There is always something novel to see...in this case, "Clean Underwear on Demand." 

You know who else doesn't disappoint? J! He was so sweet and planned an evening to celebrate our 1-year-anniversary. I'm always half teasing that we should go ice-skating so he decided it would be  a good night to give in and take me ice skating.  The only problem was that it was 20 degrees out.  

Once we got to the city we scrapped the ice skating (for now), and went to dinner first.  He had planned a dinner at Malatesta Tratorria in the West Village...the scene of our first date.  So we had dinner (I'm sorry for forgetting to take pics of the delicious food), and then dessert and coffee....mmm

After dinner we headed to Smalls (also in the West Village) for some live jazz.  It's one of our favorite date night spots.  The bands are always great, it's a tiny, dark, packed basement vibe and it's just so chill.


We had the best time.  It's so crazy to think about how much life has changed over the past year, there was a couple at the restaurant obviously on an early awkward date, and it was so funny to think that was us last year.

Happy New Year Portland!

What a year! Last year for New Year's Eve I stayed home with my parents and went to bed around 11pm.  That sounds terrible, but I really didn't mind.  Also around this time last year had been living in NY for about 6 months, and had just met this guy, J and wasn't sure how any of it was going to work out.  

And then this year, J was with me, and we were running around Portland together.  So strange, but so fun!  We were only there 2 nights, and 1 full day, so it seems like we did more eating and drinking than anything else but who's complaining? 

After spending New Year's Eve morning at Powell's Bookstore (the nation's largest independent bookstore)...you can take the professor out of the classroom...or something like that.  It was enormous.  We could have spent so much more time there, and money, but we decided to get out while our basket was still manageable.  

Then we hit up Rogue for a delicious lunch and a tasting...

Some of the beers were better than others, but overall delicious.  They had their bathrooms listed as Hops and Barley with no idication of which was men & women.  When we asked the waitress she answered as if it was a dumb question, "Barley is women because they make women sweet, Hops is men because they make beer bitter." Duh (we added the duh in our heads because she really was quite nice).

Then we walked to the Japanese Gardens which were much further than we thought, and everyone who heard we walked remarked that we really were New Yorkers. lol

We continued the Japanese theme into dinner and stopped at this amazing Japanese place.  We both ended up getting something other than sushi on a whim, and then the table next to us ordered a bunch of sushi and thoroughly out ordered us.  The restaurant even had chopstick cases hung on the wall for VIP customers. We may have split a bottle of saki, too.

After a couple of hours at the hotel we got all fancied up and went to a Speakeasy party at Red Star Tavern in downtown Portland.  They have this private room behind a hidden bookshelf door that they have special events in.  I have no idea how they made money on the event because it was an open bar (with high quality alcohol), and was only $40 a person! I think there was max 100 people, but probably closer to 70.  They had a live jazz band, a tiny crowded dance floor and we danced and drank all night! It was the best New Year's Eve I've had in a long time.  It was so much fun, I only took 3 pictures...a selfie, a picture of the 2015 ice sculpture, and a picture of empties (they weren't all ours). 

Unfortunately New Year's Day was a little rough.  Thanks to the aforementioned copious drinking I did, I was sick sick sick, and J and I may have checked off another relationship milestone...the one where he has to pull the car over on the highway and rub my back while I vomit.

Can you believe it's 2015?! I hope you all had a happy and safe New Year's Eve and that it is the start of the best year yet! 

The Most Perfect Day!

This weekend has been such a blur. I once again tried to cram way to much in but I wouldn't change anything. 

First, J and I went to see New York City Ballet's "The Nutcracker." It's funny because my experience or the Nutcracker was always Pacific Northwest Ballet's and I assumed it would almost all be the same but as it turns out, the NYCB choreography is much truer to the original choreography. The dancing was just on another level. Even J murmured "how is that possible" at one point during the sugar plum fairy's dance with her cavalier. 

The only draw back was all of the kid noise. Haha. It sounds like such a snobby thing, and I really love kids. Plus, I know when I have kids I'll bring thing to theater and ballet, but it's just a strange thing when you pay a lot for a ticket to go to the ballet and hear kids rustling candy wrappers the whole time. Actually my biggest problem wasn't the kids, it was the adults who somehow thought that since it was a kid friendly performance it meant they could behave as kids. The woman beside me literally stood for the beginning of the second act, and we had good seats. It's not that she couldn't see. (End rant. It was an amazing experience and I can't wait to bring my kids and be the mean mom that won't let them rustle candy wrappers). 

After the ballet we headed to Brooklyn to this neighborhood called Dyker Heights. It was featured on one of those, "Extreme Christmas Lights" specials, and for a good reason. More lights than you can imagine. J was such a good sport and I laughed good-naturedly about my pure joy and enthusiasm despite the freezing weather. 

(More lights below)

On the way home he surprised me by stopping at my favorite restaurant in my old neighborhood, Lot 2. He won serious points with that move and then was rewarded by them having his favorite cocktail featured as the drink of the night (Veiux Carre...recipe at very bottom. It's the perfect winter warm you up cocktail. It was a shame I don't live a few blocks away and we couldn't stumble home because we both would have gladly imbibed more.)

Then we were going to have "Christmas" because I'm heading to the west coast for Christmas with my fam tomorrow but we decided to watch an episode of Breaking Bad instead...priorities. Christmas tonight though!

A Christmas Story of Mistaken Dates

You know that scene in "A Christmas Story" when all of the kids are ogling Higgbee's corner window display? It was recreated last night as J and his friend passed this liquor store in the West Village. Stopped them in their tracks and I watched as they nearly smashed their noses to the window. 

We were on our way to see Jimmy Stewart in all his glory in "It's a Wonderful Life" at the IFC center...that was until we got to the theater and picked up our tickets and they were for Thursday the 18th. I even remember double checking dates when I bought them but apparently I was having a lapse in mental clarity then because they don't even start showing it until Friday. 

Thankfully we had also had an amazing Italian dinner with a friend (fresh pasta, bread, wine, dessert...so much gluten...so much goodness) so the evening wasn't a wash. We even had tiramisu! I wish I had pics for you, but we devoured it too quickly. 

So I tried to be a grown up about it and not cry in disappointment, and J and I went to one of our favorite book shops, bookbook before heading home. Tiramisu and books, not exactly the night I had planned but not too shabby when I think about it. 

A Delicate Balance

Last night J and I had a theater night! We went to see an amazing cast (Glenn Close, John Lithgow, the list continues but I'm drawing a blank at the moment) in Edward Albee's "A Delicate Balance" on broadway. They did not disappoint. It was fantastic!

Usually I like to dress up for the theater but last night I decided to go in jeans and a sweater, and boy am I glad I did. 

First of all it was pouring rain (above, at least I wasn't dressed like this guy)  then we left the house with only 6 mins to make it down to the train (if you run you can make it in 2.4 mins...I've learned) and after speed walking for a minute J remembers he never printed the tix. So we go back home to print the tickets (there goes time for dinner) and we realized we'd selected the "hold at box office" option...lol, a comedy of errors. So we sit around for a few minutes then back down to the train. We scarfed a slice of pizza at grand central (which is really a shame because it was too delicious to eat so quickly), and made our way to the theater district. The whole evening was hilarious scene reminiscent of the Home Alone air port scenes.

Btw, I'm rocking job interview nail polish (below)...I hate it. 

Alas, we made it! Climbed to the top of the theater, sat ourselves in the very last row, then used the extra time we saved by running needlessly to pre-order our drinks for intermission. Win!

Here I am ready to save Glenn Close's life if fire should break out (below)

Misplaced Apostrophe

Early this week, Kaitlin shared this little gem with me..."How to Make Your Last Name Plural This Christmas Season"

And then J and I accidentally stumbled upon this little grammatical catastrophe... Winners' cube. Apparently it belongs to all of the winners?

On a side-note we also lucked into going to "Discount Tuesday" and our movie was only $7.50 ea. I was way too excited about the deal and splurged on some Junior Mints. 

*P.S. this is an upscale theater...you'd never know it by the claw game in the arcade area. We were trying to decide if it was just really easy and a lot of kids won, or they just hadn't refilled it in forever 

The Shortest Ryan Adams Fan in New York City

I think I first saw Ryan Adams perform in 2000, and I've been obsessed ever since.  There have been albums that are my favorite, and ones I love less, but if I can physically make it, I will go to his show anytime he's in the same town as me.  One year I fractured my ankle the morning of the show, and kept trying to convince my parents that I could still go.  I love bringing new people with me, usually a risky move, but his music is so eclectic, and his sense of humor so smart, that there is something for everyone.

This time J got to be my date, and I could tell he wasn't sure about it.  J has this weird musical preference of like classic rock, and metal.  The newer less stuff and/or non-metal stuff he's not super familiar with.  Lucky for him, Ryan Adams is a metal guy, too.   There were plenty of obscure metal references for him, and he's been telling me all day today that he had a good time.  It feels like he's overcompensating for his groggy reception on the train ride home.  The train was sooooo slow last night, it's terrible when there is construction and so there are speed limits, but that's a different story for a different day.

Back to Ryan Adams, my favorite....

Opera Fancy

Thursday night we went to see Puccini's 'La Boheme' at the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center and it was probably one of my favorite things I've ever seen! The sets were amazing, the music was gorgeous, and I got to dress up, "opera fancy!"  I had so much fun! I even bought a Christmas ornament from the gift shop because it was pretty, and the perfect kind of souvenir in my opinion.  After the show J bought a DVD of the opera, which in his book is the perfect kind of souvenir...to each their own, I collect Christmas, he collects DVDs/Blu-Rays...

Humphrey was none too impressed with my fancy "Jessica Simpson" heels, but I loved them (often her line is strangely gawdy, or oddly proportioned but these heels are def going to be my new go to black heels)

Here are some pictures from our fabulous night!


He hates selfies, but we were so fancy that I made him.  Too bad it was so cold and you couldn't see our outfits.

I'll miss you (a)Lot 2

As I get ready to leave the neighborhood I've made my home for the past year and a half I'm starting to feel a little sad about the places I won't be able to walk down the block to. Last night J came over and we were trying to decide which of our spots to go to since, as he put it, my "Brooklyn days are numbered." We ended up at Lot 2 which I'm so sad I only discovered early this summer. They have the most delicious menu. The menu is tiny, and usually that worries me. What if there isn't anything I like, but I've never disliked anything there. I always have a hard time deciding what to get, mostly because the one staple on the menu is their burger and I think it is the best burger I've ever tasted. Served with whole grain mustard, ketchup, and mayo on the side (I'm a mustard only girl) and picked onions with bread and butter pickles, it is always cooked perfectly. J's big pet peeve is when you order a burger medium and it comes out medium well or worse (gasp), well done but these guys are pros. It's not unusual to go there and see a family sitting at the large corner table all eating burgers...they're that good.

So last night I had one last Lot 2 burger, and my favorite cocktail there, the father-in-law...kind of like a Manhattan, but I honestly don't know what's in it, it's just so delicious I can't bring myself to branch out. J had an apple and cider stew with carrots, caramelized Brussels Sprouts, and other deliciousness I can't remember. I wish I had taken pictures but we were too busy eating. The whole place is lit with candles and just perfect and glowy for a date night. Then on the way home we stopped at the bakery down the block and got a tiny cheesecake. I'm going to miss this neighborhood.

Opera glasses & dresses!

We're going to the Opera! THE OPERA! La Boheme at The Met! I can't contain my excitement or my exclamation points! I can't say I am super knowledgeable about Opera, but I've always wanted to see it live, but it's always so expensive. 

Well we didn't find a huge loop-hole in the expensiveness of opera, but J found a deal for tickets at the top of the Met, and like 3 rows from the back, but I'm so excited.  This means I need a new dress, right? You can't go to THE Opera at THE Met in New York City and wear your Target wardrobe, even if you are sitting in the riff raff section.

Shopping Spree right before holidays, and move, and life?  Not in the budget.  Instead I'm trying Rent the Runway.  They have tons of amazing dresses.  You get to rent for 4 or 8 days, and then you send it right on back in prepaid shipping and they dry-clean.  I love that they have reviews by real people with pics of them wearing the dresses, and also comments like, "couldn't move my arms but I looked great so it didn't matter."

You choose one dress, and your size, then you can get a second of the same dress diff size for free, plus your second dress style is just $32.  I have a friend that's used it a bunch of times, and it seems, great.  I'll have to let you know how it goes...I'm worried I'm going to fall in love with these luxurious gowns and want to burn my target-filled wardrobe.

Here are the two I chose...I'll update once I get them and make a decision.  The short one, I think I'll go black tights and heels to make it less of a cocktail dress, and more dramatic night at the opera.  What do you think? (I used the real person pics v. the model pics)

Slate & Willow - Mae Sequin Shift

Badgley Mischka - Forbidden Territory Gown

Happy Halloween!

All dressed up and ready to go to watch the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall for Mahler's resurrection but I thought I'd get in the Halloween spirit thanks to Zombify.

Happy Halloween! Time to get my culture on, yo!

Oooooh Spooky......

But not really....perfectly family friendly.  I barely have a voice still so all night I kept saying, "oooh spooky" in a strange warbly half-squeak, half growl voice which was I'm sure made everyone else's night. 

We went to the Great Jack-O-Lantern Blaze in Historic Hudson Valley, and it did not disappoint.  Even though I had to pretend to be better until it was over so that J wouldn't say I was too sick, it was worth it!   I probably should have stayed home, I'm definitely worse today, but I'll recover, and this event sells out, so you can't just go a different day!

Take it Easy...Birthday Edition

J surprised me with such an amazing (and dorky) birthday present...The Eagles at Madison Square Garden!!!!  I loved it! It was so much fun, and I was completely surprised.  I spent my entire life growing up, listening to the Eagles, my parents are huge fans. 

We went to dinner first, and then he was trying to make me guess what we were doing.  Guess which subway start we're going to take, what do you think we're doing, do you have any ideas? I had no idea.  We got off at 34th street, and I figured we were going to Madison Square Garden, but then I didn't even know there was an Eagles tour.  As someone who is unfortunately susceptible to the Birthday Blues, I can say, this is the best birthday I've had in such a long time!

Whisper...it really works?!

The great thing about having people visit is that you get to do the things you always wonder about, but are too busy playing it cool as a "New Yorker." J's cousin is visiting from Greece for the month, so we've been all over trying these things out.  The Whispering Wall at Grand Central is so cool, it really works! Stand in one corner and whisper sweet-nothings or dirty jokes to your sweetheart in the opposite corner and it comes through loud and clear!

This is J, in far right corner, and his cousin on the left, so I hope they weren't whispering sweet-nothings to each other. 

The Pink Door

J and I spent a great day in Seattle which included more time wandering around Pike Place Market trying to remember where The Pink Door is exactly.  It is a little tricky to find if you're not looking for it (especially when the door is open and you walk right on past it) but so worth the effort. 

If it's a nice day, be sure to sit on the deck.  It has a great view, and also screens so you can feel like you're sitting in the sun without looking like a lobster.  Everything is great, but it can be a little expensive if you decide to splurge for the fresh seafood (do it!).

 

With that said, it is entirely possible to keep costs down and have an amazing meal.  Three words, INFUSED OLIVE OIL.  I can't even begin to tell you how delicious it is, and they just keep bringing you more bread....so many carbs

Here is what I would order for a budget Pink Door experience:

• Red Table Wine - it's soooo good
• Cheese Board - notice we practically licked it clean
• Fill up on bread basket / olive oil combo 
• If you're feeling too cheap, now is the time to sample one of their amazing desserts