Hello, Vacation!

(photo via azcentral.com)

Hello, Phoenix. Hello, 75 and sunny. Hello, late mornings. Hello, freshly brewed coffee (courtesy Mama & Papa Meyer). Hello, Mom & Dad. Hello, Sister. Hello, Brother. Hello, Baby Kate! ;) Hello, dear friends!  Hello, Mill Ave. Hello, Arizona State. Hello, Sedona. Hello, dancing! Hello, shopping. Hello, manicures and pedicures. Ahhh, hello flip flops...

New York, I'll see you in a month!

I bought a new dress!

And when I say I bought A new dress, I mean... I bought two new dresses. Mom, stop reading now.

My dear friend Jen is getting married next month (Ahhh!!) and I decided it would be nice to wear something new and sweet for the rehearsal dinner. The wedding is in Arizona and since I'm already home for Christmas, I decided to have it shipped directly to my parent's house. (Whoops.) So anyhoo, I'm down-right obsessed with Francesca's Collections. I was introduced to it several years ago while I was still living in Phoenix... It's a cute little boutique that sells sweet little dresses and gorgeous little earrings (among other things...) They have a website (AMEN!), so I've been able to feed my addiction from the comfort of my little shoebox in Hell's Kitchen.

The Winter Fling Dress

(photo via Francesca's Collections)

Paisly Mantra Dress

(photo via Francesca's Collections)

I plan to sass these up with some bodacious accessories. Done and done. Happy Tuesday! :)

How appropriate is this?

(taken at Chelsea Market)

How appropriate is this sign? It's like CueTheSunshine's mascot, but not really...

Today, Alix and I took a trip down to Chelsea to dominate some fine faire at CookShop. I fell in love with the waiter, just after I knocked over a beautiful garland display. (Please, no applause.) I had the banana pancakes; Alix had the apple french toast. We canoodled over a couple cups of coffee while admiring(ish) the rain from a distance.

After, we took a leap over to the HighLine, a former railroad track converted to an aerial park. It's still under construction, but it's absolutely gorgeous nonetheless...

(photo via highline.org)

Finally, to round out the morning, we galloped through the Chelsea Market. We wandered through several of the holiday shops they have set up... And we forced some poor soul to take our photo in front of the cool Christmas tree display. Chelsea Market is all about the eco-friendly holiday spirit this year, so they were using garbage to decorate the entire place. This Christmas tree was made of recycled compact discs. Amazinggg!

Happy Sunday! :)

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Alix and I have been making serious attempts to eat in more often... It's difficult to spend $10 dollars on a meal at a restaurant, when you can come home and spend zip... and still have something good...

Well, because of our crazyyyy schedules, we haven't been to the grocery store in several days, so we were forced to get creative with what we had...

Hello, Stuffed Bell Peppers...

We sliced the tops of green bell peppers and emptied out all the seeds...

At the same time, we boiled pasta (small shells) and sausage...

We mixed the cooked sausage and pasta together and started stuffing...

We made a layer of pasta and sausage, then a layer of mozzarella cheese...

After we stuffed these peppers to the brim...

We tossed the left over pasta around the border so it could bake as well...

We baked the stuffed peppers for about 20 minutes at 350. We weren't looking to totally toast them... Because bell peppers are normally eaten raw anyway and the pasta and sausage had already been cooked, we really wanted the cheese to melt and give the pasta a little crispiness while heating up the peppers...

Amazinggggg!

A few more Resolutions...

Because I couldn't help myself from sharing these messages, too...

(photos via tumblr.com)

Resolutions

Annnd, it's that time... To start thinking about New Year's Resolutions... Bogus. I suck at these, no joke.

But, I found a WONDERFUL website, "New Resolution" via tumblr.com, that does a pretty amazing job of outlining some truly insightful resolutions...

Note to self: You don't need a new year to make a resolution.

Dear Lady Friends...

(photo via ffffound.com)

I've been feeling a little homesick, missing myself a little bit of honey from my girlfriends back home.

So, here is my dedication to my gal pals in Phoenix/Tucson/Flagstaff/SoCal/NoCal/Denver/Washington D.C./NYC/etc...

I have been blessed to be surrounded by a wicked group of fine lady friends. I met several of them in elementary school, junior high, high school... Several of them I met in college and several more in graduate school. I seem to share something special with each one of them, but there is one constant variable among them.

They push me to be a better person.

For me, it's absolutely imperative I surround myself with those who are changing the world in their own way - engaging their environments and teaching those around them what it means to wear her shoes, but carrying with those lessons an element of sheer enlightenment - to walk away from a learning experience with them and see things more clearly. I've learned something from each one of them and I'm confident I'll continue to do so.

Dear lady friends, thank you for impacting my life in one of those most wonderful ways possible. I'm a better person because of the relationships we share.

Check THIS out!

My mission this season... To find something like THIS... 

(photo via tumblr.com)

Christmas Lights, Take 2

I've been so consumed by all the jib jab happening with school and work the past few weeks, I've hardly had the opportunity to trulyyyy appreciate the goodness of the season. For me, one of the big things I really enjoy is the decorations. Christmas lights have this enormous power over me - as they should. They shoot me back to my childhood when my mom used to drive me and my friends around the sparkly neighborhoods in Phoenix to see the holiday come alive in people's homes. Now, I'm oh-so smitten with the decor here in the city. It's marvelous. If you take a swing down 56th street between 9th and 8th Avenues, you're surrounded by a bridge of trees hung with the sweetness of the holiday. Happy Wednesday! :)

Happy Saturday

(photo via tumblr.com)

TGIS! :)

Ten Things for December

10 Things That Make Me Incredibly Happy

1. Christmas Lights

2. Greeting Cards

3. Ear Muffs!

4. Countdowns to Vacations (15!)

5. Mama Meyer's original Apple Pie (Mama Meyer makes it TWICE a year. This year, unlike last year, I get to have it TWICE!)

6. My Tattoo. I've had it for well over a year and I still love it as much as I did the day I had it done. (Sorry, Mom, Dad, Mel!)

7. Promotions at Work (Yes!)

8. Sending FREE post-cards via HippoPost on my Blackberry! (Thanks, Katrina!)

9. Chasing Baby Kate

10. Books on sale

Christmas Lights

The city is all lit up! Driving around Phoenix, your heart just warms when you see all the homes fashioned with some serious holiday apparel. I miss it. However, New York City does a pretty fabulous job. Trees, buildings, cars (seriously), are all decked out with their festive attire. It makes me excited for the holidays!

Tonight, AmyJane and I took a gallop down Broadway to Urban Outfitters after chomping on some mean nachos at the Burrito Box. We were eager to outfit ourselves with a sassy new image. So, we each picked up an oh-so-chic boyfriend blazer. On our way, we passed this lovely Christmas Tree all decorated with lights. I totally biffed and did not get the whole tree in the photo. Nonetheless, doesn't it just scream holiday to you??

This weekend, I'm making a trip over to Rockefeller Center with a cup of hot cocoa so I can allow the Rockefeller Tree to dazzle me.

Happy Friday! :)

2 Years in January

Baby Kate will be TWO YEARS OLD in January! Check out this "then and now..."

Checking In!

Ah, so I checked out. And, checking back in has become a serious challenge.

My trip home was amazing. I've become rather detached from the "goings-on" in Phoenix due to all the "goings-on" at school, so it was quite lovely to canoodle with all my dear friends and family for the weekend.

I've checked out!

Ahh, my body is here. In New York City. At work. But, my mind is in Phoenix. At my parents house. With my friends and family. I leave tonight for the Valley and I couldn't be more psyched about it. I have plenty of things to keep me busy on the plane, but I certainly intend on taking a quick cat nap... Somewhere around Missouri...

Although I've been listening to Christmas music for weeks now, I've been told by some chums that apparently - it's just too early. Whatever. As I walking to work this morning, I was greeted by a sidewalk full of Christmas trees. Ahh, the aroma filled my soul and it was absolutely wonderful. I think it's officially time to endorse a jolly state of mind.

Happy Holidays!

Odd

(image via google images)

Isn't this odd? An anonymous individual returned two over-due books to Camelback High Library this past week, along with a check for $1,000 to cover the over-due fees. Mother, isn't this your alma mater? Ha. Ha.

Indeed, we are THOSE girls...

Tonight, we're seeing New Moon at Lincoln Center. It's downright MADNESS. We're surrounded by a lot of young people who are just as passionate about the movie as we are. However, they appear to manifest their passion in different ways. A lot of these folks are wearing fake fangs and have blood smeared on their  arms... And necks... and mouths... We're dressed in fashionable winter attire. Boots. And leggings. And scarves. (Oh my!) Hmmm.

Anyhoo, we're loving it. Deets to come!

Greeting Cards

I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but I'm smitten with greeting cards. They're so under-rated. Receiving snail mail is like an explosion of sunshine in the mailbox. Even sending them is a wicked good time. There's all this excitement between dropping it in your mailbox and wondering when your card will land in your dear old pal's mailbox.

Ahh, I love greeting cards.

And these, well these are cute and spicy all wrapped into one... And look, there's even a space to write a little love note...

Spring has Sprung (in November)

(photo via tumblr.com) 

I landed an externship for the Spring! Yessss! I'm a big kid, now.

(Kind of.)

Happy Monday!

Bad Hair Day

(photo via tumblr.com)

Gosh New York, you can be pretty brutal...

As I was walking to campus this past week, I was stopped on the street corner waiting for the light to change. I was joined by a young man who was walking his dog. It was still pretty early - 7:15a, perhaps?

The little dog started nipping at my feet, so I looked down and praised the dog for being totally adorable. And thus a wonderfully awkward conversation commenced...

Lauren: "Awhhh, puppy! Hi, baby! He's so cute!":::smiling:::
46th St Man: "Wow, you have a gorgeous smile." :::smiling:::
L: "Wow, thank you so much! It's only 7:00a and you've already made my day!" :::smiling:::
46SM: "Yeah, you have horrible hair, but your smile is really nice." :::46SM exits:::
L: :::WTF?:::

He walked away. And there I stood on the street corner totally baffled by what just happened. My hair is my one feature that I'm totally pleased with, 46SM! Whew, rough day. And it was only 7:15a.

Note to self: Welcome to New York, Lauren.

Mini Dance Party!

(photo via googleimages)

Ok, things are crazy... And, I have de-stress. The past few months, I've gotten into this silly habit of throwing a mini-dance party before I start off my day. I turn on a favorite song (whatever strikes me, really) and bust out a quick dance party. It turns my spirit all around and I'm ready to start the day. The song has to be fun and upbeat. I've been doing this every other morning, and let me tell you - it helps.

Today... I threw on 1901, by Phoenix.

The Fun Theory

The Fun Theory was established several years ago in Stockholm, Sweden as an initiative by Volkswagen. From their website, they capitalize on the idea that "something as simple as fun can change people's behavior for the better..." I'm all for this. Check out this vid (and more on their website!). It's so stinkin' creative! Can you imagine working as a staffer on this project? I'm no engineer - but man, I have a feeling this type of work is very rewarding.

I totally did this... In my head.

(photo via ffffound.com)

I was trying to come up with a fun way to show how excited I am that I recently (like... MONDAY) registered for my last semester at John Jay. I'm graduating with my master's degree in the Spring, my friends - and I'm so stinkin' excited about it. I'm taking two classes, plus my externship. I'm going to be a busy beaver, but it's going to be a wicked good time.

So anyhoo, I stumbled along this Beatles photo and decided - yep, that's exactly how I felt. :)

Nowwww, if I can just last until Spring...

Tiramisu Toffee Tort

My sister has gotten into the habit of sending over photos of the wonderful food my family is eating back at home. She knows I'm usually kickin' it on the couch with a bowl of macaroni and cheese and a glass of water. Doesn't this Tort look PHENOM? Both my mother and sister are fabulous bakers. Unfortunately, I failed to inherit this characteristic...

Thanks, Sister - for so spitfefully tossing some salt on my open wound... ;)

Tough Getting Outta Bed Today...

(photo via photobucket.com)

I took a CPR class over at the Red Cross yesterday. I spent nine hours kneeling over a mannequin. My legs are killing me. That is all. Happy Monday!

Best Burgers and Shakes

Ok, Hell's Kitchen burger joint - that's awfully bold of you...

Located on 46th street between 9th and 10th sits a little hole in the wall - "Best Burgers and Shakes." It's precious. Once you pop inside, several tables are backed up against the wall and a small counter guards the kitchen. It's not a gourmet restaurant, but it definitely gets the job done. The price is right and it screams "neighborhood quality and originality." About being the best... Welllllll. Sort of. Nonetheless, their presentation is pretty fabulous. Check out the size of this monster...

Thumbs Up for the Red Cross

(photo via redcross.org)

So, I'm officially CPR-AED certified as of this weekend. I've got the whole compression-rescue breathing-choking-thing down. I have to thank the instructors at the Red Cross for putting up with all the shenanigans  this weekend. My class had some seriously bizarre questions... But, you can never be too curious.

Anyhoo, I'm certified for one year.  After it expires, I can take a "challenge course" to refresh my memory and become re-certified.

P.S. CPR mannequins are amazing! Their chests lift when you breathe into them. Madness!