Catchin' the Drift (wood)

My newest obseesion, which I've been seeing EVERYWHERE is the incorporation of driftwood into ones home decor, here are a few of my favorites....

 

I don't know what it is about this stuff that makes me feel inspired and crafty.  Maybe I just have the blues because it's been raining FOREVER for 3 days and my new puppy is getting restless.  He completely refuses to go outside in this nonsense, it's to the point that I have to carry him to the grass to do his "business" and then carry him back into the house when he's done.  I've never owned a pet that has such opposition to rain--its getting ridiculous.  So maybe that's it, maybe I want to be on the beach, in the hot sun and not stuck sitting in an office staring at a computer screen for millions of hours.  You'd think the fact that it's raining that I wouldn't mind being at work all day....wrong.  I want some sunshine, I want to be outside, I want a tan and apparently I want to go on a hunt for some serious driftwood.  I mean some of these pieces are so intense that I can't help but imagine that giant table in my dining room--talk about a conversation piece.  My friends recently went to the Cape for a wedding and came back with some much smaller pieces, but still their creativity is fabulous..

Do you have any new obessions? Something that sparks your creativity? Tell me!

Four Legs and Lots of Love

So there was one thing I left out of my NYC trip post and it was this little man

I adopted "Bryer" (not sure about the name yet) this past weekend from in our hands rescue, which is located in New York.  Which means Saturday, Stacia, Colin and myself drove to Bronx to pick this little guy up (we left at 5 am).  I really am grateful for my amazing friends, there's not many people I can call on a Friday night and ask "hey want to drive to New York tomorrow morning and get a puppy?"  I really am truly blessed, 7 hours in a car is no joke and I really would have hated to do it alone.  

Bryer is adjusting nicely--he seems to think he's a big dog when in reality he only weighs about 13 pounds, watching him play with a 50 pound dog was hilarious and terrifying all wrapped in to one.  For the most part he's house trained, crate trained and an excellent sleeper.  

It was so hard leaving him this morning, I'm having a pretty intense case of separation anxiety, I started looking into puppy day cares/play groups...has anyone used these?  I mean the online reviews seem ok and it's certainly better for him so that he's not home alone during the day--any advice is welcome and appreciated! :)

 

The City That Never Sleeps

I have never had some much fun while being sleep deprived.  I had the pleasure of spending the weekend in New York City with my girlfriends and it can only be described in one word-amazing!  My friend Rachel recently moved to New York,Washington Heights to be exact and Stacia, Aimee and I took a weekend to go check out the sights and visit our adventurous friend.  I had been to New York once, long ago with my family so I was overly excited to see the city from a different perspective, from a New Yorkers perspective and Rachel did not disappoint.  I'll start off by saying her apartment was darling, three bedrooms, all hardwood floors.  I was anxious at first since Washington Heights was described to me as being somewhat of an unsafe neighborhood and now having been there I've come to the conclusion this is not the case.  It seemed so family orientated, there was a park for the kids, tons of people walking with their families and their pets, everyone was suprisingly friendly and at no point did I feel unsafe.  Her neighborhood was filled with culture, the majority spoke Spanish and Dominican food was mainly all that was offered in her neighborhood.  We arrived somewhat late on Friday night so Saturday was really the day to go out and see everything.  We got breakfast from street vendors, fresh squeezed orange juice was included and it was the most incredible thing I have ever treated my taste buds to....

From there we jumped on the train and made our way to the September 11 memorial which was overwhelming...the fountains that they constructed were beautiful, actually the whole site was beautifully done.

Once we left the memorial we walked to SOHO for lunch and shopping.  For all my Kardashian fans the trip simply would not have been complete without stopping here....

We spent Saturday night and most of Sunday morning (I guess we lost track of time :) ) in Times Square just taking in the sounds and lights of the city...



Long story short, we had an amazing time and I just can't wait to do it again--and maybe next time we'll consider sleeping a little bit more so we don't so this again...

For anyone whos interested buses leave for New York from South Station and tickets are roughly $20.00 each way.

Marathon Monday

I took this past Monday off of work to travel into the city to check out the Boston Marathon, I had never actually attended a marathon before so I had no idea what to expect, especially in 87 degree weather.  I'll start out by saying I am in no way a runner, granted I try but the idea of running 26.2 miles not only exhausts me, it terrifies me.  I am utterly impressed with anyone who had the courage to run and even more impressed that you finished with the high temperatures.  I got into the city rather early and weaved my way around the maze that was Boyston Street to find a spot at the mile 26 marker.

Once the runners started coming in I was immediately absorbed into the crowd.  The amount of support and love beaming from the sidelines was absolutely remarkable...

I saw runners collaspe in exhaustion, some in pure pain and some push themselves further than I ever thought to be humanly possible, making my first marathon incredibly inspiring and heartbreaking all at the same time.  It was an experience I will never forget and I highly recommend anyone in the area to check it out next year!

Getting Sentimental

My best friends daughter is turning 2 next month and its so hard to believe now that shes the walking running talking little toddler that she is that she once was this tiny little defensless little bundle....



It's amazing how much shes grown and how much shes changed, and she was born so close to mothers day that the first gift I gave the family was this...

It's a collection of pictures including ultra sounds, the day she was born and her first days at home.  The background is tissue paper and there's little "baby things" stickers surrounding the photos.  For Alexa's first birthday I made her a growth chart I don't seem to have a picture of the exact one I made her handy but below is an example of something very similiar...

Growing up as a kid my grandmother tracked our growth in the doorway of her kitchen, she has since sold her home and moved into a smaller place leaving all those memories behind so I thought having something that could be easily moved around would be nice.  Now that year 2 is fast approaching I'm stumped as to what to get this beautiful little girl.  Do any of you have any traditional birthday gifts? Suggestions are welcome! :)

Monkeyin' Around

What's the perfect place to take an energetic toddler on a rainy day? Monkey Joe's on RT 1! This place is a lifesaver, it is filled with inflated moonbounces, slides and obstacle course for your little one to enjoy.  I brought Nik on a rather gloomy day, its 10.99 and you can stay ALL DAY...money well spent!

Feeling the LOVE

Two of my darling friends are getting married...to eachother!!  I could not be more excited about it!  Saturday was there wedding shower and you could just feel the love and support surrounding the entire  room.



It was a great day to celebrate the union of two amazingly wonderful people and I could not be happier for them! :)