Violins, Spanish Lessons, and an Abundance of Delicious Indian Food

The first few days of 2014 have been rather successful. I have made some serious headway on my 2014 goal list. I might actually complete this beast of list this year! 

2. Lean to play the violin: I rented one from a local music store and have started looking into lessons. I did learn the first few bars of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star via Youtube… Not nice sounding yet but I'm trying! 

3. Buy only one handbag this year (and make it count) – I have not found the perfect bag but I did stop myself from purchasing a bag during the Kate Space Saturday sale. Seriously difficult! The bag was only $67! 

5. Learn Spanish – I just downloaded the Duolingo app and am already hooked. It is a free app with many language options. 

8. Learn more about wines – I had such a great chat with the sommelier at Rasika DC who helped me choose a region and grape to research first.

17. Read more non-fiction and try a new fiction author every month – My nonfiction reading this month will be Tina Fey’s Bossypants. I have no doubt I will love it as Tina Fey is my idol! 

18. Establish a date night with my husband – My husband and I celebrated our 4^th wedding anniversary this past week. We treated ourselves to a fabulous dinner out at Rasika.

21. Maintain a budget – I bought a budget book to help me track daily purchases from May Designs. I love that not only will it keep me on track, it will be pretty little addition to my purse!

24. Take a tap dance class – I found a great Living Social deal for Adult Dance classes here in DC. Now…to order tap shoes!

26. Be thankful always - I'm working hard to look on the bright side. I've also set the 4agreements as the lock screen on my phone. That might seem silly but it reaffirms my goal every time I look at my phone. 

I hope you all have had a stellar start to the new year!

Weekend Rewind: Relaxing in DC

Well, it’s Monday again. With another long week ahead, what better way is there to start it off than to take a look at this past weekend.

Saturday:

Another Saturday morning meant another trip to the Farmers’ Market. I really love having this market so close to our apartment. I started the day with a vanilla chai from Wydown. (The coffee art from the photo below is my husband’s mocha) This Saturday was more of a splurge day than a “stocking up” trip. I bought some homemade pickles, fresh goat cheese, and a few pastries for breakfast.  And of course, my weekly flowers, as well. (The pickles, by the way, were a huge splurge. They are $10 a jar. But, so amazing!! I have been walking around my house, snacking on them ever since. Super attractive, I know.)

Saturday afternoon was spent down in the SE at Barracks Row. We attended a BBQ at my husband’s work. Rather than fill up there, we decided to hold off and have dinner at one of the many restaurants on 8^th. We selected Matchbox and it was delicious. We split an ahi-tuna salad to start, I selected a roast chicken dish, and the husband selected a crab cake sandwich.

We ended the night watching Property Brothers and eating fro-yo. (Yup, we are super cool people.)

Outfit Collage created on Polyvore

Gap Cheetah Bag

Denim Vest (Similar) 

Nude Wedges

Zara clutch (Simliar)

Sunday:

Our Sunday started bright and early at 7:00 a.m. I know, that is crazy early for a Sunday but we have wanted to try the new Ted’s Bulletin on 14^th and did not want to wait over two hours for a table. So we decided to beat the brunch crowd and get up and out of the house for breakfast. The place was amazing. The décor and structure of the building is perfect. We decided to sit at the old-school diner countertop. Our experience consisted of bottomless coffee, an old Shirley Temple movie on the TV, and a homemade poptart. Seriously, this might just become our “go-to” Sunday spot.

After breakfast, we took our dog for a nice long walk and spent the rest of the day hanging around the house, taking care of the usual Sunday tasks. 

Outfit Collage created on Polyvore
Gap Sweatshirt 

Denim Shorts (Simliar)

Kate Spade Bag

Sandals (Similar)

It might not be the most thrilling weekend, but it was a great one nevertheless. I hope everyone had a great weekend as well. I am already looking forward to the next one. 

Have a great week! 

Weekend Rewind: New York State of Mind

This past weekend was spent in one of my favorite places, Manhattan. My husband and I both had such an amazing time. I wanted to share some of the highlights!

Saturday:

Saturday started with the big drive into the city which only took 4 hours from DC. I have since convinced myself, because it is such a short drive, we can go at least 3 to 4 times a year! (I now need to convince my husband.)

We checked into our hotel, The Eventi, Saturday afternoon after brunch with family on the Upper West Side. We loved the location of the hotel, so convenient for the trip. (Also, they surprised me with a bottle of champagne and a birthday cupcake… so cute!) Saturday night consisted of dinner and a show. 

We dined at Joe Allen on West 47^th Street. This restaurant was such find. The décor was simple and elegant, without all the harshness of a modern space. Old theater posters lined the dark wood walls and white tablecloths adorned the tables, packed into the dining room. The place was filled with the voices of other dinners and you could sense everyone was enjoying themselves. With a shrimp cocktail to start, I chose the grilled chicken. Though seemingly a simple dish, this was the best chicken I have ever had. It had a citrus sauce that was amazing.

The show we selected to see was First Date at the Longacre Theater. This show was hilarious! I wanted to select a show that I knew both my husband and I would like. Rather than selecting one of the more well-known ongoing productions (Wicked, Newsies, etc.), I also wanted to see something new and fresh. This show had the audience laughing out loud from the first 5 minutes until the final curtain call and I am still humming the songs to myself. I cannot say enough about this show and the amazing performance by the cast. If you are in New York, see this show! 

Sunday:

Sunday began with more amazing food. (What can I say? I like food. Nay, I love food.) We decided on Perilla at 9 Jones Street. We both started with brunch cocktails (of course). I tried the drink of the day, a cherry lychee mimosa that was delicious. They are known for their spicy duck meatballs which are translated during brunch to a burger, which my husband selected (and thoroughly enjoyed.) I choose lemon ricotta pancakes with a balsamic glaze. Seriously, amazing! We were stuffed the rest of the day! 

After brunch, we strolled through SoHo, where I picked up this new Kate Spade bracelet. Another fun aspect was our first attempt at navigating the subway without a local. All I can say is I actually missed the DC Metro, which is so much easier to navigate!

After a long day of walking around the city, we went back and forth on what to do Sunday night. We finally selected to have dinner in Little Italy. Though touristy, it was such blast to walk down Mulberry Street and see all the signs in Italian. (As my family is Italian, I really enjoyed being so immersed in the Italian American culture.) After dinner and an amazing stuffed artichoke from Benito One, we ended the night with cannoli and espresso. You should always (leave the gun) and take the cannoli.

Monday:

We wrapped up our trip Monday with the drive home, but not before a stroll through Central Park and lunch on a rooftop terrace. We also stopped at Bryant Park and the New York Public Library. I loved the architecture. This will definitely be my first stop our next trip (so I can spend way too much time staring at all the books.)

This trip was such treat and I cannot wait to go back.

Have a great week! 

Week Four in Review

So this may be a day late, but I promise it’s not a dollar short. This past week was a busy one. I completely ran out of time yesterday to write a post. My apologizes, everyone!! After week 3’s “something new” everyday, week 4 was more about focusing on just a few new things.

The biggest thing I did this week was open a business. I am now working as a personal stylist through Keaton Row. Style has always been something I love and now I have a way to channel that love into an actual activity. Don’t worry though. This blog will not become all about the business but I am sure I will post fashion pieces from time to time.

One great thing about living in the city is always having new restaurants to try. This past Friday, one of my best friends was in town and we decided to head out for happy hour and food. Diego has just opened on 14^th St NW rather conveniently close to my apartment so we decided to give it a try. Great drink specials ($5 Brut) and delicious appetizers (the corn tamales were amazing!). This place is definitely a win in my book!

Weekend Rewind

This weekend was a serious blast! I took the day off on Friday and hit the outlets (with the  same friend who later joined me for cocktails!). I splurged at Kate Spade. (How could I not? The purses were 60% off!) Saturday was spent with some of my closest friends now living in Virginia, eating and drinking just like old times in 29 Palms! I even made a few new Pinterest recipes (found here and here.)  The popcorn was delicious and the mac and cheese surprisingly easy to make! Sunday was all about getting ready for the week though we did make a pit stop at the PX to pick up some moto gear (aka Marine Corps shirts and such.)

Now it’s Monday and I am already missing the weekend and my friends. But, I am excited for the week has in store!

Have a great week everyone!