Birthday

I am sure you can already tell from this post alone I am older and wiser. Actually that is doubtful. I am however now 32 years of age. I do not really have any feelings on this. I mean I never really got past 30 when I was a kid imaging what my "grown up" life would be like. In some ways I feel like I have been 30 since I was a kid, and in others I feel much much younger. I think some of that is city life. I also think on some level I will not completely consider myself a grown up until I am married with kids. No idea why. I have a successful job, I pay my bills, own my home and yet I still feel like I masquerade as an adult most of the time.

I recently have begun a nightly ritual. Some of this is to help speed on my arm recovery. I oil up every evening. I now apply cuticle cream, and foot cream to. This for some reason makes me feel more adult. Every night I make myself do it without forgetting or saying eff it off to bed, it's like I give myself a gold star on my adult chart. Lately in general I have been sort of killing it on the self care front. I hope this will stick. I have learned to take each day as the victory it is. Tomorrow I might fall into some vodka sodas and forget my cuticles.

As for my actual birthday. It was a delight. The majority of the people I truly love and adore were able to make it out. A few couldn't but were given free passes for good excuses. We enjoyed rainbow colored jello shots, danced wildly, and capped off the evening with meatball sliders. Sunday I was thoroughly useless.

I also learned or saw something important. A "friend", I quote it because I am not sure he is anymore ditched the evening. There were no birthday wishes from him, no appearance during the evening and a super lame text. Since this is my blog, and I can shame whoever I please I will print it.

Ugggghhh cellular death and drunk mess missed out hope you had a fun time.

I got this at 8:21am on Sunday. This is annoying for a few reasons but my top ones are: 1. 8:21am? Really? There's no need for my phone to wake me up at this hour after the fact and 2. This is just so lame. For the record this dude is 28. Not 18 in case you were wondering. I replied with lame. Just the one word because it's all I got. I just do not have the time or energy for that nonsense. I try not to judge people's behavior or actions. Their life, their business, but what I am learning is that for my sanity, goals and self protection sometimes you do have to judge. My judgment on this? It's bullshit and unacceptable. Own it dude, own it. Act like a man and not a manchild and maybe I'll forgive, forget and gallivant again.

Juice and I. 

Jonboy & I. 

Fruit with Faces

I saw this on pinterest, there was no link back to the original post so I apologize to whoever's it actually is, but I seriously heart it. 

Why Hello Haribo

I am usually a chocolate girl. If it doesn't have chocolate or some sort of pastry cream I am a little less interested. Lets be real though that's not helping me slim my hips any. At the end of the day I LOVE sugar. In any form anyway I can get it. Sugar is the stuff for me.

Luckily Haribo got in touch asking me if I knew their gold gummy bears sweet treats were sweat approved sweets. I did not know this, but you can have 11 gummy bears for 75 calories not to shabby right? I have to say when I am going straight up sugar fix, I love Haribo. They are the only gummy bears for me, and don't start me on the peaches and fruit salad. I will eat a whole bag, I mean it's fruit right? Nooooooooo it's not but we can pretend for a hot second.

So I am not just being a jerkpants bragging about my low calorie freebie sweets. They are letting me share with 10 people a coupon for a free bag! If you trust yourself not to eat the whole bag, or like me were really grateful to have them around over the weekend for little sugar pick me ups then please comment and let me know, what's your favorite sweet fix? I got 10 coupons for a 8oz Haribo product just begging for new homes so come on tell me tell me pretty please.

Taste best in same color pairs. 

This could be yours.....

No Really I am Not That Cool

It's only been in the past few years that I had an abundance of friends younger then me. For many years I was the baby. Having a summer birthday meant I was younger in my class and usually then my friends. Now not so much. It's both depressing and awesome being surrounded by the youngins. Today it is depressing because I should not have stayed out until 2:30am with peeps in their 20's. I can not hang or maybe I can, but this morning was rough.

Recently two girls in there early 20's have been spending some time with me. They think I'm cool. They say it, I can feel it. One's like oh my gosh you're so accomplished. Well yes and no. The sad truth dears, I am a decade older then you. I have had 10 years to get some more life stuff done. I have to say t the young people ego boost is super intoxicating. It makes me appreciate a lot of what age has given me and adds a little perspective. It's also a great give and take dynamic. They make me feel something other then old, and I remind them it's all going to be okay. I was there and sometimes it sucked, and was hard, and if your ambitious you have to be patient, but it will pay off or work out. Sometimes I miss being in my twenties, or being able to say "I'm in my twenties" but really I did not love my twenties. My thirties have been a grand affair. It's encouraging because hopefully I am going to keep getting older. This Saturday I will for sure get a year older that much I know. Bring it 32, I'm as ready as I am gonna get.

Wedding-Palooza

Well I survived. Barely. Oh lordy where to begin....We kicked off Wednesday with the non-bridal shower. It was crazy cuckoo fun. I warned my mama how these women felt about white wine. She barely believed me. I believe the final count was 15 bottles of wine. Amazing.

Thursday the rehearsal dinner after a lady nail party and the church rehearsal. One of the best parts about being in a wedding is getting to participate in all the events and get to hang with everyone. It was awesome to get to meet the groomsmen I had not before, meet Katie's dad who in 12 years of friendship I had never met, hang with her mom, and just get excited. Katie is Ukrainian orthodox so I was DYING to know what the ceremony was going to be like. There were crowns. It's a pretty cool ceremony I think everyone should look into it. The rehearsal dinner was at Moran's, one of the oldest restaurants in Manhattan. It was a great time and as I feared there was an after party. We headed to Park Avenue Tavern. I felt like I had to watch the groom a little. This is a fun crowd, but also a late night crowd and we had some wedding to do tomorrow. Stayed out, and slept in a little the next day.

Friday a race to the marital finish line! Hair, make up and feeling excited during the day. Everything went mostly smoothly. Little hiccups here and there. I got to wear fake eyelashes. Pretty into it. Katie looked absolutely stunning and beautiful. We gathered her dress, got into the elevator and off to the church. By 6pm our girl was a married lady and now to party. The reception was dreamy. It was a bit challenging for me because this is an outgoing crowd. I am weirdly outgoing. Once I know you sure, but when we made our entrances as part of the wedding party and were told we had to do a dance...I froze. I mean the introductions enough were a little squirmy but now we had to do a dance?! It could have been worst, Jackie's groomsmen had her wheelbarrow out on to the dance floor. The best man is the groom's brother and we were on the same intro wavelength. Thank god. Katie just beamed the whole night. She looked so beautiful even as she ate a burger from Shake Shack post wedding during the photo session. She danced on a speaker, crowd surfed, and basically lived out all of her dance fantasies in one night. I am pretty sure it was the wedding of her dreams. It was over too fast, and with not enough sliders as far as I am concerned.

Jackie and I helped take things back to the hotel. I made the girls walk to the hotel because it was 2 blocks away. Yeah, I made the bride walk to her hotel on her wedding day. I would not usually do this. I blame vodka. I also thought it was the perfect way to sum up a city wedding. Who needs a cab for 2 blocks? Not these classy ladies. We got to the hotel, drank a ton of water, ate some chicken salad and old bagels, stripped out of our finery bride included, and then headed back out. I got home after 4am. Saturday I think I moved twice.

If their marriage is anything like their wedding, they are in for a future of great fun, dancing, burgers, a lot of people who love and wish them well, and dancing.

The non-shower, all the bridesmaids.

Amazing ladies I got to meet. 

Gorgeous ceremony and church. 

29th Street photo shoot. 

Empire State Realness. 

Quick burger.

Bridal love. 

We're classy.

The Infamous Dress

So after much to do I finally picked up my bridesmaid dress. Poor Stanislav, I think he thought it might be the end of him. I went Thursday to have what was supposed to be my final fitting and pick up but the upper body was still way too big. I mean beyond just needing to hike it up. I thought about also having the skirt taking in but then I sat in it. Yeah, any tighter and that sucker was definitely gonna rip. Busting your skirt getting in or out of a limo is not a good look. I don't really need to be able to sit, but I do need to be able to dance. Now I just need to find a strapless bra that makes me fear my boobs pouring forth a little less. The only thing that should be flowing freely is champagne. Not my bosom.

Excuse the 90+ degrees melty face. 

Fourth of July Round Up

I dunno about everyone else but having the 4th of July on a Wednesday has totally messed me up. I was confused Tuesday heading out of work and I have been hopeless ever since. It just felt like a Saturday.

Did everyone have a nice 4th? I hope so. I started the morning with Egon, in my opinion when you work out on a holiday you should get some sort of extra credit. I don't think it works that way but it should. After my session my mom worked out with Egon. Such a patient man. She said it was tough stuff and now she'll leave me alone about telling me what exercises to do. Seriously, best money I ever spent.

We cruised my neighborhood popped into Rebecca Taylor pre-lunch and I got an adorable shirt that was 70% off and a size 8. I'm going to overlook the fact that it's a peasant style with some give. Nope I am a SIZE EIGHT DAMMIT. Setting myself up for some tears now aren't I? We had a lovely lunch, caught up, I then deposited her in a cab and got ready for my own evening.

My friend Beth/Beazy had some peeps over, and it was a really great relaxed time. She made these little burgers with blue cheese balls stuffed into them that I think all of us could have had at least 10 of. She lives in Brooklyn and now for anyone who may be in NYC for the 4th of July let me save you some trouble. Skip the shit show that is getting to the west side for the fireworks and go to Brooklyn and get on a roof. It's the best view. You get the skyline AND the fireworks. It's the best of both worlds. Call me, I'll hook you up with a rooftop. After the fireworks we just camped out on the roof and laughed. That pretty much sums it up. I love a group of quick witted people, add in some fireworks and it's pretty heavenly.

Not drinking excessively is going well. I have kept to once a week, eaten well and moderately and it's making me a little introspective and clear headed. For now. It's helping me mull some things over, or at least be more present in my day to day life. It's help me figure out a budget for my taxes which was causing me some super angst, stay on top of my annoying life stuff, and just generally run the ship better. Not being out all the time, or just ducking my head into the sand is helping me feel better about life and therefore eat better or maybe vice versa who knows because they are so intertwined. I am getting better at being able to say no and not feel pressured to join everything because really I have to. You can't be everywhere all the time so why make yourself crazy trying, and bloated. Crazy I can deal with bloated not so much.

Fireworks! 

Very patriotic bevvies in hand. Not my man hand ps. 

Well I'm Certainly Smitten

I stumbled across Anna Goldfarb's blog Shmitten Kitten and it's purrrty freakin' fantastic. She's funny, irreverent and a smarty pants to boot. Even MORE amazingly she does mixes!! Seriously sign up for her mix of the month club. I did and it I am pretty sure it completes me. Wait, that was too far. It makes me really, really, really happy. I love a mix anytime of year but something about summer says mix tape madness even more to me. While I sweat indoors on a treadmill the soothing sounds of Shanice's " I Love Your Smile" soothes me. 

This is July's tracklist:

1. Le Blue Beat - Myriam Martin
2. The Champ - The Mohawks
3. Light My Fire - Erma Franklin
4. Why Can’t I Forget Him (feat. Nicole Wray) - Blakroc
5. Young Folks (Remix) - Kanye West, Peter Bjorn & John
6. Shanice: I Love Your Smile - DJ Jazzy Jeff & Mick Boogie
7. I Got A Man - Positive K
8. Ruffneck - MC Lyte
9. Daytona 500 [ft. Raekwon & Cappadonna] - Ghostface Killah
10. Today Was A Good Day - Ice Cube
11. Swim - Surfer Blood
12. Nunca - Trails and Ways
13. Harvest Moon - Teen Daze
14. Fifteen - Goldroom feat. Chela