Of the moment // 6.5.15
One of the reasons why I blog is simply to have the space to write: getting things “on paper” helps me to process my feelings and organize my thoughts. I also love having a record of my life over the past few years: a place that holds all of my stories, my photos, the ups and downs of travel. But sometimes, I also just want to remember and share the little things that brought me day-to-day joy. Every Friday, I’ll give you a peek into the book I currently can’t put down, a great restaurant discovery, a fun new product or an inspiring quote: a few things that I think you might enjoy before we all take off into the glory that is the weekend!
Confession: I didn’t work out once in April or May. While my boyfriend trained for a half marathon, I caught up with friends left and right–and cancelled my yoga studio membership, never made it to the gym, and justified every bike ride to work as “doing something.” So! On Sunday night, I realized that I just didn’t feel as fit/toned/healthy as I usually do–and I decided that the start of a new month was an opportunity to shift some habits. I’ll be traveling a bunch this month–and spending a lot of time on the beach–so I wanted something that was easy and effective. Enter: the 30-day squat challenge and the 30-day plank challenge. I’m trying to squeeze in 15 minutes of exercise in my room in the mornings: a quick warm-up, a few sun salutations, squats, planks, push-ups and sit-ups. It’s such a nice addition to my morning meditation, and my goal is to keep it up all summer!
New York City
The highlight of the last week: meeting Doug the Pug in Central Park! It was everything Insta-dreams are made of, and he was just as wrinkly and adorable in real life as he is on the Instagram.
Drinks
My friend Jillian and I have birthdays that are only a few days apart, so we decided to trade in our weekly latte date for a glass of prosecco on a rooftop to celebrate. We headed to Gallow Green, which is basically my new favorite bar: city AND river views, so much flowers and foliage, and delicious drinks. Bonus: we’re both obsessed with pugs, and we got each other pug cards–which gave us both a good laugh. ‘Twas a delightful way to bring in our 27th year!
Jewels
The newest addition to my everyday cuff game: this perfect gold Wanderlust bracelet from Bing Bang. It’s the best when I can wear some of my love of travel during my work-routine-life in New York City!
Reads
For Christmas last year, I gave my mom Word To Your Mailbox: it’s basically a book-of-the-month club curated by my favorite independent bookstore in Greenpoint. And it’s the gift that keeps on giving! My mom just finished The Book of Unknown Americans, and passed it on to me–and it was the perfect bus ride read on my way down to Atlantic City last weekend. I actually forgot it in the hotel room when I was about halfway through–and couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I just bought another copy! [Note: the photo above is from Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, my favorite secondhand bookstore in the city and where I used to volunteer as a barista!]
Words
“Among the things you can give and still keep are your word, a smile and a grateful heart.” -Zig Ziglar
This weekend, I’m flying to CURACAO! It’s a solo trip, and my seventh birthday-in-a-new-country trip, and it’s going to be four glorious days of sunny beaches and colorful streets and joyous times. Bonus: my boyfriend surprised me with my own set of noise-canceling headphones for my birthday, which is going to make the JetBlue flight even easier! I’m so excited!
