Of the moment // 1.27.17
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!
One of my favorite quotes to live by is: “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” We’re in the midst of some wedding planning details, and one of the things I’ve realized is: if you assume that “wedding planning is stressful” and “everything has to look like a magazine spread” and “it’s all going to be perfect,” you are going to become a completely obsessed ball of stress. Basically, you’ll fulfill all those awful bridezilla nightmares. I actually see this in myself in travel too–if I’m too worried about things going wrong (aka missing my connection, being scammed, the hotel not being up to par), it will often become a self-fulfilling prophecy and I’m too stressed out to enjoy things. Moral of the story is that we are very intentionally taking the opposite approach and trying to take the most laid-back approach to wedding planning–and it hasn’t been too stressful at all so far. I know that this might change closer to the date, but so far, so good. My current goal is to maintain those chill vibes as much as possible, and prove that you can have a fun and meaningful wedding without it taking over your life in the months prior.
Drinks
I had a latte date with a girlfriend at Pietro Nolita this week, a new little “healthy Italian” place that is completely and utterly PINK. It’s pretty cute, and although the coffees were delicious, the menu looked delicious–I think I want to go back for a full breakfast next time!
Eats
I had a really fun lunch with a couple of friends at Rosemary’s to test out a few wines from Franciacorta, a wine region in Italy that’s known for its sparkling wines. I actually really love sparkling wine–in Australia, it’s pretty standard for people to order a sparkling wine on a Friday night whereas in America I feel like we still reserve champagne and prosecco for special occasions (ultimate marketing ploy!). Anyway, we had sparkling rosé with lunch (it was 50 degrees out, practically tropical) and I was pleased to discover that it’s actually a really nice thing to drink during a meal. I’m also dying to visit Italy to go wine tasting now! Also: this was my first time at Rosemary’s and it is SO good. The interior is gorgeous, so I recommend popping in for lunch–and don’t miss the burrata and focaccia!
Beauty
Quick weird fact about me: I love smelling different shower gels. It’s one of my strange quirks that when I travel, I like going into foreign drugstores and smelling all the different scent combinations (it also takes me a VERY long time to decide on a new shower gel in drugstores at home). Unsurprisingly, I especially like doing this in France–whenever I’m there, I usually pick up a new shower gel by Le Petit Marseillais and bring it home with me. SO I was super excited to discover that Le Petit Marseillais is now being sold in the USA, in Walgreens and on Amazon and likely in more stores as the launch goes on. This makes me slightly sad that I won’t have something to look forward to in French drugstores, but it does leave me extra room in my suitcase for other goodies, so I guess I’ll take it! And in case you were wondering, my favorite scent combination is definitely Nectarine Peach, although Lavender Honey is a close second (especially for nighttime showers).
Reads
My book club read for this month is Today Will Be Different, and I sped through it by the pool in San Juan. It was the perfect beach read: nothing too serious, but compelling enough to keep you turning the pages. It’s by the author of Where’d You Go Bernadette, and to be honest, I think I preferred that one. The author’s style can seem a little scattered, and I’m not quite all of my questions were resolved in the ending–that said, I do think it will be a fun one to discuss next week!
Words
“Take chances, make mistakes. That’s how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.” -Mary Tyler Moore [is anyone offended if I start pairing gratuitous photos of my pug with inspirational quotes to end the week?]
This weekend, we’re heading to this cute little place in the Catskills for a weekend away with David’s sister and her fiance! I’m excited for board games and hot chocolate by the wood-burning fireplace, and chilly walks through the woods in the fresh air with Gert.
