Weekend Wrap-Up: ATL Meets NYC

Ever since my little brother stepped on the scene back in '86, it's been one big party. So why should this weekend be any different? Cale and his beautiful girlfriend Lane came to town to visit (well, and truth be told, to re-live the 90's at a Third Eye Blind concert), and I have to admit, we made excellent use of our limited time. We ate NY pizza like it was going out in style at Franny's AND Grimaldi's... took our Mexican obsession to a whole new level at Tacombi and Mole... shopped till we dropped in Soho... Citi-biked the Brooklyn Bridge Park (twice!)... enjoyed cocktails on the roof at Wythe Hotel with my besties Andrea, Cory, Katrina and Ty... and even found time to squeeze in a Mets Game and a late-show at the Comedy Cellar.

Needless to say, I am happily exhausted.

Here's to the best brother in the whole wide world!

One pedal and he was sold!

Perfect weather for Citi-biking down to the Brooklyn Bridge Park!

Gotta get a skyline photo!

Clearly, I'm the only one who took this picture seriously.

Cale, modeling over a lunch of tacos at Tacombi.

This is what re-living the 90's looks like!

Hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Weekend Wrap-Up: Bride-To-Be, That's Me!

Brunch at Buttermilk Channel

When I moved to NYC 5 years ago knowing only two people, I wondered how I'd ever make a group of solid girlfriends, but I'm here to declare that I HAVE THE BEST GIRLFRIENDS AROUND! They made my Bridal Shower / Bachelorette weekend so very special with brunch at Buttermilk Channel, bottomless cocktails at Jarro, happy hour in Prospect Park with games and gifts, dinner at the "ever-so-hard-to-get-into" Roberta's, a beautiful view of the city at Upper Elm and some late night dancing! Thank you, ladies!

I'll let the pictures do all the talking. It's more fun that way anyways, right?

We had to get the cooler to the park somehow!

Girl time and guac time in Prospect Park. 

An inspirational sign beckoning us on to the night's festivities.

Starting off the evening at Upper Elm in W'burg with a beautiful view of the Manhattan skyline.

And now, for the Instagrams...



Hope you have a great week!

Weekend Wrap-Up: People Lookin' to Party!

Some weekends are just so awesome that they make all the other weekends of your life look completely lame. This weekend was one of them. My sweet friends Sarah Kagan and Andrea Ryan threw an engagement party for Adam and I. While originally planned for the park, the horrendous temperatures forced us indoors to celebrate at The Gibson in Williamsburg… but we didn't let that stop us!

Our little corner, pre-party... before it was bombarded with delicious finger foods!

There were cute decorations, amazing homemade delicacies, temporary finger mustache tattoos (yes, we are almost 30) and fun party accessories. I spent half the night assuring people that I wasn’t in fact celebrating my Bachelorette weekend WITH the groom in tow, as suggested by my pink princess crown.

No party is complete without a fashionable mustache.

We were so blessed to be surrounded by all our favorite people who made us feel truly loved and celebrated! If these are the folks coming to our wedding, I’m pretty sure it’s going to be amazing!

Thank you to everyone who came out and helped organize this unforgettable night!

Oh, and… P.S. You know you’ve had a successful night when you end up busting a move latenight to the sweet grooves of the 90’s with a glow stick in one hand and a cocktail in the other!

Me and Party Host #1 - Andrea Ryan...

...and Party Host #2/Chef-Extraordinaire - Sarah Kagan

Two lovely bridesmaids-to-be.

This man contributed watermelon soaked in cheap vodka. It's safe to say we've all given up vodka... AND watermelon. Thanks, Ty!

Recovering on the rooftop Sunday morning with my bestie.

Then back at it Sunday night at Mercury Lounge to see our friend Cory Sterling's band Blank Paper! Yes, I'll be asking for a "keytar" for my birthday. How awesome is that?!?

This week, I have some amazing posts for you starting with a rockin’ recipe for Vegan Pad Thai tomorrow! In the meantime, check out Sarah’s post yesterday on Beyond The Batter, featuring her amazing baked falafel from the party! It was muy delicioso and I'm pretty sure she deserves a few more site visits today after slaving away in her kitchen making falafel for me on the hottest day of the year so far!

Hope you all have a fantastic week!

Weekend Wrap-Up: Are We There Yet?

Driving to Indiana from New York is always an adventure. Over the course of 12 hours, you cruise through New Jersey (where you can't pump your own gas), Pennsylvania (where the scenery doesn't change a lick for the 5 hours it takes to get across it AND there's absolutely no food in sight), Ohio (a much needed sign of civilization after PA) and finally Indiana (where cornfields suddenly spot the horizon, along with front porches and tractors). Usually, the drive is a breeze. Well, mainly a breeze for me since I have no trouble falling asleep in the car, snoozing the hours away while Adam drives.

But this trip... this trip was cursed from the start. Our rental car stunk of dead squirrel, though there were no dead squirrels (or dead bodies in the trunk, we checked!), and unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, we weren't able to swap it out. Thank God for Febreeze! Next up was the "purse incident". We stopped at a gas station in Pennsylvania and somehow my purse managed to end up in the toilet... face down and open. Oh...and the bathroom sink wasn't working so I was unable to lather up after diving in for my valuables. Thank God for hand sanitizer! Then there was the torrential downpour in the middle of the night while driving through miles of construction and concrete barriers that IF they had been any closer, would have been inside the car. Oh, and let's not forget the 16-hour drive on the way back due to construction, with 2 hours spent basically parked on the interstate and running out of gas.

But though the black cloud traveled with us this time, it was worth every minute! I got to spend lots of time with Adam's family and his beautiful nieces outside under the big, blue skies. I went on a booze cruise with a band who shared my appreciation for Stevie Wonder, ZZ Top and Southern Rock. I found my wedding dress! And I ate like a queen! These people know how to cook!

And now, the long weekend in pictures...

The lovely Zuri (who now calls me Aunt Lauren, I melt)...

...and her equally beautiful older sister Arianna...

...and one of the two twins (is it bad I had no idea which one I was holding?).

The "big kids" rigging our fireworks display in a beer bottle.

Zuri took it upon herself to kiss the pain away after Uncle Adam got hurt (by the way, I called that one).

But he lived to see another day...

 

...and another sunset.

And then mustered up the determination to grill some corn on the cob (along with a snapping turtle... after all, we were in Indiana, y'all).

Dinner was delish - grilled shrimp, sauteed kale, corn on the cob and grilled turtle (guess which one I didn't try?).

And then there were sparklers!

The next day, the "fun girls" hit the streets.

And I was having so much fun that Nurse Zuri felt it necessary to take my blood pressure, just to be sure I wasn't overexerting myself.

Then we practiced a little soccer with the soon-to-be all-world pro, Ari...

...and tried to wear out Adam's dog, Tucker (to which we failed miserably). He never tires.

Saturday night, we booze-cruised down Lake Freeman on the Madam Carroll with the band Swim Skinny. Those hot pants say it all.

And can I just say that this is the most awesome 92-year old woman ever? She was the singer's grandmother and quite possibly his biggest groupie.

You know you've had too much fun when somebody's face ends up Sharpie'd.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday! This week, we continue our series on GMOs, so get ready for another mind-blowing post from Shanna!

Weekend Wrap-Up: Over the River and Through the Woods

Finally! The sun broke through the rain clouds and allowed us a trip upstate to Beacon, New York, for some good old fashioned hiking and camping this past weekend. If you've never been, Malouf's Mountain Sunset Campground is a great place to get out of the city without spending a fortune. Honestly, you feel worlds away when you're there and in my opinion, there's no better place to rest and recharge your battery. 

This time around, Andrea and Cory joined us for a little double-date camping expedition. Best part? Swimming in the reservoir and catching frogs and other slimy things. It was just like an episode out of The Andy Griffith Show (but without the fishing poles).

And now for photos...

We both agreed that waking up early on a Saturday would be well worth it...

... if only to spend 24 hours with this crazy duo,

... and get these amazing views of the Hudson River. 

Adam showing his disdain for the newest addition to the trail. 

Catching some rays at the Reservoir (thanks for the new Keens, dad!)

Adam kept it nutritious with a massaged kale salad with apples, cranberries and almonds.  

The suicidal cicada we saved from an untimely death in the water. 

Hard to believe we were only one hour north of the 'Concrete Jungle'. 

Our home for the night at Malouf's Mountain Sunset Campground. 

Grilled corn on the cob and baby bok choy.

The hike out... right before the post-camping depression set in.

Somebody had too much fun...

...and missed the best part of the train ride - Bannerman Castle. 

My old roomie, camping buddy and soon-to-be bridesmaid Andrea (who doubles as a strobe light on the weekends).

Wishing you all a wonderful week! Remember, take some time to recharge your battery... it's so important!