a city life

it has been a while, i know.
zach and I were lucky enough to enjoy a WHOLE week in new york city and although a week long vacation is a-mazing it has taken me a WHOLE week to catch up.
none the less, lets talk about new york!
we had the most amazing time. because of the generosity of some extended family friends we were able to 'live' in the city instead of simply vacation there. we arrived to a small but overly adequate apartment in the lower east side of manhattan where we were greeted by two precious kitties, a detailed and personally written guide to the neighborhood & city, five flights of stairs, sunny weather, and limitless possibilities. most other vacations are confined by the pressure of time limits, but this one was long enough to eliminate the desire to cram everything into each day. after referencing 'miranda's guide to nyc' and a few other published guides we made an agenda which consisted of one 'must do' a day. but, in general, we woke up without an alarm clock, went walking for hours, had mid afternoon naps, ate really good food, drank expensive beer, laughed lots, saw lots, and took lots of pictures.
here are a few of the highlights:
walking the brooklyn bridge

having drinks at this "new to us" bar

moseying around chelsea market, and union square,


and taking the ferry to the statue of liberty and ellis island

but most of all - spending time relaxing. together.


oh, and after extensive testing and examination - we still can't decide if pinkberry or red mango is better.

always on my mind

i sure wish real money was as easy to come by as monopoly money. i have so many ideas for my house and so few dollars to spend on them. i have a small notebook in my purse where i write down ideas as they come to me. the only problem with this little idea book is the fact that there is absolutely no rhyme or reason to it. i have notes about the house, work, gifts, food, you name it, all stuffed onto a few pages in a small notebook. SO, i have decided to prioritize.
lets talk house:
the first area in need of improvement is my dining room. we spend very little time in this room, but its bare walls are always on my mind. although we do have some great pieces; my parents passed down chandelier and buffet, a new and large table, and a painting passed to us via my grandparents, much of the space (wall space in particular) is bare. So here are some ideas i have for whenever my "home improvement savings account" somehow acquires moolah.
I have thought of mirror backing old shutters to hang on the wall

picture via

or displaying beautiful plates/china on the walls


design by and painting by

or finding large sconces of some sort.


picture via

other rooms on my "top priority list"

master bath -looking for a large piece of framed photography that takes my breath away.

patio - longing to add a cover of lattice and vines and hanging lanterns, like this:

patio design by new york architect SchappacherWhite Ltd.

we should start playing the lottery, to increase our chances of becoming rich...
because i haven't even let myself begin to think of ideas for our upstairs...

samples, samples, samples

in our business we create samples, many, many samples. (by we i mean the talented and experienced painters, namely my father and grandfather, that work for our company, not me.) after many years of accumulation it was decided that hanging these samples on the walls would be the best way to preserve and display them. They began covering the walls in one small room, and over the years have covered more walls, even creating free standing walls and additional rooms to accommodate the masses. last weekend i began the task of labeling each of the samples along with their corresponding wall space. in my head this task was going to be quick and easy, however in reality it is long and tedious. that being said i have to admit that i have thoroughly enjoyed this little project. i am only about 1/8th of the way finished (so my tune may change over time), but taking a minute to look at each of these 'pieces of art' has been so interesting. a select few have been written on indicating the year and job they were created for, and with a little help from my dad and grandfather i can get a great narrative to boot.

it truly amazes me what these men can do with a paintbrush...for example:

they can make standard oak look like knotted pine


or sheets of marble


they make headboards look as if they were made with bamboo


and ceilings look as if they were covered with glass


seriously.

We Have Keys!

Over the weekend we received a very exciting post card with 3 keys attached. In less than two weeks the hubby and I are off to New York City to cat/apartment sit for some extended friends of the family. We will be staying a week, pretending to be residents in one of the greatest citys in the world. I can not wait! Zach and I have a history in the city. He asked me to be his wife there, we have countless great memories there, and are very grateful to the people who have offered their home to us.
A FEW of the things I am most looking forward to:
1. a picnic in central park
2. drinking wine on the rooftop
3. perusing flea markets
4. people watching in Bryant Park
5. having dinner at Lupa
6. exploring Brooklyn
7. eating at Katz's Deli
8. spending afternoons in the East River Park
9. and playing with two cute kitties

my monday - friday

Here are a few little things that make me happy during my work week:

the fresh flowers dad brings into my office from our courtyard


my mid-morning caffine fix


finding sweet notes, secretly stashed by my hubby


my kick-a** color calander


the yummy fresh fruit my grandpa brings in


when my office supply drawer looks like this

and all the cool projects going on in the back...like these mini chairs!

smile

picture via
Towards the end of a recent and intense spin class my instructor yelled out, "Smile, you all have limbs that work". So while my legs ached and sweat poured off of me, I smiled. I haven't been able to stop thinking about this request since class. Spin is one of the 5 classes at our gym that I attend weekly, and one of the 5 classes I continually fight myself to show up to, let alone get through. But, upon an instructor's request I began thinking of how much I take for granted. I do have legs and arms that work. I should use them as often as I can, and be appreciative of their abilities. There are endless extensions of this thought process, much of which continues to stream through my mind. I have a voice, I have shoes on my feet, I have freedom, I have a home and food to eat. I assume, or at least hope, that all of us are guilty of taking these such things for granted. Maybe we should all try to take some time to remind each other of how fortunate we are.

whirlwind

Lordy - what a weekend...
Friday afternoon I packed up my car with three girls and lots of dresses. We traveled to Shreveport, LA for a weekend of celebrating one of our besties last few days as an unmarried woman. It was definitely a trip to remember - or not. We danced, sang, laughed, ate, and drank our weight in alcohol. Although we had an amazing time together I sure don't want to do it again any time soon. I think I am still recovering.
On another note I have been strongly considering getting another tattoo. I have the desire, but no idea what I want to get or where. So since they are permanent and all I guess I will be spending a little more time thinking about it. This picture by ania maria caught my eye on Simply Hue.