As of today (well, yesterday, officially), I am done with all the undergraduate classes I will ever take. And now I am happily enjoying the most college-y beverage I can think of (Jager and root beer...a no-go if you don't like the taste of licorice) and getting ready to attend L.'s and the Octet's final a cappella concert ever, which may bring a tear or two to my eye.
Also, in one short week we are leaving for Hilton Head.
Finally, I know Blogger has been rull messed up the last couple days, but WHAT happened to all the lovely comments you guys left me on my apartment post?! They were so sweet, and I was so excited about them, and now they are just GONE. And I want answers.
I hope you guys have wonderful weekends, and to all of y'all who are graduating this weekend, congrats! I can't wait to join your ranks on June 5. In the meantime, I'll get back to finishing the last undergraduate paper I will ever write and enjoying decidedly frat boy beverages before I'm not allowed to anymore. <3
Showing posts with label L.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label L.. Show all posts
Friday, May 13, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
our new LA apartment!
Hi!
I'm still here. In case you were wondering.
The unexpected, impromptu blog break was partially a result of finishing and presenting my thesis, finishing undergraduate classes forever, getting ready for Hilton Head, and other end-of-the-year time demands.But mostly, last week was full of calls, emails, faxes, scans, and finally, celebrations, because L. and I just signed a lease on our very first apartment together!
You have no idea how excited I am about this. See, our great big move to California in June is fairly up in the air at this point. I have not officially accepted a job, though I expect to have two offers by the time we move out there, we haven't finalized our route across the country or where/with whom we're staying, and until last week, we didn't even have an apartment waiting for us when we got there.
If you know anything about me, at all, you know that this lack of a plan= major anxiety for Michelle.But then, L.'s parents so, so generously decided to drive into LA two weekends in a row to scope out some places that we were interested in for us. There was some good, some bad, and some really ugly.
I think this article sums it up pretty well.At first, I was a little bummed that we weren't getting to do the process ourselves. I had always built up the time that I would finally get my first apartment, how I would schedule tons of viewings and run my hand along granite countertops and envision where my white slipcovered sofa would go...
But I realized that having L.'s parents help out was more helpful than I ever could have imagined. L. starts his job on June 27, and we're only arriving in LA less than a week before that. Could we really have found a place--a good, safe place--in that amount of time? Plus, a lot of the complexes book a month or two months in advance. What if we had gotten there in June and there were no openings until August? We thought about subletting, but some questionable Craig's List interactions made us shy away from that. Plus, I was just anxious to have our own place, all ours, right when we got out there.
On their second weekend looking, L.'s parents found the place. THE place. I had spied it online and was really excited about it...but not so much about the rent. It's definitely not cheap. Doable, but not cheap. And when they got inside, it turned out to be everything we wanted, PLUS. It's luxurious--way more luxurious than I ever imagined my first apartment out of college would be. But that's not the reason we were willing to pay a little more. It's in Brentwood, in a super cute, nice, safe, and walkable neighborhood. We have a Whole Food's, a Pinkberry, a Starbucks, a movie theatre, a million restaurants, and everything else we could need no more than a 10 minute walk away. It's only a ten minute drive for L. to work, and if I work at one of the agencies, it's less than a twenty minute drive to Beverly Hills.
And the management is so, so great--we've spoken on the phone with, emailed, and just generally bothered our manager so many times in the last week or so, and she's been so pleasant and lovely the whole time. And unlike some other horror stories I've read (I'm looking at you, Park La Brea), I don't think that she was just putting on a show to get us to sign the lease. I'm really comfortable having her as our manager.But I know what you guys really want. The pictures! Here it is, my shining little baby. (I'm obsessed. Could you tell?)
The lobby. I love that it has a hint of Spanish flair, but it still manages to avoid being tacky.
The courtyard. That fountain lights up at night!
Ahh, friend. You and I are going to have some sunny, lazy days together.
And now the interior! My favorite.
The entryway/living room/dining room. I believe the bedroom would be behind you if you were standing here. I love the open floor plan and the neutral tones. Actually, that accent wall (you'll see it in the bedroom too) is painted by the staff, and you can choose from about 10 different colors. I really like that one, but I'm excited to flip through the options!
I also was dead-set on hardwood floors, because the thought of old carpets that who-knows how many people before us had lived on really grossed me out. Plus, carpet is so '90s. But, they're completely steam-cleaning, if not replacing entirely, the carpet that's in there, so it was a small con on a very, very long list of pros?
Oh, and beyond those sliding glass doors? Our patio. It's almost as big as the bedroom. Swoon. I can't wait to make some yummy meals out there and enjoy them with L. while watching the sunset. Also note the AC. Major plus.
Around that corner on the left, you'll find...
The kitchen! This is what really sealed the deal. for me, at least. And the bathroom too, but we'll get to that. The granite countertops. GRANITE COUNTERTOPS. And the stainless steel appliances! (Well, except the fridge. You can't have it all.) My mouth waters just THINKING of all the gourmet meals I can whip up in there. The brushed nickel hardware makes my knees a little weak, too.
And now the OTHER thing that sealed the deal:
The bathroom! I have never in my life been so excited over a bathroom. Again, the granite countertops and the brushed nickel hardware are so luxe and so contemporary. And even though I'm usually a fan of white cabinetry in kitchens and bathrooms (and dark wood furniture), I really like this birch. It's not as dated as oak and I like that it's not as orange as oak, either.
And finally, we have:
The bedroom. There's that other accent wall, and a closer look at that taupey-gray color I love and think I will request. I love that window; it's large enough to let in lots of light but the design also gives us lots of privacy. I'm also really happy there's a ceiling fan in here, so we can hopefully use the AC less at night.
So there you have it. Our new apartment. I am positively giddy about the idea of moving to such a gorgeous place with my wonderful boyfriend. And, as you can imagine, now that we have the place I have been going nuts hunting for furniture, decor, utensils, appliances, etc. etc. etc. online and stashing them in all sorts of bookmarked folders. Since the apartment is already so nice and neutral--the beige floors, the taupey-tan accent walls, the light granite--and since we both really like neutral, anyway, I've been hunting down lots items that will fit in really well with that scheme. I'm thinking lots of metallics--platinum, nickel, silver, charcoal, gold--lots of glass, lots of white, gray, and some pops of yellow and maybe turquoise to liven it up. For wood, I'm thinking cherry or espresso-colored pieces, and for furniture, I am all about the white slipcovers.
Actually, L.'s parents have this huge queen sleeper-sofa that they have generously offered to donate to our cause. The one issue? It's fire-engine, primary red. L. and I aren't really about the bright warm colors, and I suspect his parents aren't, either, so there was this polite back-and-forth about the whole thing for awhile. But finally we realized we're poor, we need somewhere for guests to sleep, and we would be stupid not to take it. I was trying to figure out how we were going to work around a huge red eyesore in the middle of our apartment, but then L.'s parents, who were trying to figure out how to have it shipped to Brentwood for us for the day we move in, found a place that will pick it up and drop it off, but in between, will slipcover it! So as a graduation gift to us they are having it slipcovered white. It's going to look gorgeous and I can't WAIT to see it.
This post is long enough as it is, but I really want to share with you guys what I've been looking at in terms of pillows, furniture, etc. I'll definitely do that soon! In the meantime, I'm going to go drool over our new apartment some more...
I'm still here. In case you were wondering.
The unexpected, impromptu blog break was partially a result of finishing and presenting my thesis, finishing undergraduate classes forever, getting ready for Hilton Head, and other end-of-the-year time demands.But mostly, last week was full of calls, emails, faxes, scans, and finally, celebrations, because L. and I just signed a lease on our very first apartment together!
You have no idea how excited I am about this. See, our great big move to California in June is fairly up in the air at this point. I have not officially accepted a job, though I expect to have two offers by the time we move out there, we haven't finalized our route across the country or where/with whom we're staying, and until last week, we didn't even have an apartment waiting for us when we got there.
If you know anything about me, at all, you know that this lack of a plan= major anxiety for Michelle.But then, L.'s parents so, so generously decided to drive into LA two weekends in a row to scope out some places that we were interested in for us. There was some good, some bad, and some really ugly.
I think this article sums it up pretty well.At first, I was a little bummed that we weren't getting to do the process ourselves. I had always built up the time that I would finally get my first apartment, how I would schedule tons of viewings and run my hand along granite countertops and envision where my white slipcovered sofa would go...
But I realized that having L.'s parents help out was more helpful than I ever could have imagined. L. starts his job on June 27, and we're only arriving in LA less than a week before that. Could we really have found a place--a good, safe place--in that amount of time? Plus, a lot of the complexes book a month or two months in advance. What if we had gotten there in June and there were no openings until August? We thought about subletting, but some questionable Craig's List interactions made us shy away from that. Plus, I was just anxious to have our own place, all ours, right when we got out there.
On their second weekend looking, L.'s parents found the place. THE place. I had spied it online and was really excited about it...but not so much about the rent. It's definitely not cheap. Doable, but not cheap. And when they got inside, it turned out to be everything we wanted, PLUS. It's luxurious--way more luxurious than I ever imagined my first apartment out of college would be. But that's not the reason we were willing to pay a little more. It's in Brentwood, in a super cute, nice, safe, and walkable neighborhood. We have a Whole Food's, a Pinkberry, a Starbucks, a movie theatre, a million restaurants, and everything else we could need no more than a 10 minute walk away. It's only a ten minute drive for L. to work, and if I work at one of the agencies, it's less than a twenty minute drive to Beverly Hills.
And the management is so, so great--we've spoken on the phone with, emailed, and just generally bothered our manager so many times in the last week or so, and she's been so pleasant and lovely the whole time. And unlike some other horror stories I've read (I'm looking at you, Park La Brea), I don't think that she was just putting on a show to get us to sign the lease. I'm really comfortable having her as our manager.But I know what you guys really want. The pictures! Here it is, my shining little baby. (I'm obsessed. Could you tell?)
The lobby. I love that it has a hint of Spanish flair, but it still manages to avoid being tacky.
The courtyard. That fountain lights up at night!
Ahh, friend. You and I are going to have some sunny, lazy days together.
And now the interior! My favorite.
The entryway/living room/dining room. I believe the bedroom would be behind you if you were standing here. I love the open floor plan and the neutral tones. Actually, that accent wall (you'll see it in the bedroom too) is painted by the staff, and you can choose from about 10 different colors. I really like that one, but I'm excited to flip through the options!
I also was dead-set on hardwood floors, because the thought of old carpets that who-knows how many people before us had lived on really grossed me out. Plus, carpet is so '90s. But, they're completely steam-cleaning, if not replacing entirely, the carpet that's in there, so it was a small con on a very, very long list of pros?
Oh, and beyond those sliding glass doors? Our patio. It's almost as big as the bedroom. Swoon. I can't wait to make some yummy meals out there and enjoy them with L. while watching the sunset. Also note the AC. Major plus.
Around that corner on the left, you'll find...
The kitchen! This is what really sealed the deal. for me, at least. And the bathroom too, but we'll get to that. The granite countertops. GRANITE COUNTERTOPS. And the stainless steel appliances! (Well, except the fridge. You can't have it all.) My mouth waters just THINKING of all the gourmet meals I can whip up in there. The brushed nickel hardware makes my knees a little weak, too.
And now the OTHER thing that sealed the deal:
The bathroom! I have never in my life been so excited over a bathroom. Again, the granite countertops and the brushed nickel hardware are so luxe and so contemporary. And even though I'm usually a fan of white cabinetry in kitchens and bathrooms (and dark wood furniture), I really like this birch. It's not as dated as oak and I like that it's not as orange as oak, either.
And finally, we have:
The bedroom. There's that other accent wall, and a closer look at that taupey-gray color I love and think I will request. I love that window; it's large enough to let in lots of light but the design also gives us lots of privacy. I'm also really happy there's a ceiling fan in here, so we can hopefully use the AC less at night.
So there you have it. Our new apartment. I am positively giddy about the idea of moving to such a gorgeous place with my wonderful boyfriend. And, as you can imagine, now that we have the place I have been going nuts hunting for furniture, decor, utensils, appliances, etc. etc. etc. online and stashing them in all sorts of bookmarked folders. Since the apartment is already so nice and neutral--the beige floors, the taupey-tan accent walls, the light granite--and since we both really like neutral, anyway, I've been hunting down lots items that will fit in really well with that scheme. I'm thinking lots of metallics--platinum, nickel, silver, charcoal, gold--lots of glass, lots of white, gray, and some pops of yellow and maybe turquoise to liven it up. For wood, I'm thinking cherry or espresso-colored pieces, and for furniture, I am all about the white slipcovers.
Actually, L.'s parents have this huge queen sleeper-sofa that they have generously offered to donate to our cause. The one issue? It's fire-engine, primary red. L. and I aren't really about the bright warm colors, and I suspect his parents aren't, either, so there was this polite back-and-forth about the whole thing for awhile. But finally we realized we're poor, we need somewhere for guests to sleep, and we would be stupid not to take it. I was trying to figure out how we were going to work around a huge red eyesore in the middle of our apartment, but then L.'s parents, who were trying to figure out how to have it shipped to Brentwood for us for the day we move in, found a place that will pick it up and drop it off, but in between, will slipcover it! So as a graduation gift to us they are having it slipcovered white. It's going to look gorgeous and I can't WAIT to see it.
This post is long enough as it is, but I really want to share with you guys what I've been looking at in terms of pillows, furniture, etc. I'll definitely do that soon! In the meantime, I'm going to go drool over our new apartment some more...
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
A Whirlwind Weekend
Last weekend was almost too much awesomeness packed into three days. Friday night we threw L. a birthday party for his 22nd, Saturday night was Williams' annual senior party, 100 days, marking the 100-day-and-counting mark until graduation (hurry up!), and Sunday was both Oscars day and L.'s actual birthday, for which we went out for Mexican and ate wayy too much cake.
Phew. I'm tired just thinking about it all again...and thinking about all the cake and punch I drank, I am very, VERY sorry to my body, which only wants for spring break the week after next to NOT have to swelter in jeans and sweaters in warm So. Cal. weather. Sorry body.
But I got to wear pretty dresses two nights in a row and actually put on more makeup than just a quick swipe of mascara--hell, I actually wore REAL clothes at all instead of hanging out on the couch in yoga pants and a sweatshirt--so the weekend has to be a win in my book. Here's me and my girl Sara at L.'s party Friday!
L. didn't get dressed up for his party (universal law of boys v. girls--if it's a boy's birthday he DOESN'T HAVE TO get dressed up, whereas if it's a girl's birthday she can no matter what, even if no one else does...except her boyfriend probably has to, too), but he had to get dressed up with me Saturday night for 100 Days! Muahaha.
I didn't get a picture of the Red Velvet cupcakes with which I surprised L. at his party, but I DID manage to snap one of the cake I surprised him with Sunday at our big birthday dinner! BUT it came out badly. So you'll have to take my word for it that it was very pretty.
Poor guy. It's got to get confusing when your girlfriend is yelling at you to go to the gym with her every day, but essentially throwing confectionery goods at you left and right.
But the cake was good.
I also got him the best presents he got from anyone, and I was SO HUMBLE about it too. Not. I'm REALLY into giving presents.
A Danny Woodhead jersey. I think the face says it all.
And an old train stops-inspired print that I made on Photoshop with lots of iconic/places that have meaning to us in LA, which let's face it, is also a gift for me because it's going to look SO pretty in a white frame hung up in our apartment! Here's the .jpeg:
It was super easy to make, and it cost less than $2.00 to print! I'll have to buy a frame, but if I pick up a cheap one from Ikea we will have our first piece of art for our new apartment for around $10 clams. Not too bad!
Needless to say, this past weekend was not NEARLY as eventful. We had a lot of work to catch up on, and I was still trying to purge my system of all the baked goods and punch (vodka, Crystal Light raspberry lemonade, ice, and Sprite...make it! It's SO good) to which I had subjected it, so I enjoyed curling up on the couch in leggings and a hoodie and watching some good movies (we saw The Kids Are All Right for the second time and I liked it even better than the first!)
Oh, and on Saturday L.'s a cappella group, the Octet, had their mid-semester concert.
Here they are singing "Absolutely (Story of a Girl) by Nine Days."
And here's a little treat for you--their Taylor Swift medley.
It was awesome.
Phew. I'm tired just thinking about it all again...and thinking about all the cake and punch I drank, I am very, VERY sorry to my body, which only wants for spring break the week after next to NOT have to swelter in jeans and sweaters in warm So. Cal. weather. Sorry body.
But I got to wear pretty dresses two nights in a row and actually put on more makeup than just a quick swipe of mascara--hell, I actually wore REAL clothes at all instead of hanging out on the couch in yoga pants and a sweatshirt--so the weekend has to be a win in my book. Here's me and my girl Sara at L.'s party Friday!
L. didn't get dressed up for his party (universal law of boys v. girls--if it's a boy's birthday he DOESN'T HAVE TO get dressed up, whereas if it's a girl's birthday she can no matter what, even if no one else does...except her boyfriend probably has to, too), but he had to get dressed up with me Saturday night for 100 Days! Muahaha.
I didn't get a picture of the Red Velvet cupcakes with which I surprised L. at his party, but I DID manage to snap one of the cake I surprised him with Sunday at our big birthday dinner! BUT it came out badly. So you'll have to take my word for it that it was very pretty.
Poor guy. It's got to get confusing when your girlfriend is yelling at you to go to the gym with her every day, but essentially throwing confectionery goods at you left and right.
But the cake was good.
I also got him the best presents he got from anyone, and I was SO HUMBLE about it too. Not. I'm REALLY into giving presents.
A Danny Woodhead jersey. I think the face says it all.
And an old train stops-inspired print that I made on Photoshop with lots of iconic/places that have meaning to us in LA, which let's face it, is also a gift for me because it's going to look SO pretty in a white frame hung up in our apartment! Here's the .jpeg:
It was super easy to make, and it cost less than $2.00 to print! I'll have to buy a frame, but if I pick up a cheap one from Ikea we will have our first piece of art for our new apartment for around $10 clams. Not too bad!
Needless to say, this past weekend was not NEARLY as eventful. We had a lot of work to catch up on, and I was still trying to purge my system of all the baked goods and punch (vodka, Crystal Light raspberry lemonade, ice, and Sprite...make it! It's SO good) to which I had subjected it, so I enjoyed curling up on the couch in leggings and a hoodie and watching some good movies (we saw The Kids Are All Right for the second time and I liked it even better than the first!)
Oh, and on Saturday L.'s a cappella group, the Octet, had their mid-semester concert.
Here they are singing "Absolutely (Story of a Girl) by Nine Days."
And here's a little treat for you--their Taylor Swift medley.
It was awesome.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
2010 in Review
I can't believe New Year's Eve is tomorrow!
Goodbye, 2010! In the past year, I...
Turned 21!
Went to Santa Barbara with L. as my 21st birthday present.
Celebrated L.'s 21st.
Went to Hawaii for the first time ever! (And have been dying to go back ever since!)
Celebrated my one-year blogging anniversary.
Had an amazing summer in which L. and I officially tested the waters living together and I worked full-time at my wonderful job in publishing (which I'm going to miss so much!) Oh, and hung out with Justin Long too.
Started my senior year at Williams. (In the same year Williams was named the #1 college in America by Forbes! Yay Williams!)
Attended my brother's wedding.
Celebrated L.'s and my two year anniversary.
Went to my first ever NFL game (and first ever Packers game!)
. . .Looking ahead to 2011, it is going to be a BIG one for me. In it, I will...
Turn 22 (the age to me that seems truly "adult-y")
Finish my thesis! Oh joyful day! (Here's hoping I can keep it under 100 pages...)
Have a fantastic Senior Week, which will include traveling with all my friends to Hilton Head, dinners, parties, champagne brunches, all culminating in the day I...
Graduate from college!!!
Pack everything I own in L.'s Subaru and move across the country/move in together.
Begin working full-time hopefully at the job of my dreams for which I'm interviewing in March (fingers crossed it all works out!)
Adopt a puppy (?!?!)
I can't wait. And I can't wait to share it all with you guys! Things can only get more interesting from here on out...
Monday, November 1, 2010
Happy Two-Year Anniversary, L.!
I can't wait to post my Halloween re-cap tomorrow, but today is devoted to wishing my wonderful boyfriend of two years a very happy anniversary!
L.--
You've been my very best friend in all the time we've known each other, and it's only relatively recently in that time I've been lucky enough to know you that you've also grown to be the greatest boyfriend I ever could have hoped for. Before then, you sat with me while I cried about my first big breakup, you watched me rebound with people you knew were terrible for me--but you never judged--and you cuddled with me when none of those other guys would have cared. It seemed for awhile that we would never quite get our timing right, and sometimes it's scary to think how close we came to missing out on what has become two of the most exciting, challenging, growth-filled years of my life. You make me feel loved each and every day with the tiny things you do for me, such as getting me surprise small presents like my Aaron Rodgers jersey (even though you're a Patriots fan!), pretty rings from Etsy, flowers, and dvds of my favorite shows. Sometimes you go all out, like planning surprise birthday parties or flying me to Santa Barbara with you for my 21st. I think our relationship is best summed up by the impromptu, spontaneous, and very crazy trip I took from New Hampshire to Santa Barbara to be with you for New Year's only two months after we had started dating. No one could understand why after only two months I needed to fly 3,000 miles to spend a few days together, but you and I both knew from the beginning--even though we agreed to "take it slow" and "keep it quiet" that now that we had finally gotten our timing right, we were in it for the long haul. And now we're planning our cross-country move together in only seven months! I can't wait to pack up my childhood room, throw some things in your Subaru, and embark on our next new great adventure together. I'm sure life in a new city and a new (our first!) apartment will include some downsides (and possibly some cockroaches?), but I can't wait to experience it with you.
I love you Lucas!
xoxo,
Michelle
L.--
You've been my very best friend in all the time we've known each other, and it's only relatively recently in that time I've been lucky enough to know you that you've also grown to be the greatest boyfriend I ever could have hoped for. Before then, you sat with me while I cried about my first big breakup, you watched me rebound with people you knew were terrible for me--but you never judged--and you cuddled with me when none of those other guys would have cared. It seemed for awhile that we would never quite get our timing right, and sometimes it's scary to think how close we came to missing out on what has become two of the most exciting, challenging, growth-filled years of my life. You make me feel loved each and every day with the tiny things you do for me, such as getting me surprise small presents like my Aaron Rodgers jersey (even though you're a Patriots fan!), pretty rings from Etsy, flowers, and dvds of my favorite shows. Sometimes you go all out, like planning surprise birthday parties or flying me to Santa Barbara with you for my 21st. I think our relationship is best summed up by the impromptu, spontaneous, and very crazy trip I took from New Hampshire to Santa Barbara to be with you for New Year's only two months after we had started dating. No one could understand why after only two months I needed to fly 3,000 miles to spend a few days together, but you and I both knew from the beginning--even though we agreed to "take it slow" and "keep it quiet" that now that we had finally gotten our timing right, we were in it for the long haul. And now we're planning our cross-country move together in only seven months! I can't wait to pack up my childhood room, throw some things in your Subaru, and embark on our next new great adventure together. I'm sure life in a new city and a new (our first!) apartment will include some downsides (and possibly some cockroaches?), but I can't wait to experience it with you.
I love you Lucas!
xoxo,
Michelle
Monday, August 16, 2010
A Nod to Cape Cod
Considering I hadn't been to the beach ONCE this entire summer, to say that I was dying to get to Cape Cod last Thursday night is an understatement. My poor pale skin was crying out to drink up some warm sun...not to mention my sinuses and overall health were begging for a long weekend away from the basement dungeon dorm that L. and I have had to live in this summer. So when C.'s family invited us for home cooked meals, sun and salt air, and a big, beautiful, straight-out-of-Pottery-Barn (and clean!) house, I decided that L. and I deserved a weekend away to get some color and enjoy our last week of summer together. (I'll be going home to New Hampshire on Saturday and I'll be bringing him to the airport so he can fly home to Santa Barbara for a week and a half, and then we'll be driving back to Williamstown for our senior year.)
After work Thursday, L. and I hurriedly threw some weekend things together, packed the car, and commenced the five hour drive to the Cape. We stopped at McDonald's on the highway to save time and money, and once we got into Chatham, stopped at the grocery store so I could pick up a bouquet of flowers for C.'s parents. Finally, we got in just before 10pm, and C. and her brother Chris walked over to the house to meet us, since C.'s family had been at a dinner party down the street.
This house...you guys. It literally was straight out of a PB catalog. I didn't get to snap many photos of it, but luckily, it's for sale! So here are some stock photos from the realtor. Sorry about the poor quality...I should have taken them myself!
When everyone got back home Thursday night, L. and I brought our things to our room. We were staying in one of the bedrooms that was clearly made for children. L. was basically like a giant walking around the room; he was too big for the bed, his head almost reached the angled ceilings, and he was about a foot taller than the closet doors. It was hilarious to watch! Here was our little kids' room in the upper-right. The kitchen was literally straight out of my future-house-design dreams. White cabinetry, brushed nickel (or maybe chrome) hardware, contrasting granite islands and countertops...sigh. I was in love. And C.'s favorite part of the house (mine too, I think) were the TWO giant window seats overrun by blue pillows, surrounded by four or five built-in bookcases that were, get this--color coded. It's so neat to use books as a design element, although I think finding my copy of Anna Karenina mixed in with the Hemingways would probably drive me a little nuts. But perhaps the room that got the most action in the house, though, was the open living room/dining room, or, site of our straight-out-of-a-movie dinner party Friday night.
But now that you've seen the house (well, probably about a quarter of it), you probably want to know what we actually did in it! When everyone got back Thursday night it was about 11pm, so we all sat and had a glass of white wine and caught up a bit. C. and L. and I had planned to take a bottle of wine down to the beach (which was about a 5 minute walk from the house!) and watch the Perseid meteor shower around midnight, but we were so exhausted that we opted to just call it a night and go to bed. Looking back on it, I really wish we had gone! The sky was so clear and it's so dark on the beach--perfect for viewing. Maybe we'll get another chance.
On Friday, L. humored C. and me by walking around town and poking into shops with us, and then in the early afternoon C.'s childhood friend who is also named Caroline (yes, it does get confusing) arrived and L., me, and the Carolines went down to the beach for the day. I was so absorbed in Anna Karenina and L. was so absorbed in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (I know, where have we both been?) that we lost track of time and sunscreen and before we knew it, we were r-e-d red. (Well, L. was bright red. I was more of a bronze.) But in any case, we were both pretty sore, and still are.
We also had fun trying to spot the little seals' heads popping up in all different parts of the water. But we didn't see ANY sharks!!! I was quite crushed, obviously, but I was still sort of excited knowing that if the seals were around the sharks probably weren't far off...
Around 5, C.'s parents, her brother, Chris, and her parents' friends Trish and Richard came down to the beach for some pre-dinner champagne and chips and guac, which was delicious.
You can sort of see my mandarin-colored Tommy Bahama bathing suit that I scored for half price at Mohegan Sun. And there's that trusty H&M shirt that everyone seems to have, which was perfectly nautical for the beach.
Then we all headed back to the house and got ready for what turned into quite an epic dinner party. As we were having pre-dinner cocktails, we all discussed what the college term "pre-gaming" was called when the adults were in college. Our Williams professors used to call it "getting primed," which I thought was pretty funny. Caroline said that while she was spending time in South Africa, they called it "getting on the jowl train," which was hysterical. But we all agreed that Trish and Richard's British (they're from London) version, "frontloading," was the absolute winner. We're hoping it catches on at Williams.
So, here we are, um, frontloading before dinner, courtesy of C.'s homemade Cosmos...
Then we proceeded to gorge ourselves on lobster and gourmet hamburgers...(and lots of white wine...)
And then...and then...things got sort of silly. This is the part of the evening that I said belonged in the credits of a romantic comedy, as we all danced to songs such as "My First, My Last, My Everything" and "Sugar Pie Honey Bunch" while doing the dishes and cleaning up...
Spotted: silliness.
After the dishes were done, we had conga-lined all throughout the house (I'm not kidding), and we had sufficiently pooped out the adults, the Carolines and L. and I headed into town to get ice cream at the famous Buffy's and then to get drinks at the Squire, which was surprisingly and sort of delightfully trashy for Chatham's standards.
Saturday morning we had to tear ourselves away from the house and pack up to go home. C.'s family went ahead while we stayed in town for awhile to get lunch and stock up on fudge before we left. We also couldn't resist a little drive on which we picked out our future houses...
C. and I both picked this one out as ours, and I didn't realize when I got a fleeting picture of it at the time, but it's the famed Hydrangea House of Shore Rd. Apparently artists periodically stop by to paint it, but they're more interested in the mounds of hydrangeas that line the walkway.
L. and I stayed over in Connecticut with C.'s family Saturday night and saw Eat, Pray, Love, which I thought was excellent, if a little slow. I thoroughly enjoyed the "Eat" segment the most...it also reminded me that after this vacation, I need to maybe cut back on that a bit! Maybe it was because we had just gotten back from a beautiful trip, but Eat, Pray, Love definitely gave L. and I the travel bug. Maybe in the next year or so I'll have some cities and places abroad to include in my travel recaps! We'd love to visit Italy and Spain, if mostly for the food!
[Most images are by me but some are also by C.]
After work Thursday, L. and I hurriedly threw some weekend things together, packed the car, and commenced the five hour drive to the Cape. We stopped at McDonald's on the highway to save time and money, and once we got into Chatham, stopped at the grocery store so I could pick up a bouquet of flowers for C.'s parents. Finally, we got in just before 10pm, and C. and her brother Chris walked over to the house to meet us, since C.'s family had been at a dinner party down the street.
This house...you guys. It literally was straight out of a PB catalog. I didn't get to snap many photos of it, but luckily, it's for sale! So here are some stock photos from the realtor. Sorry about the poor quality...I should have taken them myself!
When everyone got back home Thursday night, L. and I brought our things to our room. We were staying in one of the bedrooms that was clearly made for children. L. was basically like a giant walking around the room; he was too big for the bed, his head almost reached the angled ceilings, and he was about a foot taller than the closet doors. It was hilarious to watch! Here was our little kids' room in the upper-right. The kitchen was literally straight out of my future-house-design dreams. White cabinetry, brushed nickel (or maybe chrome) hardware, contrasting granite islands and countertops...sigh. I was in love. And C.'s favorite part of the house (mine too, I think) were the TWO giant window seats overrun by blue pillows, surrounded by four or five built-in bookcases that were, get this--color coded. It's so neat to use books as a design element, although I think finding my copy of Anna Karenina mixed in with the Hemingways would probably drive me a little nuts. But perhaps the room that got the most action in the house, though, was the open living room/dining room, or, site of our straight-out-of-a-movie dinner party Friday night.
But now that you've seen the house (well, probably about a quarter of it), you probably want to know what we actually did in it! When everyone got back Thursday night it was about 11pm, so we all sat and had a glass of white wine and caught up a bit. C. and L. and I had planned to take a bottle of wine down to the beach (which was about a 5 minute walk from the house!) and watch the Perseid meteor shower around midnight, but we were so exhausted that we opted to just call it a night and go to bed. Looking back on it, I really wish we had gone! The sky was so clear and it's so dark on the beach--perfect for viewing. Maybe we'll get another chance.
On Friday, L. humored C. and me by walking around town and poking into shops with us, and then in the early afternoon C.'s childhood friend who is also named Caroline (yes, it does get confusing) arrived and L., me, and the Carolines went down to the beach for the day. I was so absorbed in Anna Karenina and L. was so absorbed in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (I know, where have we both been?) that we lost track of time and sunscreen and before we knew it, we were r-e-d red. (Well, L. was bright red. I was more of a bronze.) But in any case, we were both pretty sore, and still are.
We also had fun trying to spot the little seals' heads popping up in all different parts of the water. But we didn't see ANY sharks!!! I was quite crushed, obviously, but I was still sort of excited knowing that if the seals were around the sharks probably weren't far off...
Around 5, C.'s parents, her brother, Chris, and her parents' friends Trish and Richard came down to the beach for some pre-dinner champagne and chips and guac, which was delicious.
You can sort of see my mandarin-colored Tommy Bahama bathing suit that I scored for half price at Mohegan Sun. And there's that trusty H&M shirt that everyone seems to have, which was perfectly nautical for the beach.
Then we all headed back to the house and got ready for what turned into quite an epic dinner party. As we were having pre-dinner cocktails, we all discussed what the college term "pre-gaming" was called when the adults were in college. Our Williams professors used to call it "getting primed," which I thought was pretty funny. Caroline said that while she was spending time in South Africa, they called it "getting on the jowl train," which was hysterical. But we all agreed that Trish and Richard's British (they're from London) version, "frontloading," was the absolute winner. We're hoping it catches on at Williams.
So, here we are, um, frontloading before dinner, courtesy of C.'s homemade Cosmos...
Then we proceeded to gorge ourselves on lobster and gourmet hamburgers...(and lots of white wine...)
And then...and then...things got sort of silly. This is the part of the evening that I said belonged in the credits of a romantic comedy, as we all danced to songs such as "My First, My Last, My Everything" and "Sugar Pie Honey Bunch" while doing the dishes and cleaning up...
Spotted: silliness.
After the dishes were done, we had conga-lined all throughout the house (I'm not kidding), and we had sufficiently pooped out the adults, the Carolines and L. and I headed into town to get ice cream at the famous Buffy's and then to get drinks at the Squire, which was surprisingly and sort of delightfully trashy for Chatham's standards.
Saturday morning we had to tear ourselves away from the house and pack up to go home. C.'s family went ahead while we stayed in town for awhile to get lunch and stock up on fudge before we left. We also couldn't resist a little drive on which we picked out our future houses...
C. and I both picked this one out as ours, and I didn't realize when I got a fleeting picture of it at the time, but it's the famed Hydrangea House of Shore Rd. Apparently artists periodically stop by to paint it, but they're more interested in the mounds of hydrangeas that line the walkway.
L. and I stayed over in Connecticut with C.'s family Saturday night and saw Eat, Pray, Love, which I thought was excellent, if a little slow. I thoroughly enjoyed the "Eat" segment the most...it also reminded me that after this vacation, I need to maybe cut back on that a bit! Maybe it was because we had just gotten back from a beautiful trip, but Eat, Pray, Love definitely gave L. and I the travel bug. Maybe in the next year or so I'll have some cities and places abroad to include in my travel recaps! We'd love to visit Italy and Spain, if mostly for the food!
[Most images are by me but some are also by C.]
Friday, August 13, 2010
Last Summer Vacation, First Beach Outing
As I mentioned in my post yesterday, L. and I are taking a little trip this weekend! It involves lighthouses, beaches, and ice cream. Can you guys believe that I have not been to the beach this entire summer?! I had planned on going when we went to San Diego, but hello, 60 degrees and cloudy!
Thankfully, C. and her family have a beach house in Chatham, MA (or Cape Cod, for those who need the umbrella term), and have invited L. and me up for the weekend! So off we go, hopefully to get at least a little bit of color before the summer ends! Would that be too much to ask?
I can't wait for a relaxing weekend of beach reading, tanning, great meals, great company, and of course seeing the bff who I haven't seen in over two months!! I love C.'s family almost as much as my own. They're seriously the best.
Plus, I get to take a 6-hour road trip each way with L., and guess what? The radio in his car is broken. I just know he must be so excited for our distraction-free bonding!
(Seriously, though? We have the best road trips.)
Also...guys? Don't think I'm a crazy person, but like four Great White sharks have been spotted off the coast of Chatham in the last week. If you know anything at all about me, know this: I am completely and utterly obsessed with sharks. And not, may I add, only during shark week. I am a proud shark-lover 52 weeks of the year. So the fact that the beaches I will be going to will probably be closed due to shark sightings? It's like Christmas morning up in here for me. Wish me luck on a sighting!
(Plus, wouldn't that make for an awesome recap?)
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
(Oh, and ps? Yesterday I texted C. to ask for the address of the house at 11:40. I got a text from her with the address at 11:40. I checked my phone, and my text to her hadn't actually been sent until 11:41. Which means she sent me what I asked for before knowing I asked for it. This is why it's a tragedy that it's been so long since we've seen each other--although apparently our psychic-communication abilities increase while we're apart.)
Thursday, August 12, 2010
The Times, They Are A' Changin'
I guess that my blog-improvement updates are becoming a bit of a monthly thing, huh? I'm so sorry for those of you who don't like constant change, but my mind--it's a sponge!--and I can't help but want to both showcase all the fun stuff I'm teaching myself about the blogging world, and make things more fun to read and easy to navigate for you guys on the site!
My two most recent improvements involve photos and a new feature-type idea. Firstly, photos. I'm every day learning as much as my stuffed mind has room left over for about css and Photoshop, and I've finally learned how to upload my photos so that they're consistently large without losing any quality. Now that I've learned that, I'm going to make the effort to take better photos (with the new Canon I'm getting this month!) and maybe even--gasp--edit them before posting them! I was inspired to do this by the quality and size of the photos in a few of my favorite daily reads like M Loves M, The Pioneer Woman, Cupcakes and Cashmere, and Young House Love, because I noticed the overall professional feel that clear, crisp, large photos gave to their sites, and I recognized how much having big, beautiful images really improved the reading experience of their blogs. Naturally, I wanted that too!
I also came up with an idea for a new feature that hopefully you guys will find fun, and that sort of goes hand-in-hand with photos. Though my blog is sort of all over the place (but that's why you love me...right?), I sat down and tried to think about what my favorite posts to write were. Above all, I realized that what I look forward to writing the most are posts recapping trips that I've taken and things that I've done, such as going to new restaurants, plays, out for drinks with friends, etc. Things that really reflect how I spend my day-to-day, and above all lend themselves to sharing photos. So, with that in mind, I created a new area in my sidebar called "Where You Can Find Me." Do you see it? In that section, I've listed all the cities I've traveled to, P.B. (post-blog; I didn't want to stretch it too far back!), and then assigned respective tags to all the posts having to do with those cities. I thought it might be a fun way to keep track of all my travel posts--after all, they are my favorite to write! (ps--My blog is a year old, and I'm boggled at how many cities I've been to in a year! That's a lot of flying for someone who is certifiably terrified of it!)
You might also notice that some of the cities listed don't have links yet, specifically, Cincinnati, Niagara Falls, and St. Louis. Those were three cities that L. and I stayed in during our cross-1/2-country road trip (we ended in St. Louis, his hometown) last summer, a trip that occurred right before I started this blog, so I'm technically including it in the time frame of "P.B." I'm going to write after-the-fact recaps of our visits to each of those cities sometime in the near future, and add those links to the list. Hope you're as excited to read them as I am to write them!
Oh, and as of tomorrow, I'll have another place to add to the list, since L. and I are leaving tonight and going away this weekend for one last summer mini-vacation. I have a post all lined up for tomorrow to let you know where! I hope everyone enjoys their last few weeks of summer. I'm personally looking forward to orange leaves, hot chocolate, and football, though!
My two most recent improvements involve photos and a new feature-type idea. Firstly, photos. I'm every day learning as much as my stuffed mind has room left over for about css and Photoshop, and I've finally learned how to upload my photos so that they're consistently large without losing any quality. Now that I've learned that, I'm going to make the effort to take better photos (with the new Canon I'm getting this month!) and maybe even--gasp--edit them before posting them! I was inspired to do this by the quality and size of the photos in a few of my favorite daily reads like M Loves M, The Pioneer Woman, Cupcakes and Cashmere, and Young House Love, because I noticed the overall professional feel that clear, crisp, large photos gave to their sites, and I recognized how much having big, beautiful images really improved the reading experience of their blogs. Naturally, I wanted that too!
I also came up with an idea for a new feature that hopefully you guys will find fun, and that sort of goes hand-in-hand with photos. Though my blog is sort of all over the place (but that's why you love me...right?), I sat down and tried to think about what my favorite posts to write were. Above all, I realized that what I look forward to writing the most are posts recapping trips that I've taken and things that I've done, such as going to new restaurants, plays, out for drinks with friends, etc. Things that really reflect how I spend my day-to-day, and above all lend themselves to sharing photos. So, with that in mind, I created a new area in my sidebar called "Where You Can Find Me." Do you see it? In that section, I've listed all the cities I've traveled to, P.B. (post-blog; I didn't want to stretch it too far back!), and then assigned respective tags to all the posts having to do with those cities. I thought it might be a fun way to keep track of all my travel posts--after all, they are my favorite to write! (ps--My blog is a year old, and I'm boggled at how many cities I've been to in a year! That's a lot of flying for someone who is certifiably terrified of it!)
You might also notice that some of the cities listed don't have links yet, specifically, Cincinnati, Niagara Falls, and St. Louis. Those were three cities that L. and I stayed in during our cross-1/2-country road trip (we ended in St. Louis, his hometown) last summer, a trip that occurred right before I started this blog, so I'm technically including it in the time frame of "P.B." I'm going to write after-the-fact recaps of our visits to each of those cities sometime in the near future, and add those links to the list. Hope you're as excited to read them as I am to write them!
Oh, and as of tomorrow, I'll have another place to add to the list, since L. and I are leaving tonight and going away this weekend for one last summer mini-vacation. I have a post all lined up for tomorrow to let you know where! I hope everyone enjoys their last few weeks of summer. I'm personally looking forward to orange leaves, hot chocolate, and football, though!
Monday, July 26, 2010
You Stay Classy, San Diego
If you remember that my three (yes, all three!) brothers live in San Diego, then you'll know where this post is going. See, every two years, my family has a little reunion. And by "little," I mean that there's so many cousins of grandparents that by the end of the night, no one knows what's what and half the people there are calling me Jennifer or asking if I'm dating my brother, Brad. (True story. Ahh!) (Also, they clearly don't KNOW he's my brother. THAT would be weird. Not like it isn't weird anyway.)
However. This year's family reunion has a couple things going for it. For one: it is hosted by my three brothers in beautiful San Diego, which is a step, leap, and a bound ahead of our location two years ago: Rome, NY. You didn't know there was a Rome in NY? Well, it's okay because no one else did either; it made Buffalo look easy to get to. NEVER AGAIN, Rome.
For second: This is the first family reunion for which I will be 21. Sound the trumpets! Cue the confetti! This means this is the first family reunion where a. I will not be basically the only sober person between the ages of 13-21 there (for some reason there's a big drop off in that age in my family's, er, offspring results) and b. This is the first family reunion where I don't have to designated drive anyone, anytime, anywhere. Oh, the glory.
Thirdly? Well, why tell you when I can show you? I took the liberty of snapping a screenshot of the forecast for the week. We'll be arriving Thursday afternoon, and leaving Sunday morning.
LOOK AT ALL THOSE YELLOW CIRCLES. You know what? I totally deserve it. It has been 90, humid, and downright oppressive here in New England for, oh, the ENTIRE SUMMER. And, AND, I'll get to sleep in an air conditioned hotel room. What a luxury!
But the best part of the family reunion being in San Diego this year? Instead of the Rome, NY Quality Inn that whichever miserable, miserable distant family member of mine booked us two years ago, my brothers really did keep it classy, San Diego.
Which is why I'll be spending my four day, five night mini-vacation at the Island Palms Resort, San Diego.
Have I told you that I love my brothers? Because I do. They're simply wonderful...
...really, just the best brothers a girl could ask for.
The hotel is also right on San Diego bay, so Friday night we'll be having our big reunion dinner in their banquet center, and Saturday night we'll be having a dinner cruise on the bay. Saturday afternoon is also going to be my future sister-in-law's surprise (shh!) bridal shower! All of my brother Brian's female relatives will be in town and we thought, what a perfect time to host her shower! It's so strange to think that I'm getting a sister, since I've only been able to meet her once! But I'm so looking forward to her shower and getting to know her better this weekend. Plus, we all know I'm obsessed with everything-wedding, so. There will be that.
And my mum and I fully have plans to get mani/pedis and sip mai tais, poolside. THE LIFE.
Hopefully I'll have tons of amazing pictures to share when I get back. I wanted to bringmy L.'s camera, which is the official unit of photography here at Things I Said and Meant to Say, with me on the trip, but darn it he actually wants to bring it to NYC this weekend to use, himself. PSH. Since when does L. use his own camera? Or get the first bite of any of his food, the first sip of any of his drinks, for that matter?
That being said, I will miss him on this trip. Just a little.
[All images via Island Palms Resort]
However. This year's family reunion has a couple things going for it. For one: it is hosted by my three brothers in beautiful San Diego, which is a step, leap, and a bound ahead of our location two years ago: Rome, NY. You didn't know there was a Rome in NY? Well, it's okay because no one else did either; it made Buffalo look easy to get to. NEVER AGAIN, Rome.
For second: This is the first family reunion for which I will be 21. Sound the trumpets! Cue the confetti! This means this is the first family reunion where a. I will not be basically the only sober person between the ages of 13-21 there (for some reason there's a big drop off in that age in my family's, er, offspring results) and b. This is the first family reunion where I don't have to designated drive anyone, anytime, anywhere. Oh, the glory.
Thirdly? Well, why tell you when I can show you? I took the liberty of snapping a screenshot of the forecast for the week. We'll be arriving Thursday afternoon, and leaving Sunday morning.
LOOK AT ALL THOSE YELLOW CIRCLES. You know what? I totally deserve it. It has been 90, humid, and downright oppressive here in New England for, oh, the ENTIRE SUMMER. And, AND, I'll get to sleep in an air conditioned hotel room. What a luxury!
But the best part of the family reunion being in San Diego this year? Instead of the Rome, NY Quality Inn that whichever miserable, miserable distant family member of mine booked us two years ago, my brothers really did keep it classy, San Diego.
Which is why I'll be spending my four day, five night mini-vacation at the Island Palms Resort, San Diego.
Have I told you that I love my brothers? Because I do. They're simply wonderful...
...really, just the best brothers a girl could ask for.
The hotel is also right on San Diego bay, so Friday night we'll be having our big reunion dinner in their banquet center, and Saturday night we'll be having a dinner cruise on the bay. Saturday afternoon is also going to be my future sister-in-law's surprise (shh!) bridal shower! All of my brother Brian's female relatives will be in town and we thought, what a perfect time to host her shower! It's so strange to think that I'm getting a sister, since I've only been able to meet her once! But I'm so looking forward to her shower and getting to know her better this weekend. Plus, we all know I'm obsessed with everything-wedding, so. There will be that.
And my mum and I fully have plans to get mani/pedis and sip mai tais, poolside. THE LIFE.
Hopefully I'll have tons of amazing pictures to share when I get back. I wanted to bring
That being said, I will miss him on this trip. Just a little.
[All images via Island Palms Resort]
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
In Which We Go to Boston
L. and I tried to hit the road pre-rush hour on Friday (have you SEEN the Mass Pike during rush hour?), but to little avail, so we didn't end up getting into Boston until about 7:30pm. That, combined with the fact that though I could navigate that little city with its little T structure with my eyes closed, we cannot for our lives drive in it. THIS is my biggest problem with East Coast cities, as compared to the bounteous beauty that is LA. These cities weren't built for cars, and as a result, are completely un-user friendly. Everything is a one way. And half the one ways are closed, anyway.
/rant.
So. In the car we had texted D.H. asking if we could pretty please make reservations for Fire and Ice, our favorite restaurant to hit up when we're in the city. He knew we were getting in late but had said he'd eat dinner with us, though he had a work drinks thing at 6:30. But he responded that he wasn't going to be able to eat dinner since they were getting appetizers at his work thing, so we should just go there. Which was fine...except for the fact that a. we were completely starving, and b. we didn't know any of his coworkers/knew it would be super awkward. And c., I didn't feel right about our food getting charged to their table's tab, which would of course then be expensed. So we got in, grabbed D.H.'s keys to drop our stuff in his apartment, and then decided we'd do dinner on our own, so we could try to eat real, healthy food, and to avoid the awkwardness of a table filled with 12 or so people we didn't know.
L. and I just went to Brownstone, the cute Back Bay restaurant that D.H. took me to last time I was in the city. It's so good, and it was close, since D.H.'s work thing was on the same street, anyway. The work happy hour was already a little silly, so we decided it'd be best for us to try to catch up at dinner. I ordered a Kentucky Lemonade, which was probably the best thing I've ever had in my life, maybe even better than my newfound love for gin and lemonade.
After dinner, L. and I walked back to the bar to meet up with D.H., and his roommate, Tennis Guy. Even though he introduced us to all his work friends we were still, obviously, feeling pretty awkward, but then he informed us that in about an hour the dance floor downstairs would open up. YES and also yes. L. and I LOVE to dance, so we were highly anticipating that. In the meantime, the boys did Jaeger bombs (of course they did) and I kept it classy by ordering a Manhattan, which is definitely an acquired taste, but delicious nonetheless. Then I kept it totally un-classy and ordered a frozen margarita, which probably had more calories than my dinner, but was delicious nonetheless.
The dance floor finally opened up, and everyone essentially stampeded downstairs to get down there. This bar is out of control. It's the same one that D.H. and I watched the Celtics-Lakers game at a couple months ago, and it has not one, not two, but THREE fully-stocked bars in it. Including the one on the dance floor. Unfortunately, I had left my card open at one of the upstairs bars, so we danced for awhile, but then I decided I had better go up and get my card before I forgot about it later. I ran upstairs, cashed out my tab, and attempted to go back downstairs. The following is an accurate portrayal of the situation:
Me: Try to walk downstairs.
Bouncer: Uh, excuse me, you'll have to go to the back of the line.
Me: (Noticing there is, in fact, a line.) Oh, no, I'm sorry. I was actually already down there, I just ran upstairs to grab my card from the bar.
Bouncer: (Arm does not move from the stairs). Sorry. Back of the line.
Me: (Beginning to get upset). But, I was ALREADY down there. I ran upstairs for two seconds. Everyone I know in this bar is down there.
Bouncer: Back of the line. (Do you see a pattern here?)
Now, I am the sweetest person you will probably ever meet. It's true- ask anyone. And I'm pretty terrible with confrontation. But if I feel like I've been wronged, or if someone screws me over, then I will lose any trace of pleasantness. It's just not cool to let people walk all over you. Granted, this guy was probably just doing his job. But I HAD ALREADY BEEN DOWN THERE. I fumed and huffed and puffed, alone in line, and texted the boys that I was stranded. D.H. and L. ran up the stairs to try to get me, but the bouncer told them if they walked up the stairs, they would be stuck up there too. I told them to go back downstairs and have fun. The guy standing in front of me turned around to look at me, and I figured it was because I was being super obnoxious. But instead he smiled and said that the exact same thing had happened to him, and everyone he knew was down there too, and he was equally miffed. And when we finally got to the front of the line, he let me go in front of him. How nice is that? Always bond with other people who are in equally yucky situations with you!
Back downstairs, the fun was kind of killed for me, and it was already slipping into the wee hours of Saturday morning anyway, so the boys and L. and I decided we should just head back to the apartment. But not, of course, before I stopped at the store and bought a pint of Ben and Jerry's Cookies and Milk. (My judgment was clearly flawed- I had been so good all week!!). But then D.H. and L. decided they needed to run to D.H.'s office, which was just down the street, to grab Forgetting Sarah Marshall so we could watch it. Well, obviously. So Tennis Guy and I walked back to the apartment while the boys did that, and had glasses of water and had a nice chat. See, TG and I are quite the same when we drink: we stay almost exactly the same, albeit perhaps more loose and giggly (on my end.) L. and D.H., however, turn into these crazy people who run around and sing and do lots of physical activity. It was definitely wearing us out.
The boys came back with the movie, which we proceeded not to watch, and we all watched an episode of How I Met Your Mother before falling asleep. The reason I go into so much detail about all this is that something really funny happened the next morning: on the way to lunch at the Prudential Center (right across from D.H.'s office/apartment...lucky duck), D.H. had to stop in his office again to grab something. When he came back out he looked puzzled. "Why was there chex mix in my elevator?" he asked. L. burst out laughing, and said that he had totally forgotten that the night before he had "left a trail of bread crumbs (chex mix) from D.H.'s office to the apartment so that he could find his way back to work."
Blog friends, meet my boyfriend. He makes me, and Boston pigeons, very happy.
We spent the day shopping on Newbury Street, which sounds like something I forced them into until you realize that D.H. likes shopping more than I do. I found a super cute boatneck sailor-striped tee at H&M and totally lucked out by getting pair of luxe black Editor pants from Express for only $30 because of a promotion! Ladies, if you have NOT purchased a pair of Express Editor pants...I just...you just have to. You just do. They are the most comfortable and flattering pair of dress pants you will ever wear. DO IT.
So anyway, after our shopping excursion the boys and I finally went to Fire and Ice, where I happily went into a little bit of a feeding-frenzy blackout and awoke to discover I had eaten probably more than my body weight in chicken stir-frys. That didn't stop us, though, from heading to JP Licks in search of cupcakes (red velvet with cream cheese frosting!), but ultimately settling for ice cream since all they had was vanilla. Boring!
Of course, the only pictures we took all weekend were at the ice cream shop. This is my new H&M top! What do you think?
Then we headed to Newbury Comics, which has the CHEAPEST MOVIES YOU WILL EVER FIND (like, $3.99. For realsies) and pretty much bought out their entire stock. I'm not kidding. Between the three of us, we bought: Get Smart, Catch and Release, The Girl Next Door, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Old School, 500 Days of Summer, Win a Date With Tad Hamilton, PS I Love You, Accepted (showing a little love to our friend J. Long), Season One of the OC, Season One of Psych, The Wedding Date, Season One of How I Met Your Mother, and more that I'm forgetting. Let's play a fun game where you guys try to guess which movies L., D.H., and I bought, respectively. Hint: they're all probably opposite of what you'd think. (Translation: D.H. really likes chick flicks).
We all curled up at home and watched Catch and Release, which may or may not be an awful movie, but which I love, anyway. We were getting ready to go to bed around 1:30 when Tennis Guy came home...with a girl. L. and I were sleeping on the couch, right across from the bathroom, and when she came out in the middle of the night we were a little worried that it might be awkward. Of course, we didn't know then that the next morning, when L., who had been sleeping on the inside of the couch, tried to crawl up and over me (but of course decided to be a big joker about and "pretended" to get stuck, mumbling "oh, jeez, um, oh gosh, sorry, I can't seem to, oh, um") wearing nothing but boxers, TG's nighttime visitor would pick that exact moment to walk out to use the bathroom. That's right. L. was scantily clad and straddling me as I lay on the couch, completely innocently, and she walked right out at that moment, let out a startled giggle, and ducked into the bathroom. God knows what she thought we were doing. Not our finest moment. We had to clear our names at brunch.
We had brunch at the South End Buttery, which was a super cute cafe with casual outdoor and bar seating upstairs and cozy tables downstairs. Being just a short walk away from amazing brunch in the city made me realize how much I am DYING for this year to pass quickly so I can graduate and move to LA and take in all that the city has to offer. On the other hand, though, I'm a sentimental wreck and will probably cling to every mundane event senior year has to offer (last Homecoming! last Thanksgiving break! last course selection!). I just have to remember what the subtitle of my blog is all about: small moments.
(butohmygosh I can't wait to live in the city.)
(especially a city I can drive easily in. I didn't say quickly, just easily.)
(because my feet were killing me Sunday morning and I almost ruined a pair of super cute silver strappy sandals. Say that five times fast.)
/rant.
So. In the car we had texted D.H. asking if we could pretty please make reservations for Fire and Ice, our favorite restaurant to hit up when we're in the city. He knew we were getting in late but had said he'd eat dinner with us, though he had a work drinks thing at 6:30. But he responded that he wasn't going to be able to eat dinner since they were getting appetizers at his work thing, so we should just go there. Which was fine...except for the fact that a. we were completely starving, and b. we didn't know any of his coworkers/knew it would be super awkward. And c., I didn't feel right about our food getting charged to their table's tab, which would of course then be expensed. So we got in, grabbed D.H.'s keys to drop our stuff in his apartment, and then decided we'd do dinner on our own, so we could try to eat real, healthy food, and to avoid the awkwardness of a table filled with 12 or so people we didn't know.
L. and I just went to Brownstone, the cute Back Bay restaurant that D.H. took me to last time I was in the city. It's so good, and it was close, since D.H.'s work thing was on the same street, anyway. The work happy hour was already a little silly, so we decided it'd be best for us to try to catch up at dinner. I ordered a Kentucky Lemonade, which was probably the best thing I've ever had in my life, maybe even better than my newfound love for gin and lemonade.
After dinner, L. and I walked back to the bar to meet up with D.H., and his roommate, Tennis Guy. Even though he introduced us to all his work friends we were still, obviously, feeling pretty awkward, but then he informed us that in about an hour the dance floor downstairs would open up. YES and also yes. L. and I LOVE to dance, so we were highly anticipating that. In the meantime, the boys did Jaeger bombs (of course they did) and I kept it classy by ordering a Manhattan, which is definitely an acquired taste, but delicious nonetheless. Then I kept it totally un-classy and ordered a frozen margarita, which probably had more calories than my dinner, but was delicious nonetheless.
The dance floor finally opened up, and everyone essentially stampeded downstairs to get down there. This bar is out of control. It's the same one that D.H. and I watched the Celtics-Lakers game at a couple months ago, and it has not one, not two, but THREE fully-stocked bars in it. Including the one on the dance floor. Unfortunately, I had left my card open at one of the upstairs bars, so we danced for awhile, but then I decided I had better go up and get my card before I forgot about it later. I ran upstairs, cashed out my tab, and attempted to go back downstairs. The following is an accurate portrayal of the situation:
Me: Try to walk downstairs.
Bouncer: Uh, excuse me, you'll have to go to the back of the line.
Me: (Noticing there is, in fact, a line.) Oh, no, I'm sorry. I was actually already down there, I just ran upstairs to grab my card from the bar.
Bouncer: (Arm does not move from the stairs). Sorry. Back of the line.
Me: (Beginning to get upset). But, I was ALREADY down there. I ran upstairs for two seconds. Everyone I know in this bar is down there.
Bouncer: Back of the line. (Do you see a pattern here?)
Now, I am the sweetest person you will probably ever meet. It's true- ask anyone. And I'm pretty terrible with confrontation. But if I feel like I've been wronged, or if someone screws me over, then I will lose any trace of pleasantness. It's just not cool to let people walk all over you. Granted, this guy was probably just doing his job. But I HAD ALREADY BEEN DOWN THERE. I fumed and huffed and puffed, alone in line, and texted the boys that I was stranded. D.H. and L. ran up the stairs to try to get me, but the bouncer told them if they walked up the stairs, they would be stuck up there too. I told them to go back downstairs and have fun. The guy standing in front of me turned around to look at me, and I figured it was because I was being super obnoxious. But instead he smiled and said that the exact same thing had happened to him, and everyone he knew was down there too, and he was equally miffed. And when we finally got to the front of the line, he let me go in front of him. How nice is that? Always bond with other people who are in equally yucky situations with you!
Back downstairs, the fun was kind of killed for me, and it was already slipping into the wee hours of Saturday morning anyway, so the boys and L. and I decided we should just head back to the apartment. But not, of course, before I stopped at the store and bought a pint of Ben and Jerry's Cookies and Milk. (My judgment was clearly flawed- I had been so good all week!!). But then D.H. and L. decided they needed to run to D.H.'s office, which was just down the street, to grab Forgetting Sarah Marshall so we could watch it. Well, obviously. So Tennis Guy and I walked back to the apartment while the boys did that, and had glasses of water and had a nice chat. See, TG and I are quite the same when we drink: we stay almost exactly the same, albeit perhaps more loose and giggly (on my end.) L. and D.H., however, turn into these crazy people who run around and sing and do lots of physical activity. It was definitely wearing us out.
The boys came back with the movie, which we proceeded not to watch, and we all watched an episode of How I Met Your Mother before falling asleep. The reason I go into so much detail about all this is that something really funny happened the next morning: on the way to lunch at the Prudential Center (right across from D.H.'s office/apartment...lucky duck), D.H. had to stop in his office again to grab something. When he came back out he looked puzzled. "Why was there chex mix in my elevator?" he asked. L. burst out laughing, and said that he had totally forgotten that the night before he had "left a trail of bread crumbs (chex mix) from D.H.'s office to the apartment so that he could find his way back to work."
Blog friends, meet my boyfriend. He makes me, and Boston pigeons, very happy.
We spent the day shopping on Newbury Street, which sounds like something I forced them into until you realize that D.H. likes shopping more than I do. I found a super cute boatneck sailor-striped tee at H&M and totally lucked out by getting pair of luxe black Editor pants from Express for only $30 because of a promotion! Ladies, if you have NOT purchased a pair of Express Editor pants...I just...you just have to. You just do. They are the most comfortable and flattering pair of dress pants you will ever wear. DO IT.
So anyway, after our shopping excursion the boys and I finally went to Fire and Ice, where I happily went into a little bit of a feeding-frenzy blackout and awoke to discover I had eaten probably more than my body weight in chicken stir-frys. That didn't stop us, though, from heading to JP Licks in search of cupcakes (red velvet with cream cheese frosting!), but ultimately settling for ice cream since all they had was vanilla. Boring!
Of course, the only pictures we took all weekend were at the ice cream shop. This is my new H&M top! What do you think?
Then we headed to Newbury Comics, which has the CHEAPEST MOVIES YOU WILL EVER FIND (like, $3.99. For realsies) and pretty much bought out their entire stock. I'm not kidding. Between the three of us, we bought: Get Smart, Catch and Release, The Girl Next Door, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Old School, 500 Days of Summer, Win a Date With Tad Hamilton, PS I Love You, Accepted (showing a little love to our friend J. Long), Season One of the OC, Season One of Psych, The Wedding Date, Season One of How I Met Your Mother, and more that I'm forgetting. Let's play a fun game where you guys try to guess which movies L., D.H., and I bought, respectively. Hint: they're all probably opposite of what you'd think. (Translation: D.H. really likes chick flicks).
We all curled up at home and watched Catch and Release, which may or may not be an awful movie, but which I love, anyway. We were getting ready to go to bed around 1:30 when Tennis Guy came home...with a girl. L. and I were sleeping on the couch, right across from the bathroom, and when she came out in the middle of the night we were a little worried that it might be awkward. Of course, we didn't know then that the next morning, when L., who had been sleeping on the inside of the couch, tried to crawl up and over me (but of course decided to be a big joker about and "pretended" to get stuck, mumbling "oh, jeez, um, oh gosh, sorry, I can't seem to, oh, um") wearing nothing but boxers, TG's nighttime visitor would pick that exact moment to walk out to use the bathroom. That's right. L. was scantily clad and straddling me as I lay on the couch, completely innocently, and she walked right out at that moment, let out a startled giggle, and ducked into the bathroom. God knows what she thought we were doing. Not our finest moment. We had to clear our names at brunch.
We had brunch at the South End Buttery, which was a super cute cafe with casual outdoor and bar seating upstairs and cozy tables downstairs. Being just a short walk away from amazing brunch in the city made me realize how much I am DYING for this year to pass quickly so I can graduate and move to LA and take in all that the city has to offer. On the other hand, though, I'm a sentimental wreck and will probably cling to every mundane event senior year has to offer (last Homecoming! last Thanksgiving break! last course selection!). I just have to remember what the subtitle of my blog is all about: small moments.
(butohmygosh I can't wait to live in the city.)
(especially a city I can drive easily in. I didn't say quickly, just easily.)
(because my feet were killing me Sunday morning and I almost ruined a pair of super cute silver strappy sandals. Say that five times fast.)
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Alpha Ring, Part II
Everyone seemed to really like the Little Green Room alpha ring L. surprised me with that I posted about last week, and I thought it might be fun if I posted pictures of the actual ring with the actual correct initial (L., of course), rather than the stock photos with the "A" that I posted last week.
No one has commented on it yet, which I thought was notable since I think the ring is really shiny and noticeable. Except, that is, for my friend Rachel, who was looking through pictures I had taken on my (er, L.'s) camera and stumbled across these, and yelled, "Michelle! Is that a diamond!???"
No it is not. Thankfully for L., this ring was about 5,000% less expensive. (But it's approximately the right size...)
Here it is on. Sorry about the weird clarity of all the grooves on my hands--just focus on the shiny ring! I've worn it every day so far and although it's a tad big (who knew a 6.5 would be BIG?), I would never want L. to order another one. I'm really sentimental about things like that. (Like, really. To the point where, when L. got me a beautiful gold chain and pearl-drop necklace for my 20th birthday, I never wanted to take it off because HE had put it on, on THAT night.)
It has one tiny nick on the right side, which at first I was really bummed about. But I think it just symbolizes how much I love it and wear it? Let's go with that.
No one has commented on it yet, which I thought was notable since I think the ring is really shiny and noticeable. Except, that is, for my friend Rachel, who was looking through pictures I had taken on my (er, L.'s) camera and stumbled across these, and yelled, "Michelle! Is that a diamond!???"
No it is not. Thankfully for L., this ring was about 5,000% less expensive. (But it's approximately the right size...)
Here it is on. Sorry about the weird clarity of all the grooves on my hands--just focus on the shiny ring! I've worn it every day so far and although it's a tad big (who knew a 6.5 would be BIG?), I would never want L. to order another one. I'm really sentimental about things like that. (Like, really. To the point where, when L. got me a beautiful gold chain and pearl-drop necklace for my 20th birthday, I never wanted to take it off because HE had put it on, on THAT night.)
It has one tiny nick on the right side, which at first I was really bummed about. But I think it just symbolizes how much I love it and wear it? Let's go with that.
Friday, July 16, 2010
ANOTHER Road Trip??
L. and I are quite the jet-er-car-setters this summer. We had anticipated a lazy Williamstown summer, complete with lounging by the river, visits to the art museum (but why would I want to do that, really? It's where I work. No going to work on the weekends!), and general happy boredom.
Well, that all changed considerably as soon as we got here, since we've gone away more weekends than we've stayed. Last weekend was our Mohegan Sun and New Jersey pool party weekend, and today after work we're leaving for Boston to visit our good friend Real Life Dan Humphrey. I visited him not too long ago, but L. hasn't seen him for awhile, and since their bromance is one that will last through the ages, it will be fun to all spend some time together. I am, however, planning on taking it a little easier this weekend than I did last. That, by the way, explains why there was no Preppy Pool Party recap-- things got a little silly. Perhaps too silly for the blog.
Anyways, I fully expect Boston to be silly enough but still coherent, so hopefully some fun and exciting things happen for a recap on Monday. Although maybe all the fun and excitement is here in Williamstown, considering last night, hanging out at the bar, I got not one, but TWO kisses on the cheek from Justin Long. I'm never washing this cheek again. (Except, I already did. Too late.)
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Well, that all changed considerably as soon as we got here, since we've gone away more weekends than we've stayed. Last weekend was our Mohegan Sun and New Jersey pool party weekend, and today after work we're leaving for Boston to visit our good friend Real Life Dan Humphrey. I visited him not too long ago, but L. hasn't seen him for awhile, and since their bromance is one that will last through the ages, it will be fun to all spend some time together. I am, however, planning on taking it a little easier this weekend than I did last. That, by the way, explains why there was no Preppy Pool Party recap-- things got a little silly. Perhaps too silly for the blog.
Anyways, I fully expect Boston to be silly enough but still coherent, so hopefully some fun and exciting things happen for a recap on Monday. Although maybe all the fun and excitement is here in Williamstown, considering last night, hanging out at the bar, I got not one, but TWO kisses on the cheek from Justin Long. I'm never washing this cheek again. (Except, I already did. Too late.)
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Mohegan Sun!
In a burst of spontaneity on Friday afternoon, I decided that since L. and I needed to be in New Jersey for a pool party on Saturday, we should get on the road Friday night and stop over at a hotel near Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. It wasn't necessarily on the way, per se, but why not?! We're young, we're fun, and we could really use some money!
To my surprise and delight, L. needed very little persuading to decide that my idea was not so bad. He tasked me with the job of finding a hotel that provided a free shuttle to and from the casino, and agreed that we'd leave after work and make it there by dinnertime. Because we're broke college students who don't want to let that deter them from doing fun things, we decided we'd skimp on dinner (as in, we stopped at a Wendy's on the road there), but allow ourselves to go all out at the bars and clubs, since we're not big gamblers anyway.
It was so exciting to leave work, run home, throw a bag together and make our hotel reservations. Spontaneous trips are just so much more exhilarating and out-of-the-ordinary than planned ones! We hopped on the road, derailed only briefly by a stop at the outlets since, in all my excitement, I had forgotten to pack underwear. (Why is underwear so forgettable? A certain friend who shall remain nameless left her entire underwear drawer intact after she moved out of her dorm after freshman year! THAT'S a surprise for the custodial team!)
Anywhoodle. After underwear-collecting and Wendy's-consuming, we arrived at the Comfort Suites about 20 minutes before 9:00, and were informed that the shuttle for Mohegan would be leaving at 9, and the next one not until 10! We frantically scrambled up to the room, got changed, and primped. Oh, and I got ready too.
(Why are jokes at boyfriends' expenses always funnier than all other jokes?)
Anyway, we rushed rushed rushed, and then, we were there. I love casinos because they're kind of like cruise ships, but on land--everything you would ever want or need is there. Shopping, restaurants, bars, clubs, casino. What more is there to life?
Besides, you know. Libraries. Pet shelters. Schools. But besides those things.
I was really excited about everything flashy. For instance, this blue sculpture. Loved it. L. didn't really get it.
But he did take a picture with me in front of it, which ultimately is all that matters. It's unbelievable how flattering florescent blue and white backlighting can be.
(Not.)
I kinda like how busy the blurry lights make it look in the background, though.
If you look closely, you'll see that there's a Tommy Bahama behind the weird blue sculpture.
This, friends. This was the site of a miracle.
On a whim, I decided to stop in and see if they had a bathing suit that I could pick up for the pool party, seeing as I hate all my bathing suits (or maybe just the way I look in them?) and therefore had defiantly not brought one with me. I'll show them!, I thought.
But then I thought, uhh, how will I go in the pool?
Anyway, Tommy Bahama had a sign in the window advertising 50% off all women's swim, and within minutes of walking in, I had fallen in love with this mandarin orange ensemble (minus the skirt):
Which, incidentally, happened to be the same color as the J. Crew pencil skirt I was wearing that night. It was meant to be! And when I tried it on, it actually looked GOOD. Has that ever happened?
I excitedly brought my purchase--which was, or so I thought, $114 on sale for $57, to the front desk. The salesman, Ben, rang it up for me, and announced "That'll be $144."
I think my face literally dropped. Ben explained that the promotion was actually spend $100 FIRST, THEN get 50% of all swim. Well, I didn't have $157 to spend at Tommy Bahama, so, crestfallen, I put the swimsuit away. As we were leaving, L. and I started chatting with a woman who asked us where we went to college. We answered Williams, she said "oh, what a great school!" and yada yada yada. As we were walking out, Ben called me back over.
"Michelle," says Ben, "I'll tell you what I'm gonna do. I'm going to extend you my employee discount, which is 50%, and that will make the swimsuit exactly $57."
My mouth dropped open. "Really? But...but...why?!"
He laughed. "I overheard you chatting. I just figured, you're a broke college student, you go to a great school, you deserve it!" And, chuckling, he walked off to go get his swipe card. One of his fellow employees began ringing up my suit, and when she saw that my jaw was still on the floor, she laughed. "As you were walking out, he said, 'I'm going to make her whole day,'" she told me.
That was probably the nicest thing a stranger has EVER done for me. I saved the receipt and I'm going to send a thank you note to the store, addressed to Ben. I hope he gets it! It more than made my night--it made my whole weekend!
Since I got to go shopping, it was time we did something for L. We went to the Michael Jordan 23 Sports Cafe, which was AWESOME. There were about 10 projectors covering every game on that night (which included a Yankees AND a Red Sox game), not to mention 500 sports news stations covering Le Bron. And their menus were made out of basketball! Literally, they were orange and textured. Too cool. I had the best drink of my life, made with Bacardi Dragonberry, triple sec, cranberry juice, and sour mix. SO GOOD.
And then. Then we ordered these:
BBQ Chicken spring rolls. With JALAPENO RANCH. These were SINFUL, they were so good. Michael can cook at my house, anytime.
Needless to say, L. and I have been forgoing carbs all this week.
We had to gamble a little, so we decided to be adventurous and risk it all on the .25 slots. I was hoping to win big, while L. of course found the only golf-related slot machine in the whole place:
After all that we decided to go to the club, but they wouldn't let L. in because he was wearing cargo shorts! Booo. They even let people wearing jeans in! We were pretty bummed, but ended the night in a fun Irish pub with live music. And I was wearing heels anyway, and was happy for the excuse to sit down!
When we were finally to tired to do much of anything, L. and I wandered back to our shuttle and our hotel. Even though the pool party Saturday was supposed to be the main event of the weekend, our spontaneous trip Friday was just so romantic, fun, and exactly what we needed. I wish we had stayed Saturday, too!
To my surprise and delight, L. needed very little persuading to decide that my idea was not so bad. He tasked me with the job of finding a hotel that provided a free shuttle to and from the casino, and agreed that we'd leave after work and make it there by dinnertime. Because we're broke college students who don't want to let that deter them from doing fun things, we decided we'd skimp on dinner (as in, we stopped at a Wendy's on the road there), but allow ourselves to go all out at the bars and clubs, since we're not big gamblers anyway.
It was so exciting to leave work, run home, throw a bag together and make our hotel reservations. Spontaneous trips are just so much more exhilarating and out-of-the-ordinary than planned ones! We hopped on the road, derailed only briefly by a stop at the outlets since, in all my excitement, I had forgotten to pack underwear. (Why is underwear so forgettable? A certain friend who shall remain nameless left her entire underwear drawer intact after she moved out of her dorm after freshman year! THAT'S a surprise for the custodial team!)
Anywhoodle. After underwear-collecting and Wendy's-consuming, we arrived at the Comfort Suites about 20 minutes before 9:00, and were informed that the shuttle for Mohegan would be leaving at 9, and the next one not until 10! We frantically scrambled up to the room, got changed, and primped. Oh, and I got ready too.
(Why are jokes at boyfriends' expenses always funnier than all other jokes?)
Anyway, we rushed rushed rushed, and then, we were there. I love casinos because they're kind of like cruise ships, but on land--everything you would ever want or need is there. Shopping, restaurants, bars, clubs, casino. What more is there to life?
Besides, you know. Libraries. Pet shelters. Schools. But besides those things.
I was really excited about everything flashy. For instance, this blue sculpture. Loved it. L. didn't really get it.
But he did take a picture with me in front of it, which ultimately is all that matters. It's unbelievable how flattering florescent blue and white backlighting can be.
(Not.)
I kinda like how busy the blurry lights make it look in the background, though.
If you look closely, you'll see that there's a Tommy Bahama behind the weird blue sculpture.
This, friends. This was the site of a miracle.
On a whim, I decided to stop in and see if they had a bathing suit that I could pick up for the pool party, seeing as I hate all my bathing suits (or maybe just the way I look in them?) and therefore had defiantly not brought one with me. I'll show them!, I thought.
But then I thought, uhh, how will I go in the pool?
Anyway, Tommy Bahama had a sign in the window advertising 50% off all women's swim, and within minutes of walking in, I had fallen in love with this mandarin orange ensemble (minus the skirt):
Which, incidentally, happened to be the same color as the J. Crew pencil skirt I was wearing that night. It was meant to be! And when I tried it on, it actually looked GOOD. Has that ever happened?
I excitedly brought my purchase--which was, or so I thought, $114 on sale for $57, to the front desk. The salesman, Ben, rang it up for me, and announced "That'll be $144."
I think my face literally dropped. Ben explained that the promotion was actually spend $100 FIRST, THEN get 50% of all swim. Well, I didn't have $157 to spend at Tommy Bahama, so, crestfallen, I put the swimsuit away. As we were leaving, L. and I started chatting with a woman who asked us where we went to college. We answered Williams, she said "oh, what a great school!" and yada yada yada. As we were walking out, Ben called me back over.
"Michelle," says Ben, "I'll tell you what I'm gonna do. I'm going to extend you my employee discount, which is 50%, and that will make the swimsuit exactly $57."
My mouth dropped open. "Really? But...but...why?!"
He laughed. "I overheard you chatting. I just figured, you're a broke college student, you go to a great school, you deserve it!" And, chuckling, he walked off to go get his swipe card. One of his fellow employees began ringing up my suit, and when she saw that my jaw was still on the floor, she laughed. "As you were walking out, he said, 'I'm going to make her whole day,'" she told me.
That was probably the nicest thing a stranger has EVER done for me. I saved the receipt and I'm going to send a thank you note to the store, addressed to Ben. I hope he gets it! It more than made my night--it made my whole weekend!
Since I got to go shopping, it was time we did something for L. We went to the Michael Jordan 23 Sports Cafe, which was AWESOME. There were about 10 projectors covering every game on that night (which included a Yankees AND a Red Sox game), not to mention 500 sports news stations covering Le Bron. And their menus were made out of basketball! Literally, they were orange and textured. Too cool. I had the best drink of my life, made with Bacardi Dragonberry, triple sec, cranberry juice, and sour mix. SO GOOD.
And then. Then we ordered these:
BBQ Chicken spring rolls. With JALAPENO RANCH. These were SINFUL, they were so good. Michael can cook at my house, anytime.
Needless to say, L. and I have been forgoing carbs all this week.
We had to gamble a little, so we decided to be adventurous and risk it all on the .25 slots. I was hoping to win big, while L. of course found the only golf-related slot machine in the whole place:
After all that we decided to go to the club, but they wouldn't let L. in because he was wearing cargo shorts! Booo. They even let people wearing jeans in! We were pretty bummed, but ended the night in a fun Irish pub with live music. And I was wearing heels anyway, and was happy for the excuse to sit down!
When we were finally to tired to do much of anything, L. and I wandered back to our shuttle and our hotel. Even though the pool party Saturday was supposed to be the main event of the weekend, our spontaneous trip Friday was just so romantic, fun, and exactly what we needed. I wish we had stayed Saturday, too!
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