Memorial Day Weekend & A Blogging Hiatus

Memorial Day was so great!

Fiance and I left the house at about 9:00AM on Saturday morning and I drove us to Connecticut!

When we were almost there, my Aunts called and told us to meet them in Litchfield for lunch. OK! Don't gotta ask us twice!

Near the restaurant, we saw this deer in an antique shop. I told Fiance I though we should get it, so he went to check the price tag. $12,000 guys! Not $120 or even $1200, both of which I might have paid. $12,000! Antique seekers in Litchfield are clearly very serious about their deer.

After lunch, we drove to their house and then my parents and Alyssa arrived and we started a typical visit for us: accidental naps and a whole lot of time spent around the kitchen and/or dining room table.

My Aunts have had this house for what seems like my whole live (even though I think I was 12 when they bought it) and it is one of my favorite places in the whole wide world.

We went shopping on Saturday and I sat in the trunk all the way to and from our stops (Target, Panera, Famous Footwear). I had to sit sideways because station wagon trunks are made for children and for the first time EVER I was too tall for something.

We also spent some time by the pool and I took these great pictures of Fiance and Alyssa!

And Alyssa, my Aunt and I went running on Saturday morning! Alyssa is five weeks behind me in the program, so she took this picture of me...I'm under those trees!

These are some other things I saw on my run...super different than the treadmill at the gym!

Fiance and I got home last night and guys, Dilly was shedding EVERYWHERE! Fiance says its because it was hot this weekend but I've never had a pet before so I'm not too sure. What I DO know is that I fur-minated her and this is what came off of her. She is so gross!

And now for my blogging hiatus...

FIANCE AND I ARE MOVING TO BROOKLYN ON SATURDAY MORNING. We have packed nothing.

That's not totally true, we cleaned out our utility closet last night pre-Dilly brushing and we packed about six boxes. But the packing we have to do the rest of the week is totally going to cramp my blogging style, and I cannot promise a very reliable presence here.

Don't worry though, I'll take lots of pictures so that you can experience the moving process (because I know you are so interested)! For now though, I'll leave you this picture of Dilly. She is so confused an unimpressed by moving but boy oh boy, does she love boxes!

Wish us luck!

Friday's Letters

Dear Friday, it seemed like you would never get here! Fiance and I are going out to dinner with friends tonight and heading out of town tomorrow and work was so ick this week. Busy and rainy and humid. And not just outside, friends! My office was a steam shower. My hair may never recover. But Friday here you are and gosh are you pretty!

Dear New York City, even thought your weather was abominable this week I think I'm falling in lurve with you. Don't you know lurve? Its love but better! Its hard for me to believe that you are the same city that I hated the year after I graduated from college. The same streets, no less! Now you are filled with beautiful buildings and subways I (kind of) understand and parks that I love.

Dear Mom, please stop calling me to tell me that Holly "ran away with another paper cup of water". She didn't! You let her go upstairs and then fill a tiny paper cup with water for her to drink because she runs around like a lunatic and is thirsty. And then like a lunatic, she pretends she is going to be all cute and drink from the cup but instead she grabs the cup out of your hand and makes a break for it! She spills water everywhere and tears the cup into a million pieces. And you are surprised every time! And you laugh even though me and Alyssa weren't even allowed to have cups with covers in the family room (and still cannot!). She is not a person even though we think she is and would like her to wear pants. She is an animal and cannot use paper cups, that is why she has a bowl!


Dear Chen Guangcheng, Now you live and study law on my campus? It is my new summer goal to run into you in Starbucks and buy you an iced coffee. Do you drink iced coffee? I can get you one of those frozen fancy drinks instead, if you'd like! We can also get chicken and rice from the street cart if that is what you would prefer.

Via

Dear Carnival, you just appeared in my gym's parking lot on Tuesday. And I didn't hate it.

Dear Instagram, I did not really understand you until this week. On Tuesday night, I Instagramed this photo with the caption "Waiting for Dad to get home". I linked it to Twitter, and tagged Fiance using his Twitter name.

But then I got a comment from a friend. Turns out Instagram names do not correspond with Twitter names necessarily and that I had been accidentally tagging someone else as Dilly's father. Whoops!

Dear running, I think I don't hate you. In fact, I might even venture to say I like you. Not love...but like. Last night was my most successful run yet and I completed week five. Sunday is going to be a real test as I'll be waking up early on an out of town vacation to run an amount of time that five weeks ago was basically a non-possibility. But here I am! Sweaty and gross and nearly a bona-fide runner! Questions I have for actual runners: What are some things I can do on the days I don't run to improve my running? What sneakers do you recommend (I am getting a new pair soon HOORAY!) and how do you track your mileage? Finally, do you have any good song recommendations? There's only so many times a girl can listen to Miley's Party in the USA without becoming insane.

Guys, look how b-e-a-utiful I look! 

 Happy Memorial Day Weekend to YOU! Find more Friday Letters here

Embrace the Camera: In Which We Spent A Lot of Money

Fiance and I currently have a full size bed. Which is not big enough for the both of us plus Dilly. Not big enough at all.

Since we're moving next Saturday (holy moly we have packed nothing AND are going away this weekend) we decided that our new bigger home needed a new bigger bed.

Suddenly, it was ten days before we moved and we had not ordered a bed. And ummm I had plans to get frozen yogurt with friends last night and I am not one to not get frozen yogurt for dinner (see previous posts).

So Fiance and I hatched a plan wherein I would take a train to a different train station near a Bob's Furniture (and near Fiance's old house) and we would fast, buy a bed. I did not have high hopes for this expedition and was convinced we would need at least three hours.

Into Bob's we went, where we laid on a whole lot of beds. And where our sales man asked us if we liked to spoon when we told him we were considering a King. I was totally uncomfortable, and he tried to convince us that this was an important question. No sir...it is not. And even if it was, it was it was a question that we could have answered in our heads, and not vocally to you. Ew.

Twenty minutes later, Fiance had his credit card out (thank you baby Jesus we are getting our security deposit back and don't need to put one down on our new apartment!) and we had bought a new queen size bed! And its memory foam! And we agreed on whether we wanted "firm" or "pillow" (firm) or half and half (too many options). Also, in case you were wondering, don't call the "pillow" option "the mushy side" because your salesman will get angry.

That's the king version of our mattress, but that's it! And no, don't worry we did not get that headboard. Geeze, how intense is that?

We also almost bought one of these lights. How great are they? We decided against it, but I think we might be making a return trip soon!

And more Embrace the Camera posts here! 

Book Funk

This is not a post summarizing my latest book because friends, I have read nothing in almost two weeks.

I have started not one, not two but THREE books. And I hate them all! I will not tell you what they are in the event that I read them later on...I don't want to taint your opinion of them.

HOWEVER as of right now I hated them!
Last week I kept falling asleep on the train...WHY? Last night I listened to a Nerdist podcast with Tina Fey, which while entertaining was NOT reading. I searched my Kindle for a full twenty minutes trying to find something I wanted to read. I could not find one thing and it made me cranky.

Friends, how do I get out of my book funk? Do you have any book suggestions? Help me puhlease!

Children with Tattoos

On Saturday night after the beach, we decided that we wanted to eat quesadillas for dinner. Upon entering the grocery store to get supplies for said quesadillas, we also decided that we must eat guacamole with our quesadillas (because when have you ever wanted to eat quesadillas without guacamole?).

Brian and I made our way to the produce section and proceeded to touch every avocado. I always forget the rules for avocados! How mushy is mushy enough and how mushy is bad? How big are they suppose to be? Is brown a better color than green? WHY ARE THERE SO MANY AVOCADO OPTIONS?

Anyway, we finally picked two avocados and put them in our shopping basket. As we were walking to the check-out though, I saw something more confusing than a pile full of avocados...a six year old with an arm full of tattoos.

Via

How strange right? A little searching on Google gave me these pictures. The one in the photo above doesn't look too real, but I swear the kid who I saw on Saturday had one that was the exact same shade as his skin! And he was pushing his baby sister around in a stroller which made me seriously ask myself if I was seeing things.

I actually asked myself "Why does the six year old have a baby?" and "Why does this adult with tattoos look like a six year old in not only stature but HE CLEARLY STILL HAS HIS BABY THEETH!" Then I saw a tiny little seam on his wrist and realized that PHEW I was not crazy, his mother was because she probably bought the tattoo sleeve for him.

In case you want to confuse shoppers in your local grocery store, you can use the link below that photo and buy them from Etsy for only $17! I think it might be a good investment for grocery store laughs!

Today I Am Working From Home

 Because I got sunburned on the back of my legs and pants are an issue.

And you can't wear no pants to the office.

On Saturday I spent the day on the beach (sunburned) and yesterday we spent the day in the city  celebrating Stephanie's graduation! It was a great weekend, and I don't have much more to tell you except that frozen pink lemonade with vodka is my favorite. And that I can make friends with anyone, including strangers in line for the bathroom (shout out, Evan!).

Please enjoy these photos and send ice cube-y thoughts to my thighs. Happy Monday!

Did I mention on Saturday night we ate quesidillas? It was a whole weekend of Mexican food, which can never be a bad thing. 

My new favorite picture of me and Fiance!

That pigeon touched my foot and I had sandals on. That's all I can say about it without throwing up. 

 Congratulations, best friend!

Friday's Letters

Dear Radio City, you were beautiful this week.

Dear Job, graduation is a time when a career in higher education makes you all warm and fuzzy on the inside. Especially when graduate students who you basically started with in June hug you in their cap and gown...its really the best.

Dear Amanda, Thank god we like each other because we would have not made it to or through graduation without each other!

Dear New York City, are you staying this temperature now? Is it officially summer? Yesterday morning sure was beautiful.

Dear Running, are we friends? I felt like crap after I got home from work on Thursday (parking ticket, grrr) and I wanted to stay home. But I didn't. I went to the gym and ran my program. And I felt better when I was finished. I think I might like you? Let's see how I feel at the end of next week.

Dear Koi Sellers, is this effective? Advertisements at the train station? Do you sell many koi this way? 

Dear Dilly, Why do you sleep with your head on/near things?

Also, I'm sorry that I'm a negligent mother and that you actually ran out of food yesterday morning. How would you have felt though if in addition to buying this at the pet store...

I brought him home, too? I would name him Tom...

Catch other Friday's Letters here! 

Reasons to Love New York: Mystery Water

One of the things that perplexes me about New York is what Fiance and I call "mystery water."

This mystery water confuses me more than the amount of chicken and rice New Yorkers consume that keep what seem to be hundreds of delicious halal carts open for business. It confuses me more than how subway conductors know which tunnel to take (seriously, it is SO dark!). And it confuses me more than how women commute in four inch heals.

My confusion stems mostly from the fact this mystery water has the ability to end up on your head, shoulder, face and or bag at any point no matter where you are walking.

Inside? Mystery water on your head. Outside? Mystery water smacks you in the face. Underground? YOU ARE NOT SAFE (see photo below) from mystery water, which can be found in all sorts of patterns, depths and colors!

Here are some places I have encountered mystery water.

1. Underground when leaving the train and walking to the subway. Puddles of water...ew. Sometimes it also falls from the sky!

2. Fiance and I drove to Brooklyn a few weeks ago and got pelted with water from the sky. It was not raining! "MYSTERY WATER JUST HIT US!" Fiance screamed. I nearly gaged because it was a grayish color. Ew.

3. My office is under major construction. The whole building is being demoed floor by floor and this has allowed mystery water to assault its occupants at all points during the day. Outside the building, in the stairwell, you name it...mystery water will find you.

4. Subways all over the city are FILLED with mystery water. You should wear a hat to ensure that it doesn't accidentally hit you in the face. On the cheek. Near your mouth. Because that happened to me on Monday and I do not want to talk about it.

MYSTERY WATER where do you come from? Maybe these pipes?

Please stay away from my mouth.
xo,
Kate