Life lately

Life has been so busy I can barely keep up with myself. I am slowly getting back into the groove of being a student again with reading and writing papers and being in class. I must admit that I’m enjoying it so far and meeting some really great new people. The last couple of weeks have been filled with goodbyes to friends leaving Boston and so I’ve been a bit sad about it especially since summer is upon us. Nevertheless I am looking forward to a reprieve from all the rain we’ve been getting and looking forward to sunny days and cool nights! Here’s a little bit of what I’ve been up to via Instagram.

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Every brunch should include coffee and a cocktail

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6 mile fun run with City Sports

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What I hope everyday this summer will look like

Blogger Brunch: Vine Brook Tavern

I got to attend a blogger brunch at the Vine Brook Tavern in Arlington. A brunch with great ladies where I got to eat good food and talk about food, what could be better? The Vine Brook Tavern has been open since November 2012 and has a great tavern feel to it when you walk in.  It was about a 15 minute drive from our place in Belmont so it will definitely be a place that I R and I got for dinner or brunch on the weekend.  

ImageWhen I arrived our server Ashley was welcoming and sat us in a sectioned off area.  We started off with some great cocktails my favorites being the Latin Lebowski, Moscato mist, and Caipirinha.  The Latin Lebowski had cachaca, chocolate malted milk, agave, and ancho chile and reminded me of adult chocolate milk. The Moscato mist had Moscato, White grape juice, Prosecco, and frozen grapes, it was light, refreshing and took me back to being on a beach.  

ImageFor our first course we started with items that would be included on their “blunch” menu.  We shared french coated in breakfast cereal which I loved.  It was crunchy and sweet and definitely seemed like something I would order on a Sunday morning  We also had a breakfast sandwich with smoked salmon, cream cheese, on a bagel, and a flatbread with peppers and provolone.  I found the flatbread a little too spicy for my liking and the smoked salmon club was just okay. ImageImageImage

Course 2 brought us a framers flatbread with caramelized onion, bacon, and corn, and sirloin steak sandwich with horseradish dijon, sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, sharp American and house chip, and finally a turkey burger with avocado, house mayo, Munster cheese, and Idaho fries.  The flatbread and steak sandwich were both delicious, however I found the turkey burger a bit too mushy for my liking, however the fries that accompanied the burger were tasty.  ImageImageImage

Overall the food was great, the servers were really fun.  We even got an impromptu performance of opera by server Joel, following our meal Ashley gave us a tour of restaurant and we got to ask more questions about food and the property.  I will definitely be coming back to here with R for dinner as I would love get a tasted of the desserts they have to offer as well as their wine selection.  Prices are middle range so it is definitely a place that is affordable with great food.   Thanks to the Vine Brook Tavern for an amazing brunch! ImageImageImage

Happy Birthday!

Unknown-1My little blog turns 1 today! This has been an amazing year and I have felt so lucky to make some great friends through this blog and also share some amazing moments in my life.  I appreciate everyone that reads this little thing and my hope is to continue becoming better and learning more about this whole blogging thing.

Friday’s Fancies: Summer School

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Zara|Coach|Philip Lim

This summer I’ve started taking Ph.D classes and my life has become dragging my computer and all other essentials around for class several times a week.  While operation spending freeze is still in effect, I can’t help but window shop for a large school bag that can fit my entire life (computer, books, beauty products, etc) but not make me look like a second grader.  All of these bags fit the criteria and I would love nothing more than to welcome any of them into my life.

Have a great weekend! Mine will be spent reading!

Friday Fancies: Summer Shades

Every year I like to find a new pair of sunglasses as a way to cap off my.  The pair doesn’t have to be expensive (I actually prefer that they aren’t so I don’t feel as bad if and when I loose them), but it’s a way to inject new life into my summer wardrobe.  This summer vintage shades are in and I am loving the cat eye shades and the round frames, here are a few that have caught my eye:

 

78468318Juicy Couture 

82207546Top Shop 

83976894Swell 

 

Friday’s Fancies: White Party

I don’t have very many white dresses (except for one really nice gown) in my wardrobe and I think it’s something I need to work on. I am always a little fearful when I wear white that I will get dirty but I do love the feeling I have in a white dress. I feel cool, sophisticated, and put together. I find that a lot of my friends email pretty white dresses they see for rehearsal dinner or even bachelorette party options which I love. Last weekend I snagged a great pair of white jeans, which I’m also looking forward to wearing this summer. FF 531Dress| Shoes| Necklace| Bag

Wedding Thoughts: Simply Bridal

This past weekend my Facebook was with inundated with people I know getting married! I have to admit seeing all the pictures and videos of first dances, brides in gowns, and wedding guests got me giddy and excited for my wedding.  I think it also helped that everyone we hung out with in California will be in our wedding so there were lots of conversations about the wedding and bachelor/bachelorette parties (R’s will be in the Fall in Sonoma, mine is New Orleans).  I have to admit that during the weekend I snuck in a few peeks at pictures of me in my wedding dress (whenever R wasn’t around) and got giddy thinking about how I will look and feel in it on the big day.  I am one of those people that feels great in a good outfit so I know that my wedding dress will add to me feeling like a million bucks on our day.  I am always on the hunt for new and interesting bridal sites and I recently found the website Simply Bridal.  Simply Bridal offers an amazing variety of 100% made to measure wedding, bridesmaids dresses as well as accessories.  I have been perusing their selection of veils as I have yet to get one.

The folks at Simply Bridal are offering 15% off all products on their website from now until June 22 (Use the code SBL168HP)!  I will definitely be picking up some new accessories for the dozens of outfits that I have been planning for the week of my wedding (what can I say I like to plan ahead)! Here are some of my favorites: 87514_1

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Weekend Recap

This weekend has been wonderful! R and I have been in San Diego visiting our good friends. There have been good laughs, inside jokes, and lots of big dinners with wine and beer. The trip has been great for my soul as I only get to see many of these friends once a year at this reunion. The next reunion will be R’s and my wedding! Whether it was wine tasting in Temecula, or exploring downtown San Diego I’ve loved getting out of Boston (I heard the weather was pretty crappy), seeing people I love, shopping (I found some great stuff at Nordstrom Rack) and celebrating the start to the year countdown to our wedding (it was Saturday)! Today is my last day and I’m not looking forward to going back to work and school but the break has given me a great recharge.

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Celebrating my first meal in SD!

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The group outside our first winery in Temecula

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Me and my bridesmaid/bestie H

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Having a picnic at our last winery of the day

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Nothing beats wine tasting in CA

dress- H&M, sweater- JCrew, sunglasses- Ray Ban

Friday’s Fancies: Memorial Day

I am spending Memorial Day Weekend in sunny San Diego with R visiting our great California friends! The weather is amazing and I am enjoying the sun, great food, and wonderful people.  I plan to wear a version of this outfit this weekend when head up Temecula, CA tomorrow.  We rented a house and we are going to enjoy the wineries, barbecuing, and the start of summer! Have a great long weekend!

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Hat| Romper| Bag| Sandals