Good News, Bad News

Good News

1. Found my wedding ring.  It had gotten snagged on a large chunky necklace while in my gym bag and when I transferred said chunky necklace to my jewelry box, I didn't see it.  I bought a new jewelry box and while cleaning out my old one, I came across the ring.

Nothing fancy but it's still mine

2.  Leaving for a weekend in New York tomorrow morning.  Wheels up at 7 a.m.!

NYC, Here we come

3.  Got a good deal on a new suitcase yesterday from Tuesday Morning, which is kind of a poor man's TJ Maxx.  The wheels literally broke off my old one while dragging it along some cobblestone streets in Spain last July.  Got a great, lightweight carry-on for only $50.

Bad News

1.  Had to be at the office at 6:30 am this morning for a meeting.  Watching the sunrise from a conference room is not my idea of a good time.

So true

2.  Cleaning my office today.  The clutter and unorganized files have reached maximum density and I can't take it anymore.

3.  Bad selfies.  I needed to send a basic headshot to two different groups for work-related events.  Unfortunately, we don't have any professional photos done at my office so I had to take some of my own selfies.  This was the best one I could get in my office.  Ugh.  Makes me realize that I need to start remembering to put some argan oil in my hair when its damp to deal with the frizz and fly aways.

I look spaced out and freaky....

After today I am off for a long Labor Day weekend.  Hope everyone enjoys theirs as well!

Weekend is over too fast!

Can't believe how quickly the weekend flew by and I already know that this week will go by quickly as well.  Fortunately, it is a short week for me as we leave early Friday morning for NYC.  I've got meetings scheduled every day this week which usually makes it go by fairly quickly.  One meeting is even schedule for 7:00 am this week.  I mean, really?  Who in their right mind schedules a meeting for 7 friggin' a.m.?  Ugh.

It was actually a quiet weekend and we spent most of it laying around the house Saturday and Sunday but had a nice lunch at Mr. Mesero, a Mexican food restaurant in Uptown on Saturday, where we pigged out on margaritas and guacamole and chicken enchiladas.  Not on my diet but oh well.

I think one thing I am looking forward to the most about New York (besides the shopping) is the fact that the high is supposed to be only 80 degrees.  Given that Dallas is supposed to be over 100 degrees while we're gone, it will be like heaven.  Texas summers are brutal.  It reminds me that I am officially ready for fall and cooler weather.  And I think we all know what fall brings with it....

Yes!!

At any rate, I probably won't have much time for posting this week b/c of my work schedule but I hope to have a fun NYC trip report next week.

Five on Friday

TGIF, as always.  This week has been a beating at work.  Fortunately, I paid it forward earlier in the week by working 12 hour days Mon - Wed so I have pretty much wrapped up my "to do" list and can relax a bit at the office on Friday.

 

1.  Bare Minerals - Well Rested.  I have a serious dark circle problem under my eyes.  Not puffiness, just dark circles.  Apparently it's genetic according to aestheticians I have spoken to and the only thing I can do is cover them up and/or use various products to make them less noticeable.  Enter Bare Minerals Well-Rested.  I got this as a free sample from Sephora and it is awesome. Put the liquid on under your eyes and it really brightens up those dark circles and reflects light so you don't look like you have two pieces of liver under your eyes.  Great product!

2.  A good cocktail after a looooong week.  Tonight the hubby and I are stopping by the bar of a local hotel restaurant called Central 214 that serves amazing hand crafted cocktails and great appetizers.  Can't wait for 5pm to roll around today.

One of the best cocktails I have ever had.  It was at Three Muses in New Orleans.
Some kind of watermelon cucumber martini type thing.  Delish

3.Henri Bendel, NYC.  I love Bendel's in NYC.  It's what I imagine heaven must be like.  The accessories department is amazing.  We have a small Bendel's here in Dallas but it is the size of a dressing room in the NYC Bendels.  I will be perusing the accessories section in NYC's Bendel at this same time next week.

Mecca

Me next Friday

4. Sunsets.  I don't know why but I was thinking this morning about how some of the best times I have had on vacations has been sipping a glass of wine or a cocktail and watching an amazing sunset.  Here are a few oldies but goodies.

St John, USVI

Friend's Lakehouse in TX last fall 

5.  Pedicure Time.  My toes look like dragon claws right now.  It's pretty gross.  So, this Sunday will be official pedicure day for me.  Now I just have to find the right polish color.  I'm kind of boring but I tend to always go with pinks or corals.

Love this one

Pinks

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Three Things List...

Saw this on Girlfriend Jill's sight about listing five things you feel strongly about under various categories.  Okay, I will play but I am limiting my list to three things because....

I know...so predictable

Without further ado...

1.  Three things I have a passion for:

• Good french fries.
• My dog, Fly
• Travel & learning about other cultures

2. Three things I would like to do before I die:

• Hang glide
• Swim with whale sharks
• Hike the Grand Canyon (all the way to the bottom and back)

3. Three reads I love

• Anything by Alice Munro
• Anything by Tennessee Williams
• Any crappy celebrity gossip magazine if I am flying on an airplane, especially during turbulence b/c nothing distracts me from my fear of flying like seeing pictures of "stars" looking fat in their bathing suits

4. Three favorite movies

• The English Patient (this one sucks me in every time, dammit)
• Anchorman (or just about any movie with Will Ferrell in it)
• Out of Africa

5.  Three places I want to travel to

• Greece (including Crete)
• Italy (Tuscany, Rome, Amalfi Coast)
• Bali

The View Ahead

Sometimes work can beat you down so much that you just have to keep your eye on what's just around the corner for motivation.  I am in that mode right now....

Labor Day weekend we will be spending three nights in New York City.  I haven't been to NYC in about 2 years though I've been lucky enough to go at least 15 times or more since college.  Granted, most of those were work trips where I spent 99% of my time in a windowless conference room but it was still New York.  Poor Steve hasn't been since we did a weekend trip the year we got married (11 years ago), so he is super excited.  Here is the gist of our plans:

1.  Staying at the St. Regis in mid-town.  Yes, this is a splurge but I have always wanted to stay here, we got a good deal and we booked the cheapest room they have.   I will also say that the concierge there has been great at getting us dinner reservations to some places that are notoriously difficult to get into and they even managed to get us reservations for 7:30pm on Fri and Sat so I think that service alone has justified the room cost, which actually wasn't as bad as you might think.

St Regis with house Bentley out front

2.  Two Special Dinner Reservations.  Friday night is Gramercy Tavern and Saturday night is Blue Hill.  Blue Hill just won the James Beard award for best restaurant in New York this past year and is very small and intimate so I actually never thought we could get a reservation on a weekend.  Both restaurants do the whole "farm to table" concept so I can't wait to try them out!

Gramercy Tavern

Blue Hill

3.  Yankees Game!  Not a Yankees fan but I look forward to seeing Yankee Stadium and taking in a game.  We also plan to get down there a little early and try hitting one of the local Dominican or Jamaican restaurants near the stadium.

Whatever.  Go Orioles.

4.  Shopping in Soho.  My favorite shopping district in New York.  Tons of fun boutiques, Barney's last call and it's just a lovely neighborhood with a great vibe.  It's also within walking distance to Little Italy which is a great stop for lunch.

Too many stores, not enough time in Soho

5.  Dinner at Pellegrino's in Little Italy followed by the Mulberry Street Bar.  Neither one is a fancy place at all but I love Pellegrino's for dinner and then an ice cold Peroni at the Mulberry Street Bar.  Great people watching!

Pellegrino's

Mulberry Street Bar

What about you?  Any favorite spots in NYC?