Today I’m participating in Nora’s Wine and Love, where we review our week and say what we loved and what caused us to reach for our wine glasses. If you’d like to join us, you can link up through Nora’s blog.
Things that caused me to reach for my wine glass…
I’ve had a serious case of the lonelies this week. It hit around Tuesday and hasn’t really left the building for longer than an hour or two. It’s probably the change in weather but it’s a whole lot of I HATE BEING SINGLE. It’ll pass, I know it will but it still sucks to have to go through.
I’ve been gaining weight thanks to a mass quantity of ice cream sitting in my freezer. I have a VERY hard time saying no to ice cream. Especially cake batter and chocolate mixed together with chocolate sauce. Hi, 10 extra lbs. Not so nice to see you.
Things that I’m loving…
I had so much fun at my Nintendo party! I love getting dressed up and playing games with friends. I need to host another party soon, complete with board games. Because who doesn’t love board games?
It snowed again yesterday and damn if it’s still not just the most gorgeous thing ever. Of course, everything froze last night so I expect a least one or two not-so-graceful falls on the ice from me. Watch out, Boulder. I’m on the loose!
My Pumpkin Pie Spice coffee. I am adoring it and the smell of it every morning this week. I love fall.
I’m part of a book club again! It’s the #twookclub, a twitter book club and I’m really excited about it. In fact, I just got notice from the library to pick up the first book, The Scent of Rain and Lightening by Nancy Pickard! Squee!
I’m heading to Wyoming exactly one week from today to visit my bestie and her four year old daughter and the rest of her family. They are my second family and I’m super excited to see them!! It’s been over a year since I was last up there and it’s going to be so nice to get away for a long weekend.
What are your w(h)ines and loves this week?
Happy (belated) Halloween everyone! Halloween is one of my favorite holidays; I love getting dressed up, seeing everyones costumes, carving pumpkins and all the scary movies. This weekend I celebrated, along with the rest of Boulder, on Saturday night with a party I hosted and a night out where I was actually present for last call. It’s been a while since I was at a bar that late! And by late, I mean 1:30.
I love hosting parties and have hosted several Halloween bashes in the past. It gives me an excuse to bake–and clean my apartment. Past shenanigans have included Tavern on the Green, a costume party at my old apartment and dressing up at past jobs. This year, Brand About Town approached me to host a Nintendo Wii party to show off their new Wii Play: Motion and 12 mini games and since I work weekends and have the weirdest schedule ever, the only night that coordinated with my friend who has the Wii and myself was this past saturday. So OF COURSE I turned it into a Halloween party too. After all, I had a prize to give away and a costume contest would force everyone to show up all decked out. It was a win-win situation.
First off, three ten year old boys came. Can I just say HOW MUCH ENERGY THEY HAVE?? Holy birth control, batman. They were crashing around my apartment while I finished getting everything set up (because hi, I work all day Saturdays. Boo.) and this was BEFORE the sugar rush started. Once we got the game started they were the first ones to test drive all the games. They weren’t as interested in the first games and there were some very melodramatic moments of “I DON’T WANT TO PLAY WITH [insert name here] ANYMORE” but once they got started and I reminded them there was a game to win, they focused and the hitting was at a minimum. And by minimum I mean like every two minutes instead of every 30 seconds.
Clearly I’m not used to hosting parties with kids present.
We all took turns playing with them, much to their dismay at having to be beat by a bunch of girls. I won a couple rounds of Skip Skimmer (skipping rocks) which I was pretty proud of since we all were having difficulty actually throwing the rocks. We got yelled at a lot by the kids, since they were the experts clearly.
Out of all the games, we really liked the Spooky Search (the one where you have to search for ghosts by pointing the remotes around the room) and the Wind Runner (umbrella racing, which I kind of sucked at. Why avoid the tar when you can get stuck in it?!). We also really liked the fact that a lot of the games required teamwork instead of competing against each other. (That may have decreased the hitting each other game they had going on even more.)
Towards the end of the night we had ice cream sundaes with every topping imaginable. The inspiration Brand About Town had for the Ice Cream Social theme to the party was from one of the games called Cone Zone, where you had to balance scoops of ice cream on your “cone.” While we didn’t have any real balancing acts going on, we had some delicious sundaes. It’s been a while since I’ve had a sundae of any kind and mmmm. SO GOOD. There also were cookies and these adorable marshmallow pops Cassie made that were so creative.
After the initial sugar rush the boys were on–which I’m pretty sure had their heads spinning–came the blessed sugar CRASH and suddenly we had three very sleepy kids barely mobile on the floor. We did hold the costume contest–Donna was a witch, Cassie a Swiss Yodeler/Beer Wench, Margot was Princess Daisy and her husband Jon was Waluigi from Super Mario Kart, Wiley was the Grim Reaper, Conner was a Power Ranger/Ninja, Nick was a gangster and I was a peacock. After some voting, Nick, the gangster, won his own copy of the 12 games and a remote! Everyone also got adorable ice cream bowls with their own spoon to take home.
The varying stages of a sugar crash.
It was a very fun evening and after we sent the kids home, the rest of the adults (that’s a very loose term here, even for those like me that are closing in on 30) took off in full gear down to Pearl Street (the main drag in Boulder) where we wound up at Catacombs drinking, dancing and mainly people watching. The costumes we saw were AMAZING! I love people watching on Halloween, especially when people get creative outside of the usual “Sexy [insert profession/insect/animal here]“. My favorites included a guy wearing a lego head, George Michael complete with saxophone and playing Careless Whispers to everyone, the dick in the box girls, the dead Alice in Wonderland characters, a really awesome Black Swan (there were a lot but one in particular was really good) and Madeline.
Staying out til 2am when you have to be at work at 10 the next morning probably wasn’t my brightest idea but it was so much fun! Overall it was a great weekend, despite not being able to dress up at work like I did last year. Trust me, it’s much more fun working with clients when you are dressed up and they’re looking at you oddly every five seconds. Great ice breaker.
Disclaimer: Brand About Town sent me the Wii Play Motion games and remote plus ice cream & sundae fixings all free of charge. My opinions are my own.
Today I’m participating in Nora’s Wine and Love, where we review our week and say what we loved and what caused us to reach for our wine glasses. If you’d like to join us, you can link up through Nora’s blog.
Things that caused me to reach for my wine glass…
Trying to get a hair appointment in Boulder with someone that is recommended has become a pain in the ass. I had an appointment this morning with a girl who did my friend’s hair and of course she’s out sick and now I’m rescheduled with someone else. If I weren’t so desperate for a haircut, I’d wait but after going through three other recommended people–one who was out of town, one hurt her arm and the other is now out sick–I’m not sure I have the patience! Pray for me.
Thinking about the future of my career. It makes my head spin.
Things that I’m loving…
Knitting! It was on the wine side of things a couple weeks ago but after finally learning how to knit, I’m very much enjoying it. I’m pretty much finished with one project and am waiting to learn how to actually finish it. It’s a lot more fun than I expected and I get to make something pretty and put my creativity to use. Win win!
Monday it was 80 degrees and gorgeous. By tuesday night, it was snowing. While usually I would freak the fuck out if it snowed in OCTOBER (like any normal person would), I was so excited for it and we got a lot more than I expected. Yesterday it snowed for most of the day but this morning I woke up to the following picture and I mean. HOW CAN YOU HATE THAT?
Adriana and I used to make dinner together before she moved to Cali for the summer. Now she’s back and we picked up making dinners again last night. It was great to have a glass of wine, listen to the new Ryan Adams and Florence and the Machine albums and chat about life while making deeeeelicious lemon chive pasta from the farmers market with asparagus, a pepper from my garden and shrimp. NOMS.
I went to the pumpkin patch last week and my neighbor Annie and I are planning on carving our pumpkins tonight! Super excited.
My Erin Condren planner! I adore it and already feel uber organized. It actually arrived last week but I missed Wine & Love last week so I thought I’d throw it in here as an honorary mention.
Coming up on the blog…the two dozen cupcakes I made on Monday that were gone in three days thanks to my friends who thought they were crack. Most amazing things EVER.
What were your w(h)ines and loves this week?
Music has always played a huge part in my life. It started the minute I got my first walkman. I would spend hours with my headphones on listening to my tapes–stuff I’d taped off the radio, 4 Non-Blondes (my very first tape, followed by Madonna’s Bed Time Stories. I’m pretty convinced that my parents entrusted Madonna for my sexual education.) or the more innocent Lion King soundtrack. I mean, I was eight.
It evolved over the years; my walkman turned into a discman which then turned into an iPod Mini. I got my first iPod upon moving to New York and from that second on, I was never without it. I was always plugged in, the music becoming the soundtracks to my days walking across Manhattan. On my way to and from school, on the train from Connecticut when I commuted briefly into the city and then later when I would walk back and forth from my Upper East Side apartment to my job in Midtown. It was my favorite times of the day: the hour that it took me to walk to work in the mornings and the hour it would take me to walk home, sometimes after dark, up 5th Avenue. I would get lost in the music and my thoughts. I could escape from whatever it was that was going on in my life while those headphones were in my ears.
I miss that here in Boulder. I don’t often get the chance to walk around, music turned up loud (ruining my hearing), lost in the music and my thoughts. Music has always defined moments in my life and my strongest memories can be tied to certain songs; entire albums locking in feelings, memories and all those emotions that can be released if played again.
Take Adele’s 21 and Mumford & Sons Sigh No More. After my breakup with C in March, I was introduced to both of these albums and started playing them on repeat. I poured my emotions into White Blank Page, Someone Like You, and I Gave You All until they weren’t there anymore. Now I cannot listen to those songs without getting emotional despite having moved past that relationship and that boy, the mere memory of how painful that time of my life was triggering the sadness. It’s as if these songs took my emotions and bore the burden of that break up for me.
There was one song that I couldn’t listen to at first, it’s lyrics stinging too sharply for me to accept them while I was going through the pain of that break up. I would force myself to listen to it though, over and over and over again, tears streaming down my face. While I couldn’t listen to it then, it’s the one song I can listen to now and feel stronger. It still brings me back to that particular time in my life but it’s not in a sad way. Thank you Christina Perri for Jar of Hearts.
I love music and I love how it’s continuing to evolve in my life but I hate that I can’t listen to Adele or Mumford & Sons without all the reminders. I LOVE those albums, partly because they’re really fucking good, partly because they helped me get through a really hard time in my life. Maybe one day I’ll be able to put it all behind me and completely separate those albums and those particular emotions. Maybe one day I’ll attach something else to those songs and they will have more positive attributives.
Or they could just come out with new albums already and I can listen to those instead! I think that’s a pretty good idea, don’t you?
Of course not every song or album has sad memories attributed to them. Vampire Weekend’s Contra reminds me of my move out to Boulder. Florence and the Machine’s Lungs reminds me of driving visitors around Colorado during their first visits. Any time I hear Lonely Island’s I’m On a Boat or Jessie J’s Price Tag I can’t not hear my friend Morgan’s karaoke renditions. Peter, Bjorn and John’s Object of My Affection was my travel anthem while in Europe and anytime I hear Rufus Wainwright’s Hallelujah I’m taken back to a square in Copenhagen. And if we want to go WAY back, Lionel Ritchie’s All Night Long reminds me of dancing with my friend Steph in our college dorm AND my summer in Montauk.
And the earliest musical memory? Paul Simon’s You Can Call Me Al and Fine Young Cannibal’s You Drive Me Crazy. Both of these songs were played on repeat for hours while growing up and there were many moments, starting from age 5, when my younger brother and I would dance around the living room to these songs.
My current music loves: Florence and the Machine’s new album, Ceremonials, Ryan Adams’ album Ashes and Fire and Demi Lovato’s All Night Long.
It’s a gorgeous fall day in Boulder–sunny, not a cloud in the sky and a balmy 78 degrees. Not to mention all the trees are just exploding with color, making Colorado even more beautiful (which is really hard to do since it’s already so unfairly gorgeous). If you are friends with me on facebook and/or instagram, you are probably sick to death of the barrage of pictures of trees that I post up every five seconds thanks to my handy dandy iPhone. I just can’t help myself. It’s so damn pretty!
I used to be a fall and winter hater. I loved the colors of New England’s fall but god the winters sucked and since fall lead into winter, I hated fall. I bemoaned yearly about the ending of my life summer. There’s something about Colorado though that makes you love every single season and I got excited over the cooler temperatures when fall arrived. Granted, it’s been pretty damn warm for fall but in two days our 80 degree temperatures of today are going to turn into 32 degrees and a winter snowstorm.
I’m kind of excited about it.
The number one question I get asked the most by people from outside of Colorado is How are the winters? Most people’s impression is that of snow, snow and more fucking snow. And that it’s really, really cold. I’ll be honest, before I moved here that’s exactly what I thought Boulder would be like. I had visions of being buried over my head in snow drifts for months and months, bundled up so heavily that just my eyes were showing.
Then I moved here. I arrived the last weekend of January and it was 54 degrees out; all previous misconceptions were thrown out the window. Sure, it gets cold. Sure, we get snow (and several feet of it). BUT IT’S SUNNY. ALL THE TIME. The cold doesn’t stay, and neither does the snow. In fact, it stays pretty damn mild.
When it does snow it’s like magic. The clouds will roll in off the mountains, enveloping them until you can’t see them anymore and then it just turns white. And when the clouds lift? You have this gorgeous vista. I can handle a day or two of trudging around in snow when you get to look at that all day! The snow never stays around for long–just long enough to be pretty and then it will melt. None of this overstaying it’s welcome 3 months and turning to gray sludge you have to wade through at every street corner.
No, New York, I’m not referring to you. Stop looking so self-conscious. Oh. Wait. I am talking about you. Carry on.
The weather is perfect right now and while it’d be nice for it to stay 80 degrees for a little bit longer, I’m looking forward to our first snowfall on Wednesday. I can’t wait to see the flatirons all dusty with snow and to watch the snowflakes fly. Two years ago I would have laughed myself out of the room (probably banished for even wanting to watch snow fall). I seem to be under some spell put on me by this crazy town of Boulder but hey, I’ll take it. Plus, my skis are now finally sitting in my storage closet, waiting to be used for the first time on a Colorado mountain! TELL ME YOU AREN’T EXCITED FOR THAT?!! Just imagine the kind of stories coming out of the girl who once skied into a lodge wall and you’ll get excited.
For those of you considering moving here (I’m looking at YOU), I promise it’ll have the same effect on you. So you should just move here already and we can be BFFs. #crusadetomakeeveryonemovetoBoulder (Hashtags can so be used in posts, FYI. Especially epically long ones.)
Do you love this time of year? Or do you hate it?
It’s Friday (but really my Monday), I’m not working until 1 and I’m sitting here listening to the new Florence and the Machine, so basically my day has started off very nicely. I’ve actually been having quite a nice week filled with friends and a lot of me time.
Tuesday was my day off and I may have stayed in my pajamas until 3pm. I did purchase my plane ticket home to Michigan for Christmas, so I was somewhat productive during all that time spent being lazy! That night I went out with Adriana who has recently moved back to town (hooray!) to The Med, a great restaurant I frequented a lot when I first moved here but haven’t been much at all this year and definitely not at all this summer. It was nice to catch up, eat good food and text each other random emoticons from our iphones while sitting next to each other. Discovering the Emoji keyboard was a big deal for me, ok? We had to test it out right that minute!
I’ve been pondering a halloween costume for weeks now but haven’t been successful in coming up with anything. Wednesday I sent out a request to the internet to find me a costume that could work with the gold glittery pair of stripper heels and a feathery necklace that I haven’t gotten much use out of. During the course of the morning I got a lot of ideas–flapper (unfortunately have been that twice in the last three years), Cleopatra, peacock and Marilyn Monroe. It was a tough choice and it came down to Cleopatra and a peacock and the peacock won! I’m excited to get to work on my costume.
Wednesday was not only productive for deciding my costume, but I also learned how to knit! After going with Morgan to get pedicures, she came back to my place and finally sat me down and taught me how to knit. It only took a few mess-ups before I got it down but it was much easier learning from someone rather than from YouTube tutorials. I know you can learn a ton from YouTube but I don’t think knitting is one of them. There were a couple really frustrated nights where I wound up throwing my knitting needles because I just couldn’t figure it out. That one little lesson though has stuck and I am loving it. I never thought I’d admit to actually liking knitting but I have enjoyed my me time knitting the past couple nights in front of the TV.
Yesterday was another day off and I was up and out of my pajamas by 11. I was pretty proud of myself. I went out again with Morgan to shop for halloween stuff (was pretty unsuccessful trying to find a dress. I did eventually find one–in my own CLOSET! I love when that happens!) and then Morgan, Cassie and I went pumpkin picking. I hadn’t been to a pumpkin patch since I was little so it was fun to grab Morgan’s two dogs and head out east of Boulder. Of course the car ride featured a lot of singing along to Lonely Island because what else would we possibly want to listen to?
The pumpkin patch was quite picked over and a little sad looking but we still had a great time. We got about three pumpkins each and were probably the oldest people there without children, but the dogs were kind of like children. We tried taking a picture, the three of us plus two dogs (plus a third we seemed to acquire during the course of the picking) and it wasn’t going so well. The dogs were more interested in sniffing each others butts and not paying attention to the camera so the pictures we got were nice of us, but the dogs definitely were doing their own thing.
Last night we went to The Bitter Bar to meet up with a couple old coworkers and check out the new and improved. Bitter is probably my favorite bar in Boulder and I frequent it often so it was nice to get back there after their renovations. The drinks, as always, were delicious, the company was even better and I may have had a moment with the lobster risotto. Best lobster I’ve had in a while!
It’s been a lovely week and exactly what I needed. Next week I’m looking forward to cooking with friends, a bit more me time and nights spent knitting, putting together my halloween costume and planning for a little party next weekend. Details to come!
Sidenote: when did I become an 80 year old woman?!?!
The perfect antidote to Monday’s cynical, bitter post by me, was written by none other than Mr. Peter DeWolf. You may know him as That Super Awesome Ashley’s Other Half. You may also know him as the man who thinks himself God’s gift to the internet, aka the most charming man alive. While I have seeeeeeerious doubts about the last one (he can be a big pain in the ass and I should know, I’ve known him way too a long time), I’ll let it slide since he’s guest posting today and he wasn’t too “Aren’t I the most adorable?” in it.
He may actually throw some hope into this mix of bitterness that is Ashalah. (MAY, Peter. Don’t let that get to your head. I still have a few more gray hairs to give you.) As always, enjoy this post and don’t tell me you didn’t laugh your head off at #1. Because you know it actually happened.
*******
According to my first ever girlfriend, she dumped me because:
1) I thought I was too cool.
2) I was overly focused on academics.
As I stood there reading the note, with my five-years-too-late Billy Idol-spiked hair, next to a locker full of text books that hadn’t been opened for a month because I forgot my combination, these seemed like rather strange reasons.
But it did make me realize that I had no idea how to be a boyfriend.
I found that troubling. I pondered it for a while. I watched Family Ties. And then I spent a decade or so doing okay with the ladies simply by being tall and moderately charming.
I hung out with a group of guys who lived by the unspoken motto of “I don’t always drink beer, but when I do I prefer to steal pizza delivery cars. Stay ridiculous, my friends.”
I didn’t need to be the nicest guy in the world. I just had to look impressive by comparison.
It seemed like a solid plan at the time.
I dated the same kind of girls. I behaved in the same kind of ways. (Rhymes with “smelf absmorbed.”)
I learned my (few) lessons through half-assed trial and spectacular error.
Until my mid-twenties hit and I started to put it together. Slowly.
I got a little bit wiser with each woman I dated. I learned what I wanted in a partner. I REALLY learned what I didn’t.
I started figuring out how to communicate better. You know, with words and stuff. I felt like I was almost ready to be all that I could be as a boyfriend.
And then I met my girlfriend.
Oh. My.
Awesome.
From the very beginning, she let me know that I was going to have to put in some effort. She made me ask for her phone number twice before she shared it. Twice! ME!
But she also let me know from the beginning that she appreciates everything I do.
That is huge with me.
We’re lucky in that we have a lot of things in common. *cough* dorky things *cough*
And because our strengths and weaknesses compliment each other.
We click. Completely.
She growls at me.
Can you imagine?
I’m 6’4″ and ever so burly. (Despite the fact that I use “ever so” quite frequently.)
She’s 5’2″ and just unfairly cute.
She growls at me.
And somehow it works.
She just gets it. And she lets me be me. Which, I know, sounds simple and obvious, but think about when was the last time you felt completely free to be yourself in a relationship.
Still thinking?
(Fact: If you hid your Spanx at the bottom of a drawer, you weren’t completely free.)
I used to believe that listening and paying attention were things that required effort. But they don’t have to. If you’re with the right person, you will just… be interested. You’ll want to know everything.
I was a pretty decent boyfriend before. (I’m assuming you won’t check into that claim.) But then I met someone who deserves the best boyfriend ever. Now every day I try to earn that title.
Because it’s not until you’re in a great relationship that you fully realize how great a relationship can be.
Hmmm. That sounds a little like it should be on a greeting card. Or a motivational poster. Let me try again…
Only your best self can be part of a truly successful team.
Ehh. I’ll keep working on it.
All of it.
She’s worth it.
I’m participating in Ten on Tuesday again today, hosted by Chelsea! I know I promised a guest post from my special guest blogger today but I saw the questions for today’s ToT and I had to participate. Since it’s about travel and we know how much I love talking about travel! Feel free to participate in the comments as well.
1. You’re packing for a week long vacation, do you pack ahead of time or wait until the last possible minute to pack?
I am the worst offender of packing last minute. Don’t get me wrong, starting about four days before I will pull out my suitcase and put it at the foot of my bed and maybe pull out a few things and put it in the suitcase. However, the night before I will pull whatever I have placed in there out, replace it and then in a rush, throw things together and pray that when I arrive at my destination, I have everything I need.
2. Are you a light or heavy packer?
I’m learning how to be a light packer. I’m usually a pretty heavy packer and have been known to bring a large suitcase with me wherever I go. I recently bought a carry on suitcase and have been determined to only travel with this carry on. It has been successful on my last two trips to New York and I’m going to attempt it for my week home to Michigan in December. It’s pretty freeing to only travel with so much and I’ve found I only bring just what I need!
3. What are your favorite road trip snacks?
Chex mix or any kind of mix that has salty and sweet in it. It’s been a while since I’ve taken a road trip but I’m looking forward to my mini road trip up to Wyoming in three weeks!
4. Do you take any reading material along?
On road trips? I’m usually driving so no I do not. If I did, you all should be scared. I usually fly everywhere so when I’m traveling, I do take a book. I most likely will nap the entire flight but need something to distract me while taking off. I’m a horrible taker offer and if I’m not distracted, I may start grabbing the hand of the person sitting next to me and well, I travel solo. Makes for a rather uncomfortable rest of the flight if I’m holding onto a stranger’s hand.
5. Do you prefer to drive or fly to your vacation destination?
Despite my fear of taking off, I prefer flying. It’s quick and usually pain free and I can nap. Driving requires attention and takes longer and while I love road trips and hopefully will be able to take a longer one soon, I stick to flying for my traveling 
6. What is your favorite time of the year to take your vacation?
There is never a bad time for a vacation. BUT I tend to travel more in the spring and the fall. It’s rarely too hot or too cold then and it always is more comfortable not sweating or freezing your ass off. But weather never stops me from traveling!
7. Where is your favorite place to vacation?
Um. This is like asking a kid what his favorite toy is while in Toys R Us. I haven’t been to as many places as I would like so I feel like I’m chickening out by saying Europe but right now, that’s my favorite since I have been several times. Germany is probably my favorite out of all the places I’ve been in Europe and I’m dying to go back to Spain and Paris. Ireland is also pretty damn awesome.
8. You are vacationing in the mountains, what is your favorite thing to do while there?
Oh hi, I live right near the mountains!! So this is almost like a regular day for me but if I were to really go up to the high country in Colorado (or maybe Switzerland…) I want to go skiing, drink hot chocolate, hike, go to the hot springs…I’m basically pretending we’re going in the winter. Because that’s when it’s most beautiful right? And plus, it’s already snowing up there right now so it’d be silly to pretend it’s still warm out.
9. You are at the beach for your vacation, do you like to take it easy on the beach or play all day in the water?
It depends on my home life at the moment but I rarely can just lie on a beach. I’m far too high strung to sit still for that long. So I usually will be out playing in the water, or taking a long walk along the beach.
10. While your on vacation do you prefer to eat out every night or cook some of your own meals?
Both. When I did my three months through Europe, I loved to eat out but it was an even bigger luxury when I was able to make my own dinner in a hostel kitchen. I will eat out mostly but it’s nice to save some money and cook a meal or two.
As promised, I am giving you a photographic tour of my apartment! My apartment is actually an attached townhouse in a cluster of four townhomes. There’s no one on top of me, and no one below me (TWSS, the pathetic version?) and I never hear my neighbors unless they happen to be outside on their deck at the same time I’m outside. It’s got high ceilings, southern exposure with mountain views, a back yard big enough to hold 30 people for a BBQ and a tree that is a gorgeous shade of yellow right now (and about to make a mess of said backyard). I grew vegetables and flowers in my backyard all summer and I have a feeling my porch is going to look rather bare once winter comes now that that huge tomato no longer is perched in the corner. Granted, that tomato plant also tried committing suicide last week by jumping off the porch and down the stairs so it’s the most pathetic looking plant you have ever seen.
ANYWAYS. I’m getting distracted. On to the pictures! So when you walk into the house, you enter onto the stair landing which is not that exciting to warrant a picture. You walk up the stairs and into the main living space. We will start in the living room.
One of the awesome features of this living room (besides my ridiculous cowhide rug, obviously) is the fireplace. I love that thing and can’t wait to use it in the winter! The living room and dining room are actually one big room that leads into the kitchen and while I’m not the biggest fan of my dining set, it does it’s part.
I love my barstools. They’re these awesome vintage dinette style ones with red glittery vinyl seats that my parents found at a thrift store in Michigan and brought me over this past summer, right after I moved in. They’re a little high for my counter but you can still sit comfortably. As long as you’re not 6’4.
My kitchen is the biggest kitchen I’ve had yet and I still don’t know what to do with all the cabinet space. These pictures were taken the day of the BBQ and was one of the rare moments that my kitchen was completely clean! You can probably even see the loaves of peanut butter banana bread sitting on the stove.
Off of the kitchen there’s a huge pantry with a washer and dryer and loads of storage. If you’ve ever lived in an NYC apartment, you’ll understand why I love storage so much.
Downstairs are the two bedrooms, bathroom and a small little basement (A BASEMENT.). I will just show you my bedroom, since it’s obviously the most important room. 
Can we just take a moment and drool over the headboard? My friend Chad, a woodworker, helped me pick out the piece of wood at a local lumber yard called T.C. Woods and then made it beautiful. I am obsessed with it. Aside from that, I have my spaceship light from Ikea, I have a couple paintings from my travels (camels are from Morocco and there is a smaller painting from Paris), a 1958 map of NYC and a world map with pins indicating where I’ve been. Opposite my bed I have the world map I hand drew myself on a few pieces of plywood.
And there you have it, internets. My apartment. Happy Friday everyone!
PS. I think everyone should also show me THEIR apartments! I love seeing other people’s spaces.
Today I’m participating in Nora’s Wine and Love, where we review our week and say what we loved and what caused us to reach for our wine glasses. If you’d like to join us, you can link up through Nora’s blog.
Things that caused me to reach for my wine glass…
There’s actually not much this week, despite what happened on Saturday. But seriously? Getting broken up with via email is pretty lame. I get the sads every once in a while over it but for the most part, no heavy drinking. Win? I think so. Plus my father is pretty angry about how he handled it and that’s kind of adorable.
Knitting. Holy hell, guys. I sat for a couple hours with youtube videos and proceeded only to throw my needles across the room in frustration. I’m now going to turn to friends to help me figure it out otherwise, I may (accidentally) kill someone.
So you know how last week I mentioned how excited I was for cooler weather? I TAKE THAT BACK. It got so cold on Saturday and then every night has been a tad frigid. I know it’s not really THAT cold but I just can’t seem to get warm. I’ll take summer back now, please.
Things that I’m loving…
My new purse. It’s gorgeous and buttery soft and yellow! I never thought I’d own anything yellow but I’m kind of in love with it.
My friends. They are seriously some of the most amazing people and despite my protestations, believed in my strength and knew that I’d get through this relatively unscathed. That and they showed up with lattes, flowers and gave me lap dances at my BBQ on Sunday just to make me laugh. Thank you all for your support. <3
The fact that I’m not that upset about this breakup! Aside from the initial tears on Saturday, I haven’t cried a bit over it and actually have felt quite relieved to not have stress in my life right now. Who knew that by thursday this breakup would be on the love side of things?
My BBQ on Sunday was awesome and it was great to see everyone. The food, as always, was great and I laughed so hard all night. Another reason I don’t want winter to come? I don’t want to give up these BBQs!
My coworkers and I have been exceptionally bored at work and so we’ve taken to playing this game. It involves writing down passing around pieces of paper where we all write down who, who, what, when, where and why and I seriously was laughing so hard I was crying yesterday. Best game ever.
Have you noticed I got my blogging mojo back?! BECAUSE IT’S BACK. And hopefully I didn’t just scare it away. I think opening up and getting personal helped me get over that little bump and now I just can’t stop. I’m actually looking forward to blogging every day. And that’s a great feeling.
What are your w(h)ines and loves this week?
