Weekend Update: March 23-25

It's been a busy week so far, which means I've little time to say hello. So I thought I'd pop in and share my weekend update a few days late. You guys don't mine anyway :) I had a nice, relaxing weekend. The rain made it perfect to visit my friends Teresa and Lois in Southern Maryland. It takes me two hours to drive there from Baltimore, so it was nice to put on some tunes and take in the scenery. It's a whole different world down there with horses, fields, and old stuff (aka historic buildings). I do love me some country!

Because of the rain, most of the blooming trees lost their petals. The falling pear petals made driving up my parents' road like driving in the snow. It was pretty cool, but sad that all that beauty is already falling. Anyway, here's the recap of my visit down south.

Cherry bomb in Baltimore.

Jackson in front of a little white church.

From Solomons Island (the church's view).

The little coffee shop we visited on my way home Sunday.

Berkshire lined with petals.

How's your first week of spring?

 

Love,

Stephanie Marie

Fancy Feast and Lessons Learned

Happy FRIDAY! Holler :) This week has been busy for me. Meetings at work, biking after work, dinners and drinks after biking. It's been gooood. I biked to and from my friends' house on Wednesday and took home a few lessons learned:
1. Get a light for night time biking.
2. Don't bike at night unless you have a light...the cops definitely saw me biking, but luckily they were busy doing something else :)
3. Hop on the bike going down hill or on a flat surface, but never UP hill. I almost bit it trying to clip in. Quite ironic since Michelle had JUST asked me if I get nervous clipping in or out. Well, if I didn't before NOW I DO! Good thing to note: My body just took over and ripped my shoe off the clip.
4. Go to Michelle and Ray's if you're hungry!

Last night I met up with Amy to get our nails done for spring! Holler at me, sandal lovers! I'm sporting purple toes and pink fingers. Love. This nail salon (Babylon, if you're ever in Baltimore) was so much better than the last place I went. It was light years better. I will be returning!

After, we hit up Hudson Street Stackhaus for an adult, it's-almost-the-weekend beverage. I introduced Amy to Alagash and I got something super strong, which I didn't realize it until I got home and felt tipsy. I mean, I'm a lightweight, but one drink is just ridiculous. Clearly, it was the alcohol percentage and not me! It came in a wine glass, and I'm usually all for feeling fancy, but frankly, if I want to drink out of a wine glass, I'll buy wine, thank you very much. Next time, I'll just get the Alagash too.

Anyway, it's been busy, but I'm looking forward to a fun-filled weekend. More girl time with some friends. Can't beat that! Hopefully the weather stays nice, but even if it doesn't it won't matter too much. Games and Twilight Eclipse Part I do not require sunshine.

Anyone going to the Hunger Games premier?! I'll be waiting until the craziness dies down. Learned that lesson the hard way...twice...from the Twi-hards. Takes me a few times to figure these things out :)

Love,
Stephanie Marie

Beach or Bust!

Although Saturday (and the rest of the weekend, for that matter) turned out to be gray and a bit wet, we didn't let that get in our way. We were at the beach, and the girls were willing to don winter coats and boots just to get into some sand! We lasted just long enough for some sand toys, kite flights, and "picmic" snacks. We warmed up after our beach time at the Penguin Diner. These girls love them some penguinos! :)

Lili and Sisi watching a beach wedding. Brave bride!

Lili loves her cup!

Sisi and her monkey hat.

The girls' snack time on the blanket.

Gwan-ma and Sisi coloring the place mats.

Don't you just love family trips? It's funny to think that most of my friends were probably already drinking by this time, since they were a bit farther south at Ocean City for a bachelorette party. My, how different one weekend can be!

Love,

Stephanie Marie

Weekend Recap: March 9-11

Prepping for dinner with the girls Friday night.

Horses on the BWI Trail Saturday.

Hay bails in Susquehanna State Park on Sunday.

Wine tasting at Mt. Felix Winery post Sunday hike.

This was one of my busiest weekends EVER. Or at least it felt like that :) But it was also one of the best weekends ever, so maybe that's saying something!

I met up with several girlfriends (Amy and Michelle for dinner Friday, Annie for dinner Saturday, and Verity for a hike and some wine tasting Sunday), had some quality time with my parents, and even got in some outdoorsie stuff on what I'm hoping will turn out to be a trend called spring! If the amount of stuff that I do when the weather turns nice is any indication of what my spring and summer are to look like, then I can't wait!

I'm so excited!

How was your weekend? 

Love,
Stephanie Marie

French Foodies

The end of our fabulous Brooklyn weekend ended with food, of course. All of us are foodies. Maybe that's one of the reasons we all get along so well: a deep appreciation for all things sweet and salty :) Based off of Kath's roommate's recommendation, Michelle, Kath, Jenny, and I headed up to St. Germain for one last meal together. The place was adorable. It was very eclectically decorated and the food was amazing. I went way off course with a roasted veggie and goat cheese sandwich. Honestly, tell me that you're smothering anything in goat cheese and I'm on board! I'll let the photos speak for the food and decor. Gotta love the French inspiration!

Michelle and Kath, and the necklace Kath gave all of us :)

Me and Jenny. We like stripes.

Wall art on the chair backs.

My veggie sandwich and delicious greens.

On our way out of the city, Michelle and I captured the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which we'd been gazing at all weekend. Luckily, even the $13 charge to get across the Verrazano couldn't mar my view! I really appreciate when a town has any sort of view, whether it's a view of a valley, the ocean, or, in this case, the bridge. Just gives you something off in the distance to wonder at while sipping a latte :)

Verrazano-Narrows Bridge from 3rd Ave.

At that, my friends, was a beautiful Brooklyn weekend! If you're in the area, you should definitely check it out! And even if you're not, it was only a three-hour trip for us to get home to Baltimore. Not too shabby, eh?

Done any local traveling that you loved?

Love,

Stephanie Marie

Luck, Love, and Losers

We spent most of Saturday walking around Brooklyn Heights/DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass...gotta love the neighborhood acronyms). We took the subway from Kath's (over in Bay Ridge) to have brunch at Bubby's by the river. The service wasn't that great, but my trout scramble was very tasty and the view of lower Manhattan was amazing. It was super windy so we tried to stay warm, even when taking a quick walk around Brooklyn Bridge Park. If it had been ten degrees warmer, I'm sure we would have walked across the Brooklyn Bridge or at least sat outside the restored carousel for a bit. Guess I'll just have to go back when the weather's warmer! 

Manhattan Bridge from DUMBO.
Photo by Michelle!

After brunch, we headed back home for a nap and shower. A little Friends with my friends :) Once we were ready to go, stilettos and all, we headed back onto the subway to head to the Lower East Side. My sister and Jenny had both recommended this restaurant called Freeman's, so that was our destination. However, the restaurant (at the end of a spy-like alleyway) was tiny and no tables were left by the time we got there. Definitely want to call for reservations ahead of time that next visit to NYC!

Walking down the alley to Freeman's.

Luckily, Freeman's recommended a place a few blocks away called Sauce. We braved the cold, trying to locate the restaurant and finally fell upon it. Thank god we didn't give up hope that we'd find it because it was one of the best meals ever! PLEASE go there if you ever find yourself in Manhattan. Even though it was packed at 930 and there was nowhere for us to stand while waiting, it was the best experience. It had the best wine of my life, the friendliest staff (even though we were continually in their way), the most delicious tapas, and just loud enough music to bump to. They even had a potato linguini for gluten-free Michelley! Delish! It was meant to be. Seriously, if we had booked a reservation at Freeman's or hadn't been turned away from them we never would have found this place! So fortunate.

Getting wine while we wait at Sauce.

The most amazing wine ever. Seriously. EVER.

After dinner, we tried to get into some bar (the Library, maybe?) that was in the back of a pawn shop. So random. I love it when it feels like you're on a secret mission, but the bouncers were jerks and wouldn't let all of us in. So not worth the "cool" factor of a behind-the-pawn-shop appeal. So we moved onto the Whiskey Ward which was perfect for our large group. A few drinks later, a few insults from some random Puerto Rican who called himself Ricky Ricardo, and I was ready to head home. Luckily (or unluckily since she wanted to leave because of Ricky Ricardo), Kath's roommate Steph was ready to go too. Side note: I love going out with friends who are OK with going home in shifts. It makes it so much less dramatic when some people want to stay and some people want to go. I was in bed around 230 and didn't even hear it when the other three ladies popped in around 430. Gotta love that :)

So, there you have it! Saturday had a few highs and a few lows, but overall it was another memorable day with people I love!

Love,

Stephanie Marie

Brooklyn With A Bang!

Instead of a weekend update, I thought I'd post pictures from each day I spent in Brooklyn this past weekend. I had a blast visiting Kath and Jenny with Michelley. Couldn't have planned a better first trip to Brooklyn! 

Michelle and I arrived to Kath's around 930pm on Friday and, after a quick wardrobe change and wine guzzle, went straight to her local bar for a drink. Then, we hopped in a car with Kath's roommate, Steph, and trekked over to the Brooklyn Bowl for a concert. Tragedy was a trip. Gold, glitter, and guffaws for all!

Michelle, Kath, Jenny, and Steph at the first bar.

Tragedy at the Brooklyn Bowl.

Lance, the sweat mopper, after the show.

Me, muffintop, and Kath's new drumstick.

Hope you had a great weekend! Saturday and Sunday pictures up next :)

Love,

Stephanie Marie

Weekend Recap: MLK Jr. Weekend 2012

1. First night in Utah: Bonnie and some lady who grabbed her to dance at the No Name bar in Park City. Fun times with friends I made on the van ride to the hotel.

2. Day 2: Walking up and down Main Street to get some souvenirs and see the town. What up Terzians!

3. Day 2: We drove to the Olympic park in Park City. We got to see some kiddos playing at a ski camp. So cool.

4. Day 3: Suzie and Bonnie took me up the gondola, since I didn't go skiing. Great views of the town, but you can tell that the conditions are less than stellar.

How did you spend your MLK Jr. weekend? Hope you had as much fun as I did!

Love,

Stephanie Marie

See? Road Tripping Can Be Girlie Too

Off to Charlottesville, VA (in case you missed the passed 10 posts)! See you on Monday. Happy weekend!

Love,
Stephanie Marie

Photo courtesy of pinterest.