Disconnected

I hopped onto the subway last Saturday night to meet my friends in SoHo for dinner. Much to my surprise, my not-so-trusty iPhone battery, which I assure you was 100% full when I left my apartment, was now 100% dead. Grrrr.

My first thoughts were....

I have to get off this train! And go back to my apartment to plug in my phone! I'm supposed to meet Susan after dinner and I have no idea what her phone number is! She'll think I bailed on her....Wait, where is Peasant again? Do I know where I'm going? And what if Bethany needs me? Oh no! What if that cute boy I met the other night texts me?! Nooooooooo!

By the time I hopped off the subway at Spring Street, I had talked myself into an iPhone-less panic. What was I going to do?!?

Luckily, I know where Peasant is. (it's delish btw) I didn't need my iPhone Google Map to find it. And I was only a few minutes late, so Andrea wasn't calling to check on me. And once I sat down to dinner and started chatting with my old friends, I completely forgot that my phone wasn't charged and no one could get a hold of me.

A whole night of no texts, no emails, no tweets, no checking the time, no contact with anyone except the people I was with. I'm slightly ashamed to admit that it felt....unnatural.

When I got home at the end of the night, plugged my phone in, responded to the texts I'd received and confirmed that nothing life-changing had happened during my night-night-of-no-connection, I felt immediately better.

File this under: ridiculous things that I can't help.

i left my heart in texas

obviously this post is a bit more delayed than i would have liked. but i guess this is what happens when you take a week vacation in the middle of crazy things happening at work. but i digress.

i spent 9 lovely days in texas with my family 2 weeks ago.


it was hot. i don't remember texas summers being that hot. (surely they weren't?!) so it was necessary for us to spend most of our time lounging at the pool. my pasty white new york skin needed it. and i came back with an excellent tan. success!

there are so many things i love about being back in texas. but these are the things i love the most. and the things that i miss the most.

first. playing with my little niece sloan.
ohmygoodness. isn't she a doll?!

i could get used to waking up to her morning cheeriness. i don't even mind getting up early when she's the one getting me out of bed.

we read lots of books when she spends the night. and sometimes she likes to read to us.

kissy face!!

she's quite observant from her car seat.
"la la, where's he going on that bike? he's going fast."

and we played in the pool. but only for a lil bit.
"i want to go inside, it's hot out here."
smart and pretty.

she is the sweetest, most adorable lil girl ever. i lose it every time she tells me she loves me.

and these are her parents. it's real hard for me to say goodbye to them. always real hard.

second. spending time with my entire family.
they are fantastic. and we have so much fun together. with my uncle and cousins also in town from ohio, it was one busy week of family time. good thing i like them.

these are my uncles. and daddy. the johnson boys. they think they are funny.
sometimes they are.

and these are my cousins.
ashley, milly, miles, les, me, mackenzie and casey.
we're fun too.

keith and les. they're the most fun. and they're pretty.

these are the boys. (outside the suite)

and these are the girls. (inside the suite, naturally)

daddy's girls.

me and les.
and uncle jay? told you these boys think they're funny.

family dinner at matt's el rancho = necessary. we always sit on the top level. plenty of room for ashley and casey's cutie boy colton and miss sloan to run around!

this is my cousin milly.
i think it's been about 9 years since she was last in texas. we welcomed her back with lots of pool time. she was pumped about the tan too.

oh. and this is cousin casey's new tattoo. just in case he forgets his initials.

this is my cousin miles with les.
when these 2 were little, they looked exactly alike. they still kinda do.

oh! and bff lindsey of course! i. miss. her.

and this is my disaster of a room on sunday morning. approximately 3 hours before my flight.
i think i mentioned that i have serious packing and shopping problems. tip: pack a duffel to bring back as a carry-on. life saver.

after a fun-filled, family-packed, relaxing week in the texas sunshine, i had to head back to real life in nyc. and this time, watching texas fade into the distance from the window of my new york bound airplane, i think i left my heart there too.

More New Things

I'm back from my Texas vacay!
And I brought lots of new things with me...because I have a self-diagnosed shopping problem.

But most notably, I'm back with these!


Birthday Ray Ban aviators!
The brown and gold ones. That match my hair.
Naturally.

Thanks Mom and Daddy!

I promise not to hurt these. And to keep them safely protected in their case. Tucked carefully into my purse. As to not drop them down the subway stairs. Or snap the lenses out.

:)

texas on my mind

dfw bound in t-minus 10 hours.

i'm so excited.

my plans include....nothing. a whole week of nothing.

well, if laying by the pool with my sister, getting mani's with mom, going to a rangers game with dad and cousins and playing with my cutie neice count as plans, then those are my plans. and i'm real pumped about them.

this has been one crazy work week. so in my rush to pack at 11pm last night, i think my (very heavy) suitcast is filled with something like this...

• 10 sundresses
• 2 pairs of shorts
• 7 tanks
• 2 skirts
• 3 t's
• 4 belts
• 2 cardi's
• 2 swim suits
• and 5 pairs of sandals

is 10 sundresses too many for 9 days? oops.

texas, texas! i can't wait!

Everything & Nothing

4-day weekends are the best. Because 1) you get 4 whole days of no-work free-time and 2) there are 2 consecutive 4-day work weeks. Brilliant!

This particular 4-day weekend was the 4th of July and the beginning of Jamie's 10-day visit to NYC. And it just so happens that the other 3 roomies of 9A were out of town for the holiday. So naturally me, Bethany and JMart did what any besties would do on a 4-day weekend staycation...

Reunion Sleepover! At 9A! All! Weekend!

We stayed up late giggling, catching up on everything we haven't g-chatted / emailed / texted about in the past 6 weeks since we'd seen each other. Ate unhealthy amounts of puppy chow, new fave pretzel m&m's and chips & homemade queso. We laid on the Great Lawn in Central Park. Getting sun, reading magazines, chatting and people watching. We watched Clueless, decided Paul Rudd might be one of our top 5 fave actors. Sat in Madison Square park plotting fundraiser plans that would help pay for a visit to Orlando and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Because we. must. go.

It was one of those wonderfully lazy and loungy weekends spent talking about everything and nothing. Just soaking up the summertime sun and each others company like no time has passed at all. It was really quite lovely.

Saturday night we had a West Village dinner at BOYB fave, Tartine. Surprisingly, no line. Guess it's a holiday weekend and everyone is out of town? What's going on here New York? A few bottles of Rose and 2 delightful french desserts later, we had a small photo shoot. With iPhones, Blackberrys and ultimately succeeded using actual cameras. With actual flashes. Hah.



On extra steamy 4th of July Sunday, one of our friends planned an afternoon fiesta at an amazing apartment where she was cat-sitting. We picked up the ingredients for Southern Caviar - one of Jamie's specialties and a guaranteed party crowd pleaser - and were off for an afternoon of 4th of July fun! Documented photographically because pictures are sometimes better than words...

See? :)

Susan & Bethany = Festive! Sparkles & flags & coordinating red / white / blue dresses!

Hanging out on the patio - Where we discovered that my new navy dress maaaaay not be so great for twirling...

...And that we really like colorful sandals & toes.

A quick walk down to Riverside Park for firework watching!

Shannon joined us from Long Island City for the fireworks too!

Oh how I love these girls. We are fun.

And then it was back to work for the week. A crazy 100 degree blazing hot week. Poor Jamie, it would happen that she'd visit NYC on the hottest and most humid week of the year. Ick.

But at least there was more time for playing! After her Cow Appreciation Day duties were done of course. 10 days of Jamie in New York?! Oh yes please.

One Hundred Degrees and Melty

I can't even pretend to ignore the record-setting, triple-digit temperatures we're experiencing in NYC right now.

I also can't even begin to tell you how miserable 100 degree heat + 80% humidity in this city is. Especially those of you who are in Texas and have had 100 degree heat for a full 2 months now. So I won't try to make you understand how it's worse here.

I can however, tell you how we're dealing.

Starting with a) flowy dresses and b) ice cream. But not just any ice cream...the quintessential New York summer ice cream. Affectionately known to us heat-exhausted New Yorkers as Mister Softee.

Yesterday the Mister Softee truck came to visit us at our office. Bringing gallons of frozen treats, topped with sprinkles, chocolate crunchies and / or dipped in melty chocolate or cherry sugary deliciousness. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that in my 4 years here, I've never stopped at one of the trucks that are fixed at every other street corner during the summertime. My excuse? I like Pinkberry?

"That's unacceptable, LJ." Bethany says. "It will change your life."

2 reasons why me and Bethany heart our jobs right now -- Chocolate Molten Crunchy Dip Cone and Cherry Molten Sprinkles Dip Cone. Enough said.

Mister Softee may not take away the misery of this nasty heatwave, but you know what? It sure does help! :)

Reblogging Stripetacular!

Today I must direct you here --

hannahkateflora.blogspot.com

This is roommate Hannah's blog. You remember her, right? She got to be a designer on an HGTV 'First Time Design' show. She's fab. And she's my new roomie.

She and roomie Lindsay Ann had big plans to redecorate the foyer at 9A prior to my arrival. And when I moved in, I was immediately on board with their plans. I mean, I love this entire apartment that they've lovingly decorated. And with taste like theirs how could I not?!

Last weekend was time to put these plans to action.
Paint was purchased. Schedules were cleared. Diagrams were drawn.
Operation: Stripes. Go time.

And let me tell you something about stripes. They are not easy friends. Not easy at all. After painting horizontal stripes (quite successfully I might add!), we feel like we could paint any room, any way, no problems. We are masters of the stripe.

What do you think? Do you love it?

I LOVE IT.
I feel like I've walked into a design catalog every time I turn the corner and see these perfect stripes. And oh, how happy it makes me.

Thank you, thank you to Hannah and Lindsay Ann for inspiring such stripey-ness in 9A. I'd say the results far exceed expectations. And what fun we had bringing them to life!