The Philadelphia Story Part III: What I Wore

It’s time for the final Philadelphia post!  If I’ve learned one thing, it’s that the weather in Philly is completely unpredictable and it just so happens that while we were there, it got up to 107 degrees (!!!).  Let me make one thing clear: I’m not talking about comfortably warm weather.  I’m talking scorching, sweating through your thinnest clothes, burning your feet through your shoes, makeup (literally) melting off your face, eating out at every meal just to be in air conditioning heat.  When it’s that hot and you’re walking 40+ blocks a day and drenched in sweat, it’s nearly impossible to look cute.  You just have to embrace the sweat and realize that everyone around you is sweating just as much as you are.  I actually ended up wearing everything that I packed (because I changed out of sweaty clothes at least twice a day), which rarely happens and I am so glad that I brought comfortable shoes that I threw in my suitcase at the last minute!

on the way to the hotel from the airport (unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of the whole outfit) – Banana Republic shirt, Gap shorts, Target “keds” and fedora

at the Liberty Bell – H&M dress, Target shoes and bag

At Reading Terminal and beside the LOVE statue – Target top, loafers and hat, Old Navy pants (my new favorites!)

in the city for a day of shopping, eating and picture taking: TJ Maxx dress (with alterations by yours truly), Target shoes and bag

At the Philly Art Museum with a fellow ballerina (she looks good for her age!) – Anthropologie shirt, American Eagle shorts, Target shoes

Visiting the West Philly community garden before dinner – H&M dress (my favorite!), Target shoes and bag

And here’s something that if it hadn’t been $300 would SO be in my closet right now!

A Beatles dress.  Oh my god.  If that wasn’t proof enough that Anthropologie is the coolest store in the planet, check out the cat dress behind it.  AHHHH!!!

So there’s a recap of what I wore in Philly.  I miss Emmy and the big city so much – I can’t wait until she comes back home (and I get to shop from her closet again)!

The Philadelphia Story Part II: What We Ate

Here’s part two of our Philly trip: what we ate!  This might be my favorite part.  from Reading Terminal Market to Dock Street Brewery to dinner at my cousins Kristen and Nate’s appartment – this trip was full of amazing food!  And here’s some proof… Lunch – falafel from Hummus pasta salad and bread from a little place in Reading Terminal Market Falafel from Mama’s Vegetarian – I couldn’t say which falafel was better (Hummus or Mama’s Vegetarian)! Dinner – Spaghetti from Mix Greek salad and amazing vegan pizza from Dock Street Brewery Dinner from Vietnam Cafe – I can’t remember what my dish was called, but it was incredible!!

first we had these amazing spring rolls!

Bread with zucchini and homemade hummus at Kristen and Nate’s Lentil salad with tofu – amazing!! Dessert – blueberry ice cream at Kristen and Nate’s An incredible glazed donut and cinnamon buns from Reading Terminal Ice Cream from the Franklin Fountain

Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of the szechuan noodles and black and white cookies from Dibruno Brothers – I was too busy eating them!  But here are some pictures of the amazing desserts there… Looking at all that amazing food is making me hungry.  I would buy another plane ticket just to eat in Philly again, but I think it’ll be easier to buy a cookbook!  Next up is part III: What I Wore.

The City of Brotherly Love…

Last Monday, Emmy, our mom and I flew to Philadelphia, PA to help her get moved in to her new apartment.  It was a bittersweet trip.  She will be there all summer, so it was nice to have the week to see Philly and spend some time with her.

Our flight there was through Atlanta, so we used our 1 hour layover to get bagels, coffee and tea from Starbucks.  Have you ever noticed how much fun it is to people watch when you’re running on about three hours of sleep?  You should try it some time.

We got there around lunch time, so we got settled in at my cousin’s apartment and then went to The Gold Standard.  I had the black bean burger and it was ridiculously good –

After we ate, we walked back to the apartment to rest up.  Then we took the trolley into town and got groceries at Trader Joe’s (which is amazing!) and made dinner

After dinner, we sat out on the front porch of the apartment and picked fresh strawberries from the garden.

On Tuesday, my mom wasn’t feeling well so we stuck close to home and spent lots of time outside and exploring around our block.

I came across this Martha Stewart entertainment book at the apartment and found something interesting inside…

On Wednesday, my mom was still feeling pretty crummy so Emmy and I went into center city and explored around.  We had a picnic at a park in Rittenhouse Square and then walked around for a while.

We went looking for the movie crew for Dead Man Down that our cab driver on Tuesday pointed out.  We found it and also found Dominic Cooper running down the street being shot at – it was very exciting!

There he is in the tan jacket – I had no idea I was standing this close to him until I walked across the street and realized that was him!

Since the movie is set in NY, everywhere you looked there were New York taxis, street signs, business signs and licence plates on parked cars.  We didn’t get to see Colin Ferrall, who is the star of the film, but they’ll be there all month so Emmy might get to see him!

Emmy and I walked a couple blocks and went to H&M, JCrew and Anthropologie!

Then we came home and ate a really good tofu stir-fry and sat on the porch watching the rain.

On Thursday, my mom was feeling so awful and was having symptoms of a heart attack.  We had to call 911 and rush her to the ER.  This was very scary, not only because of her symptoms, but also because Emmy and I really had to take charge and do things we’ve never done before.  After an exhausting 6 hours, they ruled out any serious conditions and thought that she was probably just coming down with something on top of dehydration and exhaustion from traveling.  While she was having many different test done, Emmy and I ran errands and drank lots of Starbucks.  About an hour after we got back to the apartment, our cousins, Kristen and Nate (whose apartment we’d been staying at) got back home.  We ate salad from the garden with homemade honey mustard dressing (dijon mustard from France, honey from our front yard) and tofu hoggies from a small Chinese grocery store a couple blocks away and then went to get gelato and sorbetto from a place pretty close by.

grape and pineapple mint sorbetto

After we went out, we moved Emmy into her adorable apartment – we all love it!!

On Friday morning, we walked around the block one more time, packed up are suitcase and the hardest part, said goodbye to Emmy.  There were minimal tears (a miracle in itself) and lots of hugs.  We’re going back to see her in July, so it really won’t be that long, but it’ll feel much longer.

The plane ride home was quick and easy and it was good to be home.  This was a very exciting trip (with the exception of the ER visit) and I’m counting down the days until our next trip.

Taking Flight….

I want to share a life changing experience that I had last weekend.  I flew a plane.  I still can’t believe it!  It wasn’t planned, which makes it even more special.  

On Saturday I went to take a free flight through the Young Eagles organization, which offers a free flight to people under 17.  I went up in a small, four-seater plane which belonged to, and was being flown by a family friend.  I was amazed by how high-tech it was.  It even had a parachute that could carry the plane back to the ground if there was an engine failure – pretty cool, huh?  It definitely made me feel pretty safe!

When we’d been up in the air for about 5 minutes or so, when the pilot, AJ, turned to me and told me to put my hand on the yoke (the equivalent of the steering wheel on a car).  After a couple seconds he said “it’s your plane, now!” and I realized that he wasn’t flying – I was!  It was an amazing moment.  It’s hard to pin down the exact emotions that I was feeling at that moment but they included fear, exhilaration, happiness, confidence and freedom.  I wasn’t flying for more than two minutes, but in a way, it felt much longer.  I really felt like I was floating, above the clouds, above everything that is familiar to me.  It was my first time flying a plane, but I felt like I’ve been preparing for this my whole life.  When AJ told me to give me his plane back (Haha!) I took a deep breath and accepted the fact that my life had forever changed.  I’ve entered a new world now.  I’m the same person, only happier and with the most confidence I’ve ever had.  I’ve done something I never thought I could do and now I feel like I can do anything!

I feel as though something inside me has started to heal.  Something deep that always told me I wasn’t good enough.  That I didn’t have enough strength, guts or will to do what I wanted to do.  That has changed.  I have realized just how big this world is and how much there still is for me to explore.  The problems that I have, though they are important, aren’t what defines me.  I realize that now.  When I look at myself in the mirror, I no longer see those problems – I see room for improvement.  It’s amazing that something like flying a plane can make that much of a change in your life.  Now there’s my pre-flight life and post-flight life and I love how the post-flight life is looking!

A couple days ago I told my grandfather, Pop, about how I had flown.  He was a pilot during WWII and I knew he would be excited to know about my experience.  He was so happy!  He started talking about his experiences.  He told me how after his first solo flight he felt like now that he had flown a plane, he could do anything (sound familiar?).  I told him that I felt the same way and he told me not to let it go to my head – haha!  He encouraged me to work hard and get my pilot’s licence, which I’ve always planned on.  I would be a fourth generation pilot!

my pilot mommy 🙂

Flying is something I will never forget.  This was the first time I’ve flown a plane, but it certainly won’t be the last!!

Let’s Fly Away….

Two weekends ago (sheesh, I’m late posing this!!) my Mom, Aunt and I took my grandfather to see two WWII planes that were on display at the airport.  My grandfather was a pilot in the Air Force during WWII so it was amazing to see how much he enjoyed seeing the planes.  It was also amazing to see how he and the other veterans acted like old friends…

My grandfather is on the far left, with my Aunt behind him.

I love details 🙂

I love him!

After one of the guides told us this was storage area my grandfather said "Don't let him fool you, this is where we used to stash our girlfriends!"

seeing the sights in my new favorite dress - a vintage, 1940s beauty!! You might say that I'm in love 🙂

It’s been a longtime dream of mine to dress in complete vintage and go to an airshow – this was as close as I could get right now, and I’m thrilled that I got the chance!  People were taking pictures of me too, which was flattering, to say the least!

One of the first vintage hats I ever bought - it's still a favorite of mine.

my Mom and Aunt Kathy with Pop 🙂

even prettier in flight!

so gorgeous 🙂

It was definitely a memorable experience and it only intensified my desire to be a pilot.  I would be a fourth generation pilot – pretty amazing, right?! Here’s a picture of my Pop at Shaw Field in South Carolina in 1941.  If you ask me, he’s just as handsome as he ever was.

Sometime soon I’ll do a whole post on his personal style.  I hope you all have a great week!!

I See Sunshine, On a Cloudy Day…

Things have been insane lately.  And I don’t mean doing-ten-things-at-once-while-trying-not-to-burn-what’s-on-the-stove insane.  I mean doing-ten-things-at-once-while-trying-not-to-burn-what’s-on-the-stove-while-talking-on-the-phone-while-feeding-the-cats-and-trying-to-finish-up-that-one-last-geometry-lesson insane.  Oh well.  That’s life!

On a lighter, brighter, sunnier note, this Thursday I’ll be leaving for a blissful four day vacation in Marine Land (which includes a visit to St. Augustine!) with family and friends!!!  A much needed break, I must say.

And nothing can snap you out of a mad mood quite like something deliciously unhealthy-

yummy 🙂

To get in the Spring/Summer mood, I’ve been browsing vogue.com looking at all the 2012 resort collections – all I can say is I’m completely floored by the Moschino collection!

How amazing is this jacket?!

yes please!

How cool is that sweater with the buttons up the back?!

loving this one!

Taylor from Sterling Style got the chance to rent this gorgeous piece - she's a lucky gal!

http://www.sterlingstyle.net/2012/02/ladylike.html

Well, there you have it – I’ll post again after my vacation, hopefully with lots of photos of sunsets, palm trees, friends and family and maybe even a rare outfit post!  Have a great week, everyone!!

C’est l’automne en Florida….

I love this time of year.  The leaves are an assortment of reds and yellows.  Everything has a slightly orange tint to it.  Like old film from the 60s.  Here are some photos from a picnic with friends.  We found railroad tracks and an old abandoned house – quite a successful treasure hunt!

This is also the time of year that you find unexpected pops of color in an otherwise drab environment.

Here are some pictures from around my neighborhood:

So, there you have it!  What do you love about this time of year?

things I’m looking forward to….

So, now that fall is officially here, here are some cool weather things that I can’t wait to do!

sit around a campfire, roasting (vegan) marshmallows….

wear fluffy, warm sweaters….

like this one from J Crew

eat yummy blueberry waffles on cool Sunday mornings….

wear cute, warm boots….

like these from American Eagle (sorry, I couldn’t get a bigger picture!)

 

drive down a lovely, mountain road (like this one on the Blue Ridge Parkway)

I can’t wait to see what fall has in store for me!  What are you looking forward to?

off to the museum!

Last weekend my mom and I went on a trip to the Junior Museum (technically it’s called the Tallahassee Museum, but I grew up calling it the Junior Museum so the name stuck even after it officially changed!).  After a really stressful week, we decided to pretend that we were out of town, no one knew us and we were visiting from some far off place.  The result was a truly lovely afternoon filled with laughter, picture taking, beautiful animals, hummas and baby cokes!!

Here are some pictures from our trip – enjoy!!

 

 

When I first saw this sign, many years ago, I thought it said “Others Will Bite!”

 

Me and my beautiful Mommy ❤

The top of the gazebo

The caboose

The farm house….

I hope you enjoy the pictures – make sure you visit the Junior Museum (The Tallahassee Museum) if you get the chance 🙂

 

*All pictures taken by moi*

my day at the farm….

There aren’t many places where you can walk down a trail and find a stream tucked away in the woods, find cows, donkeys and horses in a green pasture.  Then walk a little further and find a wild hive of honey bees, twenty feet up in a tree.  There’s also a blacksmith’s shop, an old house and a small, forgotten bench.  Not to mention the hundreds, if not thousands of peacock feathers strewn on the ground, like beautiful treasure just waiting to be picked up and admired.  But you can find all of that, and more at Rocky Comfort Farms just south of Quincy, Fl.  Just being at this amazing place, made me the most relaxed I’ve been all summer…and I’m sure you can see why 🙂

 

This farm is pretty hard to beat, as you can see!

 

 

 

 

Take the time to visit Rocky Comfort Farm when you get the chance – the drive is well worth it!!  Oh, and make sure to charge the battery, fully on your camera (I’m going to have to go back, but with a full battery this time around!) 🙂

 

I can’t wait to go back in the fall for the hay rides and pumpkin patches!!

 

*All photos taken by moi