happy

Things that make me happy (right now).

1) the secret (or maybe not so secret) is OUT! My friend Michaele Salahi is one of the Real Housewives of DC and you just might see yours truly in a few episodes ;) I filmed a lot this past fall with Michaele and the other wives, so we shall see... let me know if you spot me. The show premieres Aug 5th! Stay tuned for details about the premiere party, which I'll probably announce on twitter since I am horrible at keeping up with my blog.

*In case you haven't been tuning into bravo, here is the link for the trailer:

http://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-dc/videos/dc-is-about-to-get-real

2) I am OBSESSED with this Rebecca Minkoff bag and basically told the boyfriend that not having it in my possession is the one thing that was keeping me from being fully happy. Yep, I said that. Of course he rolled his eyes, but he did mention that he might need to get me a present for putting up with him while studying for the bar exam-- to which I fully agreed.

Here is the link to the bag since I am not a photoshop wizard and can't figure out how to post a picture of it...(tell me you are not in love with it. ah!!)

http://www.bergdorfgoodman.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtmlitemId=prod54860101&ecid=BGCIFroogleFeed&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=V0F4Y

3) New place I love: New England. I spent 11 days, including Memorial Day weekend, in Bristol/Providence, Rhode Island and on Cape Cod and Nantucket with the boyfriend and my best friend Anna/her roomie Sarah. We had so much fun exploring, relaxing, and enjoying the beautiful weather- we basically decided that us 4 (well 3 maybe because Matt wasn't in on this convo) could just live together in RI and we'd be happy forever. It was so hard to leave and come back to DC. Here are some pictures from my trip:

Barnstable Harbor on the Cape.

Beach in Barnstable

Boat day

Nantucket

Hanging out in Matt's backyard in Bristol, RI while he & his roomie moved to their new place in Providence. What a nice boyfriend. Such a FUN girls day!

Boating to Newport. This is the most nautical I have/probably will ever look. I told Matt to enjoy it while it lasted.

Sarah, Anna, and I at the Newport Polo Club. Rain= we took shelter in the trunk.

Prospect Park in Providence

What makes you all happy right now? :)

xoxo L

giada I am not

Up to this point in my life, I did not (really) cook at all and basically watched the Food Network as an activity when I was hungover and laying in bed on Saturday and Sunday. There is just something about Barefoot Contessa, Paula Deen, and Everyday Italian that is very calming to me. Perhaps it goes back to constantly having the Food Network on as background noise at my college house, Grattan, or maybe it is the soft way that Ina, Paula, and Giada seem to speak to me.

My mom has constantly been telling me that I need to cook... it is healthier, saves money, etc etc. But, it is also a lot of effort and you spend about 2 times longer making dinner than actually eating it. When my parents come to my apartment, they are very perplexed about the complete desert that is my refrigerator. They always ask what I do for dinner being as there is only condiments and two bottles of wine in my fridge at any given time... until now!

Yes Mom, I went grocery shopping on Sunday (for the first time in months) and yes Mom, I cooked Sunday and Monday night... and have pictures to prove it!
Sunday I made guacamole. Okay so maybe this isn't really cooking but more preparing, but my boyfriend said that it was "unbelievable." Again- probably a stretch but it was pretty yummy if I do say so myself. I sent this picture to my mom and she replied with "ew, what is that, it looks like yellow vomit." Thanks Mom, see how often I invite you over for fajita night.
Last night, after an hour long spinning class, I decided to keep the rhythm going and make something healthy for dinner. I marinated chicken in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, pepper, and garlic salt, cooked it, and put it on top of a salad. Again, I forwarded this picture to my mom and woke up to a response of "What is the deal with this domestication?? Not only does it look good, you are saving a ton of money by cooking at home and you will lost weight."

Thanks Mom... really, thanks.

spring has sprung, people!!

I think the same thing happens to everyone that lives in DC, or at least I hope I am not the only crazy one in this city (I know there has to be more of me). Around mid January, the warmth of the sun is but a distant memory and you wonder why you didn't apply to jobs in Hawaii. As you trudge through the leftover sludge to work, you feel like you may never see blue skies again and you swear that your skin has never been more see through than it is in that moment. You get to your claustrophobic cube and head straight to weather.com. No surprises there, no sun in the near future. You sulk as you throw off your North face and strip off your winter boots for some more appropriate work shoes, and immediately log onto gchat to plan a vacay with your friends- weather above 80 degrees is the only requirement.

Well, guess what?? We made it fellow DC winter weather haters! No more slipping on ice on your way to the metro or your hair turning into icicles because you woke up too late to blow dry your hair. It is now mid April in the District--- maybe one of my favorite times of the year here in the city that I love (and I swear it isn't because my birthday is next Tuesday, April 20th, pinky swear). The humidity hasn't quite set in yet and everyone is so excited about finally seeing some sun that the city is in a constant buzz.. I mean come on, you gotta love it.

So in my usual fashion, I misplaced another digital camera-- I say misplaced because after an intense, wine induced dance party with my entire family at my parents' house on Christmas, I seem to have forgotten where I "hid" my camera. Everytime I go home to my parents, I search in every crevice of my dad's office- the site of the late night dp- hoping that the camera will miraculously appear.

Little Jesus lost and found, make my camera come around. St Anthony, please find my camera. (if you didn't go to Catholic school you are probably lost at this point, so sorry).

Until Little Jesus or St. Anthony decide to reward me for saying my nightly prayers and not drinking soda or eating for all of Lent (ok, ok I may have slipped up on the cheese thing a FEW times... but cheezits don't count-- I will FOREVER stand by that), I will be capturing DC's spring happenings/my mishaps and adventures/pretty flowers via blackberry camera-- which isn't surprisingly terrible quality I might add.

Thus, I begin....

The Washington Monument in all its glory


Sweet seats at the Nationals game (hopefully we won't suck ALL season)


Perfect weather for pitchers of Margs

playing at the Georgetown waterfront-- almost TOO convenient now that Allison and I are DC residents

Gtown Lacrosse games--- i die. why didn't JMU have a guys' lax team? UGH! (kidding, boyfriend)

Cherry blossoms and the monuments from the boat on the Potomac

Springtime in DC= sweet concerts.

my hood is SO beauteous these days
I can now wear obnoxious nail polish colors and I don't have to apologize (yet I would like to apologize for my man hands... I'll refrain from posting pictures of them ever again).

I'm sure you will all see me bopping around town, so until then, cheers! xoxo L