B+R+N

Nate and Rich stayed for a visit. Yay for new & old friends. Yay for NY.

The boys were good sports and saw all of my favorite parks with me. Washington Square Park being one of them...Rich jumped in the fountain with me. It was amazing.

Nate was having annoying bank issues while we were at the pier but he was so much nicer on the phone than Rich or I would've been :)

So Rich let me take photos of him...cough cough...while Nate plead his case via cell phone.
All in all, a very successful weekend of summer fun.

{love these boys}

Live Young

EVIAN...

i don't think you even have to be in advertising to appreciate this.

love it.

http://www.youtube.com/user/EvianBabies

(for some reason it won't embed, but clickity click, you won't be disappointed)

I heart...

...the city!!!

i will miss it oh so dearly when i have to return to the U.T.

especially this lil gem of a spot.

{gosh i love sugar}

Upper East

Snapshots from my new stomping grounds:

The Boat House Fountain and Lake. My new love.

Quite the romantic place to read and sketch

The Guggenheim

Dear Upper East Side,

How I adore you. Granted I'm an Upper West Girl, but your museums and boat house have won me over.

Love,

B

An Evening Solo in the Village

me⋅an⋅der. verb (used without object): to proceed by or take a winding or indirect course.

The city is full of diverse beauty, and today I decided to go on a walk around west village to just shop, people watch, find a place to plop down and read my book, and of course take photos. Sometimes it's just nice to spend an evening out on your own.

A beautifully painted NYC fire department truck door. So proper. I love these streets.

My new Authentic, Furry Eskimo shoes via Zachary's Smile. Definitely not your conventional ballet slipper, but I LOVE the never-ending funkiness and warmth this will bring in fall with different colored opaque tights and little skirts.

Wearing the new bargain purchase ($20 on clearance at the vintage store Zachary's Smile)

Sweet Church. Black fence, light stone work, white trim, and bright red doors. Fantastic.

And lastly, I've found what I want for my birthday! I wanted to buy her soooo badly...or any of the other cute puppies there!

i have 3 rockstar brothers and i miss them A LOT right now

the pseudo twin...

the protective one...

and the absolute goofball...

...BFFs for Life.

I have the best brothers in the world.
There for loving, crying, tickling, and travelling
...and more.

Gosh, they're amazing.

Shout-Out To...

Gosh I love them. For all of you other Gmail lovers, check out Google's newest edition: the "task" option. Hello wonderful world of making multiple to-do lists all under one tab and all in one place that is always accessible on any internet connected device. My life is now complete.

All in Our Focus

I had a friend ask me just a while back how I could be so positive after everything that's happened in my life this summer, and this quote summarizes my feelings so succinctly and perfectly. Thanks Kris for sharing it!

"Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend...When we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present - love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us (happiness) - the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth"

-Sarah Ban Breathnach

The City that Truly Never Sleeps

Weird night...M2...Jermaine Dupri DJing...no idea what we were in store for at the beginning of the night!

Suzy & I at the concert showin our support for Shakedown

Nobody parties like NYC parties...3 AM and still goin strong

Ohhhhh life. Friday night ended up being insane. Saturday turned out fantastic, despite the incredibly cold and windy beach (haha), and Sunday presented the most beautiful park weather. All in all, an enjoyable weekend.

Goal for next weekend: get more sleep!

Work Hard, Play Hard

July 5-July 10, you have been a rough set of days. But phew! I'm glad to get it behind us, and never mention it again. Thank heavens for weekends with amazing friends and socializin'!

Kicking the weekend off with a bang at Chris Vermillion's band performance tonight, followed by the Empire Rooftop, and then clubbing with the girls at M2. Hitting up Long Island all day tomorrow with some friends to catch up on my lack of salty sea air and sunshiny rays that I have (not) received this summer. Ohhhh how I love weekends, they make life better!

The City Playlist

top twenty musical notes that keep me company in the city...

1. Sarah Jaffe, "Even Born Again" (only an EP, but get it!)
2. Matisyahu, "Jerusalem"
3. Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson, "Winter Song"
4. Parachute, "The Mess I Made"
5. Eric Hutchinson, "Back to Where I Was"
6. Eric Hutchinson, "All Over Now"
7. Eric Hutchinson, "Alright With Me"
8. Eric Hutchinson, "Oh!" ...I know, E.H. is an obsession right now
9. August Rush MotionPicture, "This Time"
10. Kalai, "On My Mind"
11. Reliant K, "When I Go Down"
12. Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat, "Lucky"
13. Hem, "Half Acre"
14. Postal Service, "Nothing Better"
15. Joshua Radin, "Closer"
16. The Weepies, "Gotta Have You"
17. Jamie Cullum, "Twentysomething"
18. John Mayer, "Say"
19. Stephen Speaks, "Out of My League"
20. Yael Naim, "New Soul"

Enjoy...

xoxo

The Fourth--East Coast Style

The group in Red Banks...SUCH a fun night!

J & I totally caught off guard by Sean...lol I thought it was a funny photo

Yay fireworks!!! (Friday night in Red Banks, NJ)

Travis was clearly thrilled with the game of Phase 10...as was I...pahaha

Chillin on the West End Highway waiting for the works to start Saturday night

Dear America,

I am so thankful to be an American. Granted, there are some other superb countries out there, but my heart is quite attached to the U.S. of A. In your honor, I had a fantastically long weekend and basked in the beauty of the new england coast...socializing, sleeping in, enjoying nature as well as the city, and eating entirely too much at a certain rooftop BBQ. All in all, it was phenom. Thank you, America!

xoxo

B

Wow Lots Happens in One Year!

WOW. One year ago. Shoutout to my Paris Lovers...love you girls!

My Inner Sailor

Confession: I am a J.Crew loving, preppy-inspired, sailor at heart, lover of this dress. It just makes my heart sing, I love love love it. Just imagine it with cute red heels, hair curled and pulled up in a loose chignon, and white ribbon and gold accessories. Currently, I am trying to figure out if I can still get it in time for Saturday since I just found it online today...hmm...

The Sitttaaaay

A teaser...

...because I have been HORRIBLE at posting NY photos since all photos taken in the past week were on other people's cameras.

The Suze and I reunited and out on the town the night I got in...woohoo!

Thanks to Jen we got VIP passes onto the field for the Caille Showdown in Chinatown complete with a fantastic game and superstar NBA and soccer players. This is Jen and me with Flamini...a french soccer stud.

Jen and I with Hasheem...yeah...he's tall. NBA star.