Here and gone

All traces of the holidays have left the building (literally and figuratively). We took down the decorations Monday night and it was back to the grind yesterday. I really can’t complain though, since our time off was well spent with friends, family and a healthy dose of date nights!

Here are some highlights:

Had my first red cup of the season.


Saw Young Adult and loved it. Charlize Theron was perfect for the role.


Discovered a new Pinot Noir that I like.

Went on a beautiful birthday celebration/double date night with Kristen and Sean at Longwood Gardens and Dilworthtown Inn.

Kristen and I at Longwood Gardens. Here is a full recap of the night.

Got 1 mani and painted my nails 2 more times.

Zoya Shay w/Sally Hansen Gem Crush in Big Money as an accent nail
Venique in B-Ceen-B-Gorgeous w/Venique in Twinkling Glitter as an accent nail


Revlon Scene Stealer

Had a fun shopping day in Delaware with my mom and got Red Robin…yum!

Went to WWE Raw with Geof (since he's taken me to see Britney and Lady Gaga). I’d be lying if I said I wasn't a little interested in the storylines. We went to Denny’s afterwards and some of the wrestlers showed up.

Geof and I at the Wells Fargo Center, me with The Miz and Zack Ryder, Geof with Nikki Bella and me with Dolph Ziggler

Watched Elf for the first time ever.


Drove around and looked at pretty Christmas lights.

Saw The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Besides a few differences from the book, I thought the movie was done really well.


Finally saw Love and Other Drugs (first half – good, second half – depressing).


Went down to the city to have lunch at Reading Terminal Market and then went to Macy’s to see the light show. It’s also where the movie Mannequin was filmed!




Baked lots of Christmas goodies.

Spent Christmas Eve at home with my mom and Geof.


Spent Christmas Day at my cousin Bill & Lara’s house with the entire family. I had such a blast with all of my cousins.

Me with two out of the three triplets on Christmas

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and are gearing up for the new year!

ITS OK Thursday!

I’m linking up with Neely from A Complete Waste of Makeup and Amber from Brunch with Amber for another edition of “ITS OK Thursday”

For me, ITS OK

That catching up on my stack of magazines involved little reading and lots of ripping out pages that looked appealing.



That I did happen to read one article from an old issue of Glamour about turning 30. At 33, I can say that it was spot on. If you’re in your 30’s or about to be 30…READ IT!

That I’m so behind on my personal life because work has me swamped.

That I spotted a scarf I just had to have but didn’t buy because it wasn’t on sale. I got a coupon, went back for it and it was gone. That’s just the fashion gods telling me I don’t need another scarf.

To find the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center completely magical



That I made chili the other night and added an extra can of diced tomatoes by accident…oopsie. It ended up surprisingly good.

To be dragging out Mockingjay because I don’t want it to end.

And to have gotten as excited as a schoolgirl when I saw the trailer for The Hunger Games on the big screen before Breaking Dawn.



That's all for now!

Thanksgiving recap & blog swap reveal!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! Mine was great. I got to spend time with Geof, my family and even did some Christmas shopping.

Wednesday, Geof and I went out on a date night to see Breaking Dawn and then went to dinner at a newish Mexican place called Dos Gringos. It was perfection!


Ready for date night!


Movie + Mexican = Perfection

Thanksgiving was spent at my aunt & uncle’s with the family and Friday we did some Black Friday shopping in Delaware. We scored some great deals! The rest of the weekend consisted of skating, relaxing, more shopping and a little work.


Thanksgiving at my aunt & uncle's

To keep with the theme of the Plenty To Be THANKful For Challenge, here is Day 9: I’m THANKful For Thanksgiving! (Post a picture of your table… if you have time!)


3 large tables for Thanksgiving this year

Day 10 I’m THANKful for Black Friday and Leftovers!


Doing Black Friday shopping in Delaware was definitely something to be THANKful for since we not only got some things on sale, we didn’t have to pay sales tax!

Last but not least is the Plenty To Be THANKful For Blog Swap Reveal!


Look how pretty she wrapped everything!


Love all my new swap goodies!

I was partnered with Stephanie from Life’s Lyrics and to say she spoiled me would be an understatement. She sensed my love for nail polish right away and even got me a shade that was on my Christmas wish list (Rainbow Connection from OPI). She also sent me some other beauty goodies and a gorgeous Christmas ornament along with a gift card for Starbucks!

We connected right away and it turns out, we have a ton in common from our favorite color to our taste in music. That’s why I love swaps, because it’s always nice to meet other great bloggers. Please pay her blog a visit. She’s wonderful!



Thank you to all the ladies that took the time to organize this challenge and swap. Putting the posts together has been a blast and also given me the opportunity to reflect on the things that I’m most thankful for this season. I’ve also “met” some really nice ladies. I’m thankful for you all!

Weekend recap

Friday, we took my mom out to dinner to celebrate her birthday. We gave her a choice and she wanted Don Pablo’s. I’m definitely her daughter because I love that place. We always offer up something fancy, but she goes for nice and easy.


OOTN for dinner with the fam!


My sockbun obsession

Saturday, we had skating and then Geof and I went out to see Paranormal Activity 3. It was really scary and got me the worst of all of them. I’d be lying if I said my mind wasn’t reeling with scary thoughts before I went to sleep that night.



Sunday, we ran some errands and then our friends Kristen and Sean came over. We headed over to Brit and Mike’s house for a delicious spaghetti dinner and some sweet treats (Kristen whipped up the best pumpkin cupcakes). After dinner, we headed out to Bates Motel. We survived the hayride, corn maze and haunted house. I didn’t even freak out when the chainsaw guy came after us (a first for me!). The whole night was a blast with good friends and good times.



Monday I took the day off and did some shopping with my mom. I’ll have to share some of my finds later in the week. I also painted my nails with the shade Cool Couture from Maybelline. It’s a great blue for fall and winter.


Cool Couture from Maybelline

Chicago trip – Day 1

We just got back from Chicago on Sunday and what a whirlwind weekend it was. We were able to visit because Geof received an invite to attend a movie premiere as part of his blog/contest being held. It was pretty last minute and the producers flew us out, put us up for one night at The Allerton and invited us to the premiere of Fancypants where we got to walk the red carpet. It felt pretty cool to have a bunch of shutterbugs flashing cameras in our faces and asking us questions. We also got to sit in between the stars of the film and it felt like something straight out of Hollywood. Geof also had to get up and speak briefly in front of the crowd of 400+ people and he did awesome.


OOTN for the premiere!


Geof and I on the red carpet

The rest of the trip was for relaxation. After the movie, we went back to our hotel, got changed and hopped in a cab bound for Kuma’s Corner. This is a place Geof has raved about for the past few years and has never been able to take me to because he’s only been there when he travels to Chicago for work. Let me just tell you that this place had the BEST Mac ‘n Cheese I have ever had. They also had an awesome beer selection and the most unique burgers I’ve ever seen, all named after heavy metal bands. I got the Pantera Burger complete with Roasted Poblano Pepper, Bacon, Cheddar, Monterey Jack, house made Ranchero Sauce and Tortilla Strips. This place is out in the suburbs of Chicago and definitely a hidden gem. They had a funny joke up on the chalkboard that said “Why did the hipster burn his mouth on pizza?”…”He ate it before it was cool”. That one really had me laughing. I can see why it’s rated #52 out of #3,076 restaurants on TripAdvisor.


Food at Kuma's Corner

After Kuma’s, we went back to our hotel that was right in the heart of the Magnificent Mile on Michigan Ave. We took a late night stroll and stumbled upon The Drake hotel completely by accident. This was on my “must see” list while we were there because one of my favorite movies of all time, My Best Friend’s Wedding was filmed there. The hotel was as beautiful and opulent as I expected and we walked in like we owned the place which afforded me the opportunity to snap some pics like the ridiculous tourist that I am.


Outside The Drake


Beautiful ballroom inside The Drake. I can't imagine how gorgeous a wedding would be in this room.


Geof on Michigan Ave.

Weekend recap

As you know, Friday was a bad day and I won’t get into that again. Thank you to everyone that left me a sweet comment on my post. It made me feel much better.

Saturday, we worked around the house and ran errands. I had baked cupcakes for Geof’s birthday on Thursday and we celebrated in the evening with those and some homemade tacos. I also managed to paint my nails later in the evening.


Geof's birthday cupcakes!


Wet n Wild's Wave of Enchantment

Sunday, Geof and I had a date day and went to see Transformers 3 in 3D but not before a quick stop at Ulta (I couldn’t resist). The movie was definitely more of dude flick and not for me. I’ll give credit for the special effects, but it was way too long at almost 2.5 hours.



After the movies, we went to McKenzie’s Brew House for dinner. We’d never been there before and it was a great choice because the food was delicious. We had a Fontina Fondue for an appetizer and Geof got one of the McKenzie Wit beers they brew in-house. For dinner, Geof got a deal that couldn’t be beat. He got his beer, a salad, filet mignon crowned with beer battered onion rings and a baked potato for $20. I know what I’m getting next time! I was boring and got meatloaf, but it was so good. Comfort food like that soothes the soul.


Gorgeous summer sunset


McKenzie's Brew House

Monday was spent relaxing around the house and I unfortunately had work that needed to be done, so it was a very quiet 4th. The most excitement was watching Sara Bareilles play at the Philadelphia Welcome America Celebration. As much as I want to go down there and see the talent live each year, it’s not worth it and I’d much rather just watch from my living room in HD.

I hope you all had a fun, long weekend!

Weekend recap

I’ve been so busy (hence my lack of blogging) and decided that enough was enough. This was a weekend to relax and get some fun back in my life.

Friday, we made a quick mall run and then hit Arby’s for dinner. We stayed in the rest of the night and relaxed. Just what I needed after a long week.

Saturday, Geof and I went to Spice for dinner and I got my usual Indian dish (Chicken Tikka Masala). It was so good, as always. From dinner we went to the movies to see X-Men: First Class. It was really good and kept my attention the entire film. I’m not into comic books, but have seen all of the other X-Men movies and it was interesting to see the backstory on Professor X and Magneto. Sorry if I sound like a huge nerd right now, but I love superhero-ish movies. Hugh Jackman also made a cameo which was a nice little surprise. Jennifer Lawrence played the young Mystique and I’m realizing more than ever how absolutely gorgeous she is. Kevin Bacon also played a great bad guy. There really aren’t enough good things to say about this movie.



Chicken Tikka Masala



Sunday, our friends Kristen and Dan came over and we headed down to World Café Live in the city to see The Daylights and The Parlotones. We met up with our friends Emily and Jen and all had a really nice time. We first saw The Daylights on the Vh1 Best Cruise Ever and became fans there. It was nice to see them again and they sounded fantastic. The Parlotones are a band from South Africa and they were great as well. It was the last night of their tour together, so both bands played plenty of pranks on one another during their sets.


Geof and I with Ran from The Daylights


The Parlotones

Monday I took the day off and Kristen and I went to the pool. Pure relaxation!

Weekend recap

Friday I took the day off and our friends Stephanie and Tracy from Maryland came up for the evening. We went to happy hour at The Deck for a bit and then headed down to The Mann Center in the city for The Script concert. We got these tickets weeks ago and found out that SafetySuit was recently added to the tour. You all know they’re my favorite band, so to get to see both was an awesome plus. Some of our other friends were at the concert and Dawn and Stacy had extra tickets in better seats so we moved down to be with them. The weather could not have been better for a show at an outdoor venue and seeing both bands took me right back to a few weeks ago when we saw them on the VH1 Best Cruise Ever. After the show we waited around and got to see the guys from The Script. They’re so down to earth and nice, especially for being as popular as they are.


Tracy, Stephanie, Geof and I at The Deck


Us with Danny from The Script

Saturday, Geof and I went to Linvilla Orchards for the Strawberry Festival. The weather was nice and not too hot. We went to feed the deer and then took a hayride out to the strawberry fields to roll up our sleeves and get to picking. We only picked the best and made it a nice afternoon out of it. No matter what season it is, I love spending time at Linvilla.


Strawberry Festival

Sunday, we got my mom and went to the movies to see Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in 3D. I loved it and it’s probably my favorite movie of the summer season so far. I hope this ignites a new series in the Pirates franchise as the movie certainly left it open for more. I also loved Penelope Cruz as the leading lady.


On Stranger Tides

After the movies, we went to Pinocchio’s and then headed and caught some of the MTV Movie Awards. Every year that I watch, I cringe little more and it makes me feel so old, yet I continue to tune in.