2015 has turned out to be much better for me than 2014 was, and for that I’m grateful. Because I love making lists, I’ll share with you some of my highlights from this past year. In no particular order, these are some of my personal highlights of 2015:
Seeing my first wild orchid in the Oregon forest this past June (orchids attached to trees as decoration on hotel properties in Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Florida don’t count).
1. Merry Christmas from Mohegan Sun! My husband and I spent Christmas Eve here two years ago and had a great time so we decided to do it again this year, for two nights this time. I’m not much of a gambler, but this place has a lot going on so it’s always fun. And they have a life-sized gingerbread house in the middle of the shopping mall! Clockwise from top left: me inside the gingerbread house, Vista Lounge at Wombi Rock (a fun bar), Christmas tree in the hotel lobby, and the main atrium that connects the mall, hotel, and casino with restaurants and more (love the glass sculpture!).
1. Friday Night Dinner at Natural Gourmet Institute: apparently, this plant-focused cooking school has been hosting these dinners for the past 20 years, but it’s all new to me. My husband and I attended our first NGI FND last weekend and it was amazing! For $45 per person you get a three course vegetarian meal (though our Dec. 11 “Root to Sap” edition was vegan), and each course contains three discrete mini dishes. I almost never do tasting menus because 1) I don’t like meat or fish, and 2) they usually offer WAY too much food for me. But the type and amount of food served at this dinner was just right for me. NGI’s dinners are BYOB, so you can bring wine or beer for yourself or to share with your table mates. The food was beautiful and tasted great: I think my personal favorites were the beet tartare “chevre” dish and the kale chips…OMG, those kale chips. If you’re a veggie lover in NYC, I highly recommend you try Friday Night Dinner!
My December Birchbox review is a bit delayed—this box arrived three days ago! The December 2015 Birchbox design is a winter white with a silver metallic knit pattern (the metallic sheen doesn’t really come through in my photo):
1. Brooklyn Orchids 2016 Calendar: for the past few years I’ve created 12-month calendars to sell on Zazzle, using photos I took of orchids that year. I don’t sell many, but I always buy one for myself and one for my husband, and I figure some of my orchid blog readers might be interested. My calendar arrived this week, and for the cover I chose to feature a Western Fairy Slipper Orchid, the first native orchid I ever saw in the wild! If you’re at all interested in orchids or know someone who is, this would make a great holiday gift. BTW, Zazzle has discount codes just about every day this month so be sure to look for them on their website before placing your order!
Before I get into this week’s five, I just want to mention that this past Wednesday, December 2nd, was the 14th anniversary of the day I moved to NYC! I can’t believe how long it’s been! Okay, now for my Friday Five.
1. Garden Glow at Missouri Botanical Garden: this is a super fun annual holiday light show that I finally got to go to for the first time while in St. Louis for Thanksgiving last weekend. The show has one million lights (literally!) and allows you nighttime access to the garden. There are kiosks throughout that sell kettle corn, hot chocolate (with hard mix-ins as an option for adults), beer, and wine, and plenty of holiday music to listen to as you stroll around. The show runs through January 2; if you’re in St. Louis I highly recommend you check it out!
My latest Stitch Fix arrived two days ago and I’m only now able to sit down and write about it! It’s been a busy couple of days, what with my usual life and then going to see the painted bunting in Prospect Park. This week’s Fix is my 11th, and it’s a pretty good one!
Something really cool and unusual is happening in Brooklyn right now, guys. An adult male Painted Bunting has been hanging out in Prospect Park for the last three days, and as the NY Post put it, people are losing their shit over him. You know how people say, “only in New York?” Well, this is a “never in New York” kind of situation.
Happy Black Friday Day After Thanksgiving, all! I’m writing this post from my parents’ house in St. Louis. I hope you had a wonderful Turkey Day with your loved ones; I certainly did!
Before I start this week’s list of five things, I’d like to note that this is my 100th blog post! Hooray!
1. Flat White at Brunswick: my husband and I finally went to this cute Aussie cafe for breakfast last weekend. I’d been wanting to check it out, and it did not disappoint. Here’s my pretty (and delicious) flat white:
Sephora VIBs know that the most wonderful time of the year is the VIB 20% off sale! This year, the beauty megastore ran their semi-annual sale from November 13-16, and of course I took advantage and bought myself some goodies. When I see the image to the right appear in my email, I’m basically like “Sephora, take all of my money please!” and I’m sure I’m not the only one.
I have to say I’m pretty proud of myself though, because I only bought three items. Restraint!
Ready to see what I chose to use my discount on?Continue Reading…
