Sewing Party!!

My friends and I have been completely inspired by the blog New Dress A Day, and decided to get together, take a trip to the thrift store, alter whatever we found, and wear it out! I think the results were really great!
My dress ended up needing the least TLC of anyone's, but I also tailored my friend Stephanie's dress down from a size 18 to a 6, so I definitely did my part today. I've made a few mosaics to show our before and after pictures. Overall, I will say that altering a dress is way easier than sewing a dress from a pattern, and I will be scouring thrift stores for more alterable finds in the future because this was entirely too much fun!!

My dress didn't need much work- but the bell sleeves had to go!

I did all the sewing for Steph's dress- we took it from an 18 to a 6!
Sarah T. chose a blue skirt that fit perfectly and paired it with an Eli Tahari shirt that needed some help. She removed the sleeves and gave it a new collar!Sarah L. found a very long striped taffeta skirt- it was adorable once she made it a mini!

We all also found several additional items at the thrift store that we loved and brought home. Have you ever found something amazing at a thrift store?

10 Days

I am turning 28 next Saturday. My birthday plans include an afternoon of sushi and shopping with my girlfriends then dinner at Gautreau's with my dear boyfriend. Now all I have to do is decide what dress I want to wear to dinner! (That may be decided while shopping, actually. Hehe!)

In car news, I'm waiting for my title to arrive in the mail. After that, because I now plan to buy my Forester through a dealer in Alabama, I have to wait until my registration has been issued for a year (that would be on August 11), despite the fact that my registration says I've owned my car since 2003. I can't blame the dealer though, for wanting to make sure all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed before submitting to Cash to Clunkers to make sure they'll get their money back from the government. So since it looks like CtC will be funded again this week (go, Senate, go!) I am planning/hoping/praying to get a new vehicle sometime next week. I'll keep you all posted.

Baby #2

Congratulations to my friend Kathleen! She just gave birth to William Bradley! (She kept us in suspense about his name until today, and I have to say I think it's a beautiful name!)

Speedy

Greekfest was so much fun last night! I am very pleased with myself because I ran the 5K in 27:32. I don't actually time myself when I run and am pretty sure that I'm not covering exact distances (I just plan out a route on walkjogrun and assume that I'm close to that), so I wasn't sure what my time was going to be last night. I told my friends I'd be done in around half an hour and that I'd meet them inside the festival. When I was lining up, I ended up chatting with a couple of older men who were running. They asked me what I thought my time was going to be and I said "I dunno, around 27 minutes." They were like "Oh, so you're a real runner!" This actually made me feel like I totally lowballed my guess and then I thought to myself "Well won't I feel silly when I finish at 30." Once the race started I felt great and was running at a pretty comfortable pace. I passed the first mile clock and saw that I did my mile in exactly 9 minutes. This really pysched me up. I got to the second marker right at 18 minutes. I was so excited and that really pushed me through the third mile. When I finished I was so proud of myself! I don't train for speed because I think the reason I had shin problems while running cross country in high school is that I'm just not meant to go fast, so I was definitely pleasantly surprised by my pace.
I was also pleased by my new running belt. My friends held my bag for me so I only had to carry my cellphone in the belt, but it really came in handy when it came time to find my friends. I didn't have something like this after the Crescent City Classic, and the logistics of finding people after the race ended up being pretty tricky. This solves that problem, even if the idea of wearing a glorified fanny pack takes a little getting used to. When my friends saw my running belt I just said "Isn't this the hottest fanny pack ever?"
After the race I went on to have a great time at the festival with my girlfriends. I ate probably 2/3 of a pound of lamb and a good part of a Greek pastry box. And drank free beer from the runner's only beer booth. :) So good!

Workin' For The Weekend

I am really looking forward to my long weekend!
Tonight I am supposed to run in the Greekfest 5K race. I say "supposed to" because the weather forecast for the entire weekend is currently pretty grim. If it is pouring, I'm not going to run. I will go hang out with my girlfriends instead b/c I don't want to make them wait for me in the rain while I run (and I don't want to deal with getting too wet and miserable either).
I hope we will get at least a little sunshine because the festival is outdoors all weekend and I am looking forward to the awesome food as well as the run. I hope I don't have to miss it!
Saturday it's supposed to be even more rainy than today, but I will probably be finding something to do with my friend Sarah. Both of our dear boyfriends are studying for their Board Exams so we want to get out of the house and out of their hair!
I am looking forward to Yoga on Sunday. I was talking to my Pilates/Yoga instructor and he said that if I remind him on Sunday, he'll include a bunch of fun balance poses. I'm also supposed to hang out by my friend's pool on Sunday, so we'll see whether or not the weather lets that happen.
My plans for Monday include hanging out with my friend Xiujuan and later drafting an itinerary for my trip to Maine!! I also need to get some shoes to hike in- suggestions from my outdoorsy friends are welcome in the comments. :) Since we're spending two days in Bar Harbor, I expect to spend a good bit of that time checking out Acadia National Park. There are only 2 weeks left until we go on vacation! I am so excited!!

Not Without My Notebook

I had a wonderful weekend! Kristi's wedding was, of course, a huge part of that. Not only was she a stunningly beautiful bride, she was an organized one! Her wedding was amazing, especially considering the amount of work that she and her friends did themselves. At one point, when we were heading out to the limo she exclaimed "Not without my notebook!!!" I told her that would be the title of the Lifetime Movie about her life.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Thursday night, my dear boyfriend and I flew to Seattle. Due to a flight delay in Denver, we didn't arrive until 2am. We stayed at his parents' house Thurs. night and spent an enjoyable Friday morning having brunch and wandering around downtown Seattle with his mom. Brunch was at Le Pichet, and it was wonderful. I had a bowl of homemade yogurt with walnuts and honey, and Le Tartines- two slices of bread with pate on top. So good!
We had lunch at Whole Foods. I am so jealous of the Seattle Whole Foods because they have a noodle/satay bar. After my rich brunch, I was happy to chow down on some tofu and veggie satay. I also picked up some goodies- some Larabar flavors I haven't found in NOLA, a couple packets of Justin's Almond Butter (I love all the flavors they offer and they make a great on the go snack!), and a bag of Chocolate Covered Cocoa Nibs.
Kristi later told me she heard that the nibs were supposed to be strong, bitter and savory. I put some nibs in my yogurt and fruit this morning and didn't think they were too bad at all. I wouldn't eat them alone by the handful (I'd say they are about as sweet as baking chocolate), but I thought that they were a tasty addition to my yogurt. I'm eager to try them in oatmeal with a banana mixed in. Maybe the chocolate coating is the only thing making them sweet, but I like the strong cocoa flavor as well.
Friday afternoon, we went to Kristi's rehearsal dinner. It was at a park in Renton, Wa that was right next to a lake. It was a beautiful setting for a cookout, and happily, I didn't get too cold! After that, my dear boyfriend went back to Seattle to stay with his parents, and my hotel suite became the bridal headquarters. Kristi, the other two bridesmaids, and I stayed up chatting, snacking, drinking wine, and doing our nails until our friend Janette (who was also sharing the suite but had a late flight) got to the hotel.
We woke up pretty early Saturday morning so we could all get ready to take pictures. Once we were ready we rode to Tacoma in a limo to take pictures in a pretty park. Riding in the limo was really fun- I've actually never been in one before!
After the pictures, we went to the Renton Community center and set up for the wedding. Let's just say that I ended up dreaming about setting tables later that night! We did a lot of work, but everything went really smoothly and the end result was beautiful. I am so proud of how much work Kristi did in advance to prepare for such a gorgeous wedding and am thrilled that it turned out so well. If she gets tired of being a Chemist, she has a promising career as a wedding planner to fall back on!
Finally, we went back to the hotel so Kristi could change back into her dress. A highlight of the day for me was when we all left the hotel singing "Going to the Chapel." It's fun to be so silly with my friends. :)
The wedding ceremony was beautiful. Kristi and her husband Colin read a heartfelt statement to each other before they said their vows and I thought it was really beautiful. I cried because I have known Kristi and Colin for so long and I am so happy for them!
The reception was really great. Kristi made all of the food herself, and it was excellent. The main course was pulled pork, coleslaw, biscuits, macaroni and cheese, and salad- to honor her Southern heritage. Yum!
Another highlight of the reception was the wedding cake. It was a 3 layer cake that featured a candy river and a model of Kristi and Colin kayaking in their wedding attire. One of Kristi's friends (who is defending her PHD next week!) made the cake, and Kari, one of the bridesmaids, made the topper. It was amazing. It was also tasty- the layers were champagne cake with mango curd, and almond cake with strawberry filling.
On Sunday, my dear boyfriend and I woke up early to head back to the city to have brunch with his parents. As we were leaving, we actually got to see the newlyweds, which was a pleasant surprise. I didn't think they'd be up that early. Anyway, Kristi gave me a big hug and informed me that if I get married again, I should have a destination wedding. Haha!! I can't argue with that. :)
Brunch this time was at Cafe Campagne. It was amazing as well. I had the Oeufs en Meurette, which was two poached eggs served on garlic croutons with pearl onions, bacon and champignons in a red wine and foie gras sauce served with pommes frîtes. My morning of insanely rich food continued with a stop for gelato. I split a cup of panna cotta and tiramisu gelato drowned in espresso with my dear boyfriend. I was stuffed!!
We flew home yesterday afternoon and other than being long, the flight was pretty uneventful. I've been pretty tired today because we didn't get home until 11:30, but I am glad to be home and happy to be back to my schedule. I am also looking forward to going on a nice run after work. I need to stretch my legs out after so much flying.

Going to the Chapel

And I'm gonna be a bridesmaid!!! :)
I'm flying to Seattle after work today because Kristi is getting married on Saturday!!
I am very excited about this weekend, although I am a little nervous about the weather. The rehearsal dinner is going to be a cookout in a park from 4-9pm tomorrow, and the low is 48 degrees! Eek!
Packing last night had an extra degree of difficulty because most of my cold weather clothes are in storage, since its been warm in New Orleans for the past 2 months. I think I managed pretty well regardless though- I had a few long sleeve shirts and sweaters in my closet, so I packed them, along with both a light jacket and my pea coat in case I get really cold. My dear boyfriend thought the pea coat was a little much, but my friend Lauri who is already up there assured me that she has worn Kristi's pea coat once this week already.
I also really like the way I packed- I stuck to a basic color pattern of blue, green, and black, so everything goes with everything else.
The best thing so far about being Kristi's bridesmaid is the dress (similar to this one, but a bright aqua seersucker fabric). Everyone says that their bridesmaids will be able to wear their dresses again, but Kristi's is the first I've seen that I would actually wear again. In fact, I've had this dress for a year and I've spent the warm portions of that year cursing the fact that I couldn't wear the adorable dress just hanging out in my closet! Even better, the reason I've had it for a year is that when we bought it, it was on sale for $30!
I am also excited about the dress because my mother brought me back some beautiful glass jewelry from Italy, and the pendant and ring she gave me will go perfectly with the dress. I am also wearing some dangling silver and blue earrings that mom lent me, and at the reception, I plan to stay warm with a shawl that my brother's girlfriend was kind enough to lend me.
Despite having to pack yesterday evening, I also managed to go for a nice long 4 mile run. I haven't run that far in a number of weeks and I could really tell. I had a great run and felt wonderful during the whole thing, but I was really tired afterward and I'm feeling pretty achy today. This just tells me that I need to be more diligent about getting in a long run at least once a week. I don't like the thought of losing my hard won endurance. On the other hand, I've enjoyed mixing up my workouts lately. I've recently added yoga, weightlifting, and swimming to my workout options, and it has been a lot of fun.
Other recent news is that my friend Xiujuan just told me that she is having a baby. I think this makes 13 friends who are with child this year. There must be something in the water. :P
So I will end this post with congratulations to Kristi, Xiujuan, and all my other friends who are engaged, getting married, or having babies this year.

Ruby Slippers

This past weekend was also wonderful because I was well enough to go to the Lake with my high school girlfriends after all.
After work on Friday, I got some supplies (primarily wine, Zapp's, and the ingredients for my favorite tomato and avocado dip), then drove to Natchez, Ms. The mother of one of our friends who sadly passed away a few years ago held a dinner in honor of my friends who are pregnant (I have a lot of friends who are pregnant this year, including three of the 6 girls this weekend. They are expecting babies this summer). It was really sweet, and a great way to start off our weekend. We had lots of tasty appetizers and I had a delicious portobello mushroom sandwhich for my main course. After dinner, we drove to my friend Ginny's family's lakehouse on Black River Lake.
The lake house was really nice! I especially loved that it had a great multi-level deck that we took full advantage of on Saturday. We spent the day sunbathing, eating crawfish, drinking beer/Odoul's, and taking a boat ride. That evening we relaxed, chatted, and ate lots of food. We even made s'mores!
Catching up with my high school girlfriends was wonderful. Even though its been years since we've all been together, we've really made an effort to keep in touch. It has paid off because we all picked up where we left off and really enjoyed each other's company.
On Sunday, I woke up, looked out the window and basically saw the beginning scenes from the Wizard of Oz. A huge storm blew through and causes all sorts of damage to the area! Basically, I could hear a loud roaring noise and saw cows in a pasture across the road running in panic away from a wall of dust. We all ran into the hallway to get away from windows, and peaked out the door so we could see what was going on through the living room windows. It was incredibly windy and loud, but passed really quickly. We though we heard a crack of lightning but it was actually a tree falling on the neighbor's house.
I didn't realize it had been a tornado until we left to go back to Natchez. There were tons of fallen trees and it struck me that they had not all fallen in the same direction. There was also a metal roof lying in someone's yard, and lots of snapped power line poles along the levy. Scary stuff!
When we got back to Natchez and checked the weather, it became obvious that several of us wouldn't be able to drive home without hitting some seriously bad weather. I opted to stay in town until this morning.
That was also nice because I was able to stay with my friend Amanda and her parents. Our friend Meg decided to stay with her baby, Madyson, as well. I enjoyed having an extra day to spend with at least some of my friends, and really appreciated that Amanda's parents let us stay there for the night. A lot of places were closed because Natchez had been hit by tornados as well, but I did manage to get some local food to bring home for my dear boyfriend- Fat Mama's Tamales! I think I'm going to jury rig some sort of healthy version of taco salad (maybe spinach, tomatoes, olives, salsa, and shredded cheese) to go with them for dinner tonight.

Finally

I think I need to make a couple of posts before my two lovely weekends fade away in my memory.
Last weekend, I hosted my friend Kristi's bachelorette party. The girls came in town on Friday at varying times. The early arrivals and I feasted on tapas. After everyone else arrived, we enjoyed delicious snacks, champagne punch, and a very festive panna cotta. (Sufficed to say, I molded it in a naughty cake pan!) We then stayed up until 3am playing Apples to Apples.
On Saturday, (after waking up way too early at 8am) we took the streetcar to the French Quarter and had lunch at Felix's. After spending the day wandering around the Quarter, we went back to my house for crawfish and Abita beer, got dolled up, then went back out to the Quarter! We got home sometimes around 5am.
We got up around noon on Sunday and headed to Jazzfest in time to catch a little bit of Better Than Ezra and all of the Dave Matthews Band. It was lovely and the weather was wonderful! Of course, the food at Jazzfest was once again beyond compare. I feasted on a duck poboy and some tasty Boudin! We ended the night at Lebanon's for dinner because after a decadent weekend in New Orleans, we were all dying for veggies.
Monday arrived way too early, especially for several of the girls who had to fly out sometime around 5am. Unfortunately, they got lost on the way to the airport, which meant that I had to give them directions on the phone around 4:30. Happily, they made their flights!
Overall it was such a good weekend- well worth the cold it brought on! I really loved getting to know Kristi's friends from Seattle and it was so good to spend time with Kristi and my other old friends who came to help her celebrate.

Debauchery

I'm hosting a bachelorette party for my dear friend Kristi this weekend. On the schedule is cocktails and snacks at my house tonight, tourism and partying in the Quarter tomorrow, and Jazzfest on Sunday.
I've been pretty stressed all week trying to make sure I could get my house ready in time (I'm having 6 people stay over!) and that I wasn't forgetting anything, but now that I've only got a few hours before people start arriving, I'm getting really excited.
It also helps to know that Lauri is coming early to help me get ready for tonight. (Hence the dinner request a few days ago.) And I'm thrilled because the weather could not be better- sunny, high 60's to low 80's all weekend. Most of the girls will be coming in from Seattle, so I know they will be loving all the sunshine this weekend! It's going to be so much fun!