A Little Review of 2016 and Goals for 2017

WHAT. A. YEAR.

Even though we’re a few days into January, I’m not sure it’s ever too late to reflect on the past year in order to look forward to the year ahead. Here are a few of my top highlights from this past year:

FRIENDSHIPS
Was gonna wait to post this one until later BUT it was perhaps the most wonderful thing about this year for me. I met my very best friend (who I absolutely must see once a week or I have ACTUAL withdrawal symptoms), Erin Krespan. She also happens to be an insanely talented photographer who I’ve gotten to work with a ton on the blog. 

I also got to meet and shoot with a number of killer photographers thanks to the Insta-web like Leah, Dennis, Emma, Brittany, Carl, Luke and Jen to name a few. SO grateful for the creative community DC has built.

FOOD
This has also been SUCH a great year for food in my book. For my birthday, we finally got to visit Rose’s Luxury which I’d been DYING to visit for ages. I also discovered the best ramen spot in DC (s/o to Daikaya - but feel free to refute this if you think you’ve found a better spot that serves vegetarian ramen.) Then we proceeded to eat our way through San Fran, Portland (Maine), Napa and Chicago…which I NEED to get post on the blog ASAP because who has time to wait for good food?

TRAVEL
While we made the decision to stay within the country this year, we did a LOT of traveling. A few of our favorite spots we traveled:

Yosemite: Growing up, we’d camp here for a few weeks each summer. This year, I finally was able to take my hubby to experience it and it was everything I’d hoped for and more (minus the insane swarms of mosquitos!)

Napa: I’d been here once before and I can’t believe it took 5 years to come back! Great wine isn’t the only thing that lured us to return - the food is phenomenal. From brunches to little BBQ stands on the side of the road to the *HANDS DOWN* best English muffins that exist, we’re hooked.

Portland, Maine: Another foodie hotspot - this town has so much character and SO MANY great eats that it’s worth the visit JUST for the food alone. When we visited, it was rainy and cold, but somehow still remains one of my favorite trips of the year.

Marco Island, FL: This is a yearly visit for us. My Papou lives down there a few months of the year, so we always try to take 4 or 5 days to soak in the bright sunshine in the midst of our East Coast winter.

New York: I can’t believe it, but I visited the Big Apple three times this past year. THREE. That’s more than I had in the previous 5 years. Each time I fell more and more in love with the city. The first time I traveled to Soho with my bestie for 24 hours of food, shopping, coffee and shooting photos. The second was for Fashion Week, which, TO BE HONEST, wasn’t my favorite. This last time was for New Year’s and we happily ate our way through Chelsea’s cutest neighborhoods. And we’re already planning our next trip.

Chicago: When the hubby had a business trip here, I couldn’t help but come along for the ride. The city, it’s architecture and, surprise surprise, its food scene didn’t disappoint. 

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BLOG
Lots of exciting things happened on the blog front this year. I was featured in Northern Virginia Magazine’s April issue and was also voted their Top Fashion Blogger of 2016! Made in the District featured my blog in their page, and last week, was featured by Brightest Young Things. I got to work with a number of exciting brands like Lucky Jeans, Ralph Lauren, Cuyana, Rent the Runway, South Moon Under, Urban Outfitters, Diesel, Banana Republic, Lacoste and more. Stay tuned for more exciting projects underway for 2017! If you have anything you'd like to see more (or less of!) over here, shoot me a note or comment on this post!

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LOOKING AHEAD
Besides the usual 'get back into exercise and clean eating,' I want to learn to work smarter. I want to spend more time on figuring out my finances (YIKES), working on improving our home, getting organized, and building relationships. I want to spend less time in front of the TV (easier said than done) and on my phone. I want to live more in the present, and while I think I did better last year, I know there's still a lot to be done. I also want to make my health a priority. This means choosing yoga class to ease my back pain over happy hour sometimes, taking the time in the evening to take off all my makeup and set up a regular skincare routine, and making dentist appointments and eye doctor visits a priority too. I want to put laziness on the back burner, which is also easier said than done in the winter months when all I want to do is be a sloth at home. Any tips on productivity would be SO greatly appreciated!

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Week in Review Vol. 15

It always amazes me how slowly the week goes by. It’s not like the weeks really ever change much, but man it feels like the weekends pass by at the speed of light and before you can blink it’s over. 

That’s why I love Fridays so much. You can taste the weekend, and everyone is in a better mood in the office because they know that tomorrow they’ll be able to sleep in. Unless you have kids. Then God speed to you.

Let’s share what happened this week, shall we?

I started off the week with a visit to one of my favorite local wineries, Bluemont Vineyard. The wine here is really good, but the views are even better. I wore my new favorite cozy sweater from one of my favorite new brands, MO:VINT, which is now carried at South Moon Under! I paired it with my highest waisted denim that I snagged at the opening of Tuckernuck last week. I’ve basically been wearing them non-stop.

Monday and Tuesday were kind of a blur…we had a big project at work that consumed my life essentially, but I did go to yoga on Monday. My saving grace!

I don't know about you, but when I’m exhausted and tired, I tend to do more shopping…maybe because I'm trying to fill this big void where all my free time used to be? Ah, jokes. But really. ANYWAY I bought this super cute scarf from Everlane, and the hubby this hoodie he's been eyeing for a while. Can't wait to surprise him with it!

Wednesday I found out I needed glasses. LONG STORY SHORT I had to renew my license and the vision test was a struggle. However, I found this adorable pair from a local boutique so it’s all good, friends.

I grabbed South Block with my good friend Sylvia Thursday afternoon at their new Georgetown location - have you been yet?! I'm obsessed. Obviously. 

(Speaking of awesome food, did you catch my post this week sharing my favorite taco spot? It's right down the street from South Block!)

After work, I went to the Washingtonian Style Setters party with the hubby. Before though, I met up with local photographer Dennis Turbeville, who's so cool and talented! Can't wait to show you more photos we took, but here's a little sneak peek below!

And in case you missed it, the Shopbop sale ends tonight (just about everything is 25% off with code MAINEVENT16)I did quite a bit of damage and I'm eagerly waiting for my finds to arrive! Shop my favorite finds below and have an amazing weekend!

Month in Review

Whoa, it's been quite some time before we did a Week in Review (due to September being my Month of Madness), so let's catch up over a cup of coffee, shall we? Here's what's been going on lately:

Diner en Blanc
Alicia and I attended this year's Diner en Blanc and we had THE. BEST. TIME. If you haven't been before or don't know what this crazy event is, check out my recap post of Diner en Blanc here! (I rented this Alexis dress from Rent the Runway if you're curious!)

Bought my first designer bag
IT HAPPENED, friends. I've been eying this Mansur Gavriel bucket bag for about year, and finally decided to pull the trigger. I couldn't be happier, especially since it holds everything I could ever want. 

Traveled to New York for Fashion Week
It was crazy, amazing, stressful, and insane...and I'll be telling you all about it on the blog soon! (Did you catch my first NYFW look here?)

Got to meet Erin Fetherston
I got to meet one of my favorite designers, Erin Fetherston, at her 10 year anniversary party! It was so surreal to even stand next to her, let alone have a conversation with her. She's so sweet, and if you haven't seen her home tour on Domino, what are you waiting for?

Splurged on a Self Portrait dress
This is something else I've been dying to get my hands on for ages...I'd sort of been looking around on consignment sites, but when I was invited to my cousin's Greek wedding, I put finding one at the top of my to-do list. I landed on this brand new Self Portrait dress from The Outnet that was on MAJOR sale. It's my favorite dress I own. 

Finally bought the Morphe 350 Eyeshadow Palette
Can't wait to share more about this steal-of-a-deal kit 

Had my 5 minutes of fame on a promo billboard
It's still up if you find yourself at Mosaic! Loved being a part of their Fall Campaign!

I visited the new Grace Street Coffee shop - a lot
If you haven't stopped into this cute place on Grace Street in Georgetown, be sure to do so before it becomes the next hot-spot destination (a la Georgetown Cupcake) - there's also a South Block Juice Co. inside so prepare for epic-ness.

The hubby was featured on Huffington Post in an article about Instagram Husbands!
If you want to get a real-life, no frills, honest view on what it means to have your significant other shoot some of your photos, don't miss this piece. 

We ate our way through Chicago
Again, more on this very, very soon. I'll share all the places we went (and of course, all the things we ate.)

That's it for me! HOW HAVE YOU BEEN? It's been too long. Catch me up in the comments below! Xx!

Week in Review: Vol. 14

Happy Friday, friends!!

These past few weeks have been crazy busy but there’s SO MANY fun things I want to share with you!

Where to start?! Well, I decided that I’ll be attending New York Fashion Week this fall! This will be a first for me, and I literally can’t sleep I’m so excited. I’ll be collaborating with a number of brands, including Rent the Runway, Collabz, and more during the trip so I can bring you a first-hand honest look at what Fashion Week is like!

I’m also working on a SUPER fun campaign with Mosaic District that I can’t wait to share more about! Let’s just say that if you visit Mosaic in the next few weeks, you’ll see a very familiar face ;)

I took major advantage of the M.Gemi shoe sale a couple weeks ago. I bought some short boots (sold out), but I recently borrowed THESE from a friend and they are the most comfortable shoes I may have ever put on. You can shop my personal M.Gemi picks on their website!

If you’re into coffee, my friend and kick-you-know-what photographer Erin is taking over the Vigilante instagram page! Be sure to check it out, and if you like acai bowls, Vig makes a MEAN ONE.

Last week, I finally got a chance to use one of Breather’s DC spaces. What is Breather? It’s basically a beautiful office room with a couch, small conference table, mirrors, and books (with tons of natural light) that you can use to relax, have a meeting or in our case, shoot some photos for the blog! We rented out their 1003 K St., NW space and LOVED it. 

Remember this chambray top I wore earlier this Spring? It’s on MAJOR sale right now for only $38 (from $78!) 

The Rent the Runway clearance sale just did their final price drops and GUYS IT’S GOOD. You can shop my favorite picks or just head straight there yourselves.

Speaking of Rent the Runway, I’m working with them on a fun collaboration for Diner en Blanc! If you’re not familiar, check out last year’s post on it! It’s basically DC’s largest secret dinner party. Not even attendees know the location until right before the dinner starts. You dress TO THE NINES in all white - the fancier the better. It’s all very exciting. I rented one of these gorgeous dresses from Rent the Runway for the event. Stay tuned to figure out which one I chose! And in August, they’re offering FREE appointments with a stylist (usually $25), so if you have any events you want help choosing an outfit for, be sure to head in next week! I had Sam help me and she was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

Last week, we celebrated the launch of the Commuter backpack from Everlane at Maketto and had such a blast. I wore this everlane long sleeved tee (rolled up as far as it would go) and my favorite everlane loafers (now they come in SO MANY colors!)

Sunday I attended a sunrise yoga class at The Embassy Row Hotel rooftop! I've never done a class on a rooftop before and it was a game changer. SO MUCH FUN. They’ll be offering classes for the rest of summer, so if you’re looking for a great way to kickstart your weekend,, definitely check it out!

Want something super unproductive to do this weekend that you won’t regret? We are in over our heads in obsession with Stranger Things, a netflix show that I FOR SURE wouldn’t recommend watching at night by yourselves. We’re HOOKED.

Lastly, I was featured in the Shopping Links Blog for being an emerging blogger to watch! You can read my interview with them here!

Here are some posts you may have missed this week:
The prettiest off-the-shoulder dress I wore out to brunch in NYC
That one time a Rolls Royce photobombed my shoot (or was it the other way around?)
Pretending I'm French in this buttercup number
The bohemian blouse I've worn approximately 10,000 times since I've bought it

Have a great weekend!

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Week in Review - Vol. 12

Hellloooooo, Friday! (Alternatively, how in the world is July almost over?!)

First things first, NEXT WEEK IS MY BIRTHDAY! I’ll be celebrating all week with good good, great coffee and the best of friends. 

The week started off on a high note after grabbing a snack at South Block Juice Co with my babe, Erin. I’ve been wanting to check it out forever, and after seeing it pop up on Popular Pays, I knew I had to visit. Verdict: IT’S AMAZING. I’m putting together a post on my favorite spots for Acai bowls so stay tuned!

I spotted these cute mules on Sara this week and I’m feeling like I might need a pair to call my own. What are your thoughts?!

Later in the week, I grabbed lunch at Leopold’s with my friend, Sylvia. I’m so happy my friend, Jen, introduced us because she’s easily become one of my favorite people ever. She’s witty, smart, has lived in Paris (!!) and has the most impeccable style. You can check out her blog here!

Speaking of food, Rebecca with A Daily Something posted this recipe for roasted potatoes and I am DEFINITELY MAKING THESE this weekend.

On Wednesday, I got a bit of sad news that my favorite bus driver was switching routes. Even writing it seems so trivial but it really affected me. I talked a little bit about him in my post yesterday if you want to check it out.

I also posted a super fun shoot that I did with Carl Maynard. He’s becoming quite the community builder here in DC and I’m so excited to see what’s next for him.

Then yesterday, I got this fun Kule tee in the mail. I was hesitant about the price but I’m sooo glad I snagged it! Now I can be more French than ever ;)

Thursday I grabbed a lunch with my dear friend and photographer friend, Leah! For dessert, we had an ice cream sammie from Milk Cult and YOU GUYS - BEST ICE CREAM SAMMIE OF ALL TIME.

Ok so I accidentally did more shopping and bought this pretty Anine Bing dress and I have a feeling it’s going to be a summer/fall staple around these parts. Can you imagine how cute it would be with OTK boots?! 

Today I’m heading to bid farewell to the Cuyana pop-up in Georgetown during their Farewell Happy Hour. If you haven’t been yet, this weekend is your last chance before they head back to San Fran!

Tomorrow my dear friend Sophie Blake is launching her Illusionist collection at Mosaic District from 2:30 - 6:30. More details here!

Have a great weekend, everyone!