Tuesday, June 30, 2015

danced out.

Misty Copeland for the win today - she is really quite something - Misty Copeland becomes the first black principal ballerina at the American Ballet Theatre.

Quick update on this - this 60 minutes piece is definitely worth watching!

cruel & unusual.

This piece in The Atlantic, The Cruel and Unusual Execution of Clayton Lockett, just gets more brutal and terrible as you go. And yet, an absolute must-read. Bryan Stevenson touches on this in his book Just Mercy but this is a full and detailed accounting of certain cruel and unusual punishment but also the twisted and gross scavenger hunt for the drugs to execute...

Monday, June 29, 2015

potus.

I know we have all seen it by now, but I just can't help watching it over and over again - Obama's amazing grace was powerfully surprising and I just keep wanting to channel that moment and key over and again. Wow.

sunday fun day.

Yesterday turned into an unexpectedly great day. It all started because I was determined that we wake up early and drive up to Baltimore Farmer's Market & Bazaar. Not exactly sure why yesterday had to be the day to do this, but I was fixated on it. So, we woke up at 6:30 and jumped in the car and headed up. I had seen mention of the Farmer's Market a while ago and been meaning to go....it is under this huge highway underpass in the middle of Baltimore.  In reality, the number of actual farm stands probably isn't that much more than DuPont, but it has a bunch more vendors serving up food and the whole feel of it under the highway is kind of cool...we definitely doubled down on buying enough veggies to make it worth the drive up there...

But then we decided that while we were in Baltimore, we might as well pop over to Woodberry Kitchen for brunch. Obviously, this should happen, right?! (If you don't remember Woodberry Kitchen - here is the past post). But, since Woodberry Kitchen wasn't open yet, we decided first to check out their coffee shop we had never been to but had heard was cool. So, we ventured over to Artifact Coffee. Awesome spot - you should go!

Caffeinated and now finally 10:00 am, we headed over to Woodberry Kitchen, sat outside in the beautiful non-humid weather, and brunched it out!

We got back in the car with the full intention of heading home but we decided that since it was kind of on the way, we should stop to check out this place called Second Chance that might have some cool furniture or old vintage pieces. We had no idea what we were about to discover. This place is unbelievable! It is a giant (giant!) warehouse with everything.

It was started to save and reclaim materials in houses and buildings that are going to be destroyed while also providing job training and employment for the unemployed. It is more than 20,000 square feet of neverending stuff. Bathtubs, lights, door knobs, sinks, stained glass, art, furniture, doors, windows, etc. Yes, some of it is useless but wow, there are some pure gems in there. We couldn't believe it!

This stained glass was stunning....

 Old vintage stoves...
 Beautiful paned doors and windows...

 So much stained glass...and bathroom materials...

When I say everything, I mean everything! It was amazing. It was a DIY dream. It made me want to quit my job, buy a giant house and start renovating tomorrow...

We wandered around for the better part of an hour...and then we happened upon this beauty! I had stopped and looked at it when Ben was in the bathroom, and then Ben stopped and happened to look at it later by himself. We decided we had to take it home with us. We asked the story behind it and they told us it had come in with another piece of expensive art from a wealthy home (or it was from a public showcase) - either way we love it. It is a Yves Klein silk screen print of his famous Blue Monochrome. And the frame on this is gorgeous - we couldn't pass it up. It reminds me of visiting Yves' Majorelle Gardens in Morocco a couple years ago and Ben remembers studying exactly this piece years ago.  We have no idea what it is worth (not that that should matter, right?) but we are pretty sure we snagged a treasure. And it is now beautifully hung in the guest bedroom.

And by 2:00 we were back home! We had really only planned for the farmer's market but the detours along the way were wonderful....hope you all had a great weekend!

Friday, June 26, 2015

chi town.

We tend to take a couple weekend trips a year. We love them because you get a quick getaway and can keep it on a budget while feeling like you really get to explore a city or place for two or three days. Among other places, we have gone to Kentucky, popped down to Richmond, and most recently crossed over into Maryland and I am always keeping a short list of places that we should think about next. We have been meaning to go to Chicago for a while now and periodically we talk about keeping our eye on cheap flights. Well, if ever one needed a little motivation, I found it earlier this week. I now introduce you to the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel. Please take me there now!

The building dates back to 1897 and was the Chicago Athletic Association building - basically an elite, private men's sporting club. Come 1997 it was shuttered and was sitting idle and now it has been restored and turned into a boutique hotel. Holy moly. The wood detail. The white marble floors they uncovered along with that awesome white ceiling. The stained glass. That dining room. The view from the bar on the roof. Just wow. Also the game room.

source: Conde Nast Traveler
source: Conde Nast Traveler
source: Conde Nast Traveler
source: Conde Nast Traveler
source: Conde Nast Traveler
source: Conde Nast Traveler

Trust me, I have done some serious stalking of this hotel and I really think we should all meet in Chicago. Meet you there?

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

run for it.

I have long said that I would never run a marathon. This is not out of principle, it is just because running has never come easy and isn't all that enjoyable for me. Believe me, I try to like it. It is just really a struggle. When Ben and I run together, he seems to just spring into his run and he loves it and could just keep going, whereas I am dreading even slight inclines and laboring through every mile. That said, we run at least four times a week and I have come to terms with the fact that running is my long-term future - it is free, you can do it anywhere, time-efficient and it is effective exercise. I am slowly but surely, trying to turn myself into a "runner".

The point of all this is we are signed up for a half-marathon in November and I am actually really excited for it. I need a challenge and I love having a goal to work toward. But more importantly, I am also using it to raise money for the Hopital Albert Schweitzer. And that brings me to you all, my loyal and loving readership....all three of you out there! I would love for you to donate and support my running...but more importantly support HAS - and here is my fundraising page if you are so inclined.

And here is my past post about visiting HAS this past Spring.....

Monday, June 22, 2015

overnight.

I mentioned on Friday that we were going away this weekend, and now I am reporting back in! We actually just went away on Saturday night and came back Sunday afternoon, so it was a short getaway but we would definitely recommend it. We left the house at around 3 on Saturday to drive over the bay bridge into Maryland and on to Easton. It ended up only taking about an hour and fifteen minutes and we rolled into Easton by about 4:30 in the afternoon.

Our destintation was the Bartlett Pear Inn - a small b&b (just 7 rooms) and restaurant. The house was actually built in 1790 and it is a gorgeous brick house with two porches on the front.

We checked in, dropped our bags and went for a walk around town. Easton doesn't have a whole lot going on, so you are basically going there for the Inn, but it was quiet and peaceful. We came back to our room, changed our clothes and decided to go just up the road for a drink at The Tidewater Inn. We sat outside in the rocking chairs facing the street and drank cocktails. But the best part was that the Tidewater happens to partner with the town on Saturdays in the summer to host concerts in the street. It was amazing. There was this great live band playing all the oldies and classics everyone loves and the street filled up with people bringing their lawn chairs. The band rocked out, couples were dancing in the street, kids were running all over the place and it turned into this idyllic scene of a small town on Saturday night!

Unfortunately, we had to cut out early to head back to the Inn for dinner and dinner turned out to be phenomenal. We ended up sitting out on the screened porch where there were two tables and there was a great breeze...

The food was fantastic. No, but seriously, it was really really good. We had a truffle risotto that we would drive back for again and again and the scallops with chorizo and blue cheese were amazing. We ate a lot and then enjoyed the beauty of the whole b&b thing and just wandered upstairs to sleep....

We woke up on Sunday, went for a very quick run and then came back to breakfast...this eggs benedict would make my mom proud...

 We took our coffee upstairs to the porch and sat out looking over the street for a little bit...

And then we got our move on. I insisted on driving to St. Michaels since it was only fifteen minutes away and we walked around the Inn at Perry Cabin.

By 12:00, we were on the road back to DC and with a quick stop at an outlet ont he way, we were home by about 2:00. It was a very quick overnight but we would highly recommend it. Here would be our tips if you do end up going...

  • Book far in advance. I booked this about a month and half ago and lucked out getting the last room in the Inn. But our room (Comice Pear Room) was super small and the other rooms looked much bigger and more comfortable. 
  • When you make a dinner reservation, if you are sitting inside the dining room (especially if it is winter) ask for the two-top table in the alcove by the windows - it is the best table in the room. If it is spring or fall (or even summer) and the weather is going to be good) ask for one of the tables on the screened in porch. 
  • You must order whatever truffle pasta dish they have on the menu!
  • Don't miss breakfast!...and fyi - they only serve it until 9:30 am...

Friday, June 19, 2015

showered.

Loving this Sun Showers Lululemon jacket...

bloomed.

Happy Friday everyone! We are going away for the night tomorrow and really looking forward to it...and it is peony season too...I grabbed these last week and they are still going strong...

Monday, June 15, 2015

the sandalia.

A friend was wearing these Beatrice Valenzuela Sandalia sandals this weekend and if not for the price, I would have bought them 15 minutes ago. Oh man, they look so comfortable and awesome....

study hour.

We were up in New Haven this weekend and for the second time we stayed at The Study at Yale. I just wanted to report in on it in case you are headed there any time soon and looking for a place to stay. We love it. Clean aesthetic, great service, fantastic price point, good location, solid water pressure, big rooms, great views....seriously - great hotel!

Thursday, June 11, 2015

rugged.

I happened upon Pampa a couple weeks ago and love their rugs and pillows. In addition to whatever you can buy, the prints and photographs of Argentina and the Andes are gorgeous and worth scrolling through. In particular, this whole section of horses is beautiful.

The rugs are all handmade by indigenous communities and Pampa is making a concerted effort to highlight their work while also preserving their artisanship and woven techniques....



denali.

Ben sent me this trailer last night, Denali, about Ben Moon and his dog. I watched it this morning on the metro -- this one is going to be a tear-jerker. Reminded me a lot of The Art of Racing in the Rain - which if you haven't read, you definitely should. Anyway, basically I just want a dog....


Tuesday, June 9, 2015

shelved.

I haven't posted in a long time about the house. I haven't had much time in the last six months for projects, but we have been adding and making small changes here and there. A couple months ago, we finally added this ledge in our bedroom. I love it. I bought these metal rod brackets from Restoration Hardware. We measured the wall and the brackets and then popped up to Home Depot to cut a shelf. I then did a very quick two layers of white paint and voila - we had our shelf!

I framed a picture of Walloon that I had taken a couple of years ago and also framed a picture of the black beach in Iceland. And then, I picked up a cheap Target frame for this Washington DC map. We aren't sure that we are going to keep the DC map on this shelf, so we might change it up, but for the time being, it makes a big difference that we finally made use of this wall!