wisteria...4.24.08 gratitudes

1. ran into frances in her adorable romper. she scored us free iced coffee from the cute boys at joe's coffee shop.

2. leticia brought me a fruit tart as a congratulations on my promotion and jaime gave us apricot and pistachio cookies.

3. the party truck with the pink hippo.

4. street artists and their palettes and brushes.

5. city community gardens.

6. the new domino came out.

7. went to zachary's smile with frances and found jersey pants and a dress that i've been looking for forever!!!!!!!!!! can't wait to get paid.

8. wandered into geminola, the lovely boutique on perry st that sells dreamy reworked vintage. i can't afford a single thing but i just drool. this is another place i want to go when i die...

9. saw a house being swallowed by wisteria. i haven't seen much of this plant and it makes me think of springtime and a game my mother and i used to play. we would be driving in the car and try and spot more wisteria than the other. whoever saw the most won. she always calls me on the phone and says, "wisteria". and that's how i know it is officially spring.

spring fever...4.23.08 gratitudes

1. the concrete jungle is awash with color!!!!!! winter is gone and the streets have exploded with flora and fauna. i can't even bring myself to use any other mode of transportation but my two feet.

2. found my new favorite fence in the city. heart.

3. my store has the sweetest neighbors. between the adorable lindsay, grace's nanny, bringing me shiny marc jacobs shoe and purse cookies to miss susie lopez inviting me to her son's peter pan-themed birthday party...i love where i work.

4. discovered where i want to go when i die, my version of heaven... Books of Wonder on 18th st between 5th and 6th ave. A bookstore entirely devoted to children's books, and what is attached to it...Cupcake Cafe!! Thank you Chelsea Cook for bringing me here.

5. haynes riley joined me on my day off and we walked around in the beautiful spring weather and ate cupcakes.

6. had breakfast with amy merrick and plotted our futures. hers is looking pretty bright if you haven't seen her shout out on Catherine Halley's blog "Scrappy Girl Decorates".
amy is such an inspiration and i wish i spent my days off pursuing my dreams as proactively as she does.

7. spoke to my big sister on the phone. i love when my sisters call me and speak to me like a friend. now that i'm older the age gap between me and my sisters doesn't seem as great of a divide. and that makes me so happy.

8. confirmed that i don't have to work on my birthday weekend. my mother(and best friend) is coming to stay with me and we are going to join my dear friend frances pezik for an excursion to new jersey for the big rummage sale. i love junking with my mom most of all!

9. wrote my loved ones postcards and letters. and i have lots of those.

10. eddie and i are going to see eachother in a few weeks for a beach vacation...much needed and much anticipated. i can't wait to go somewhere with him other than atlanta and new york. i miss my beloved. he is my only home.

11. chelsea cook tailored a vest of mine that was i've had in my closet but couldn't wear for a long time and i can't wait to wear it again! my word she is so talented. i get to fall asleep to her practicing her mandolin and wake up to her cooking some culinary treat for the day. i have the best wife ever!

12. my sweet manager made me third key at my store. its sort of assistant, assistant manager. and i sort of got it by default since i'm literally the last one in my store from the original hired team. everyone else left or moved to another store. but, i'm so excited for any sort of promotion. i want to make chris and bret proud. like the little engine that could. i love my company. this is where i've wanted to work my whole life.

13. the mouse in our house that fell from the cupboard and into a mini glass of water. chelsea and i collapsed in a fit of hysterical laughter onto the floor. what a new york experience!! we released this little cinderella mouse of a guy outside. and to quote chelsea,"lets let him out here, next to this restaurant so he can find food..." note to self, don't eat at the restaurant downstairs...

14. pete cooney and john gardner. just for being my boys.

spring awakening...4.12.08 gratitudes

1. warm weather that brings old friends out of hiding. i got haynes back from south america, corrie from the lower east side, and lauren and joshua from savannah.

2. walking on the streets of new york on my day off collecting my sweet friends at different points of the city like a band of gypsies.

3. breakfast with chelsea and haynes at 7A.

4. the union square farmers market on a friday.

5. corrie pellerin's amazing sparkly headband that she made me, her sweet magazine clipping, and the most perfect postcard of a little girl hand sewing, surrounded by her dolls.

6. the best customers a shopgirl could want...i had one brother/sister duo who were in the early 40s come in and paint my nails "poison blue" by Dior; grace's sweet mom alexis brought me tortilla soup; yolanta from la foccaccia brought us rosemary bread and cheese...the list goes on and on.

7. seeing the corner of w. 4th and bank bustling with people lounging at cafes and walking their dogs and taking their sweet babies to the park. it was a very bleak winter and the city has a heartbeat again.

8. the weird japanese restaurant on st. marks that mikey meyers took chelsea, lauren, and joshua to...we didn't actually eat the food but thoroughly enjoyed that they give you free shots of sugar to spin into cotton candy instead of after dinner mints!!!

9. seeing all of my friends wearing the army surplus shorts from work...so darling on my lady friends...absolutely hysterical on the boys at work!

10. lost my promise ring that i wore on one of my necklaces that eddie gave me years ago...and then found it on the sidewalk on my way back from dinner. such a good omen.

11. pinkberry just opened up in the east village. i'm in such trouble!

12. how much i look forward to work everyday. i love my coworker and my sweet managers and my darling clients and my three favorite ladies at the little marc store. we have a good time on our little island.

13. walking home at night and being absolutely mesmerized by the streets lined with powder white cherry blossoms. i am convinced they exploded all at once while i was sleeping.

14. walking to work with my chelsea, pete, or amy. they always seem to notice new details and nuances on our path that i manage to overlook.

15. amy merrick on the sartorialist. well deserved and a lovely photo by scott. my recreation really pales in comparison...

16. eddie's lawyerly responses defending me on a silly gossip website. i love him and i am so glad he is mine. people say our eyes sparkle when we are together, and i think that might be an understatement...

17. working overtime and loving every minute!