SOMETHING PAISLEY

Five things I love about the holidays: 1. Shopping so much and pretending I'm Santa 2. The endless amount of hugging 3. Opening presents 4. Seeing my cousins for three days in a row 5. Singing along to Christmas songs I'm snuggled in the living room with my Santa's Secret tea wearing the comfiest pair of socks I've ever owned and chatting with two of my best friends in the entire world. I feel like an old lady because of how exhausted I am from shopping, wrapping, chatting, and all of those other activities that come along with the holidays. Tomorrow marks the final day of celebration; the family comes over for Tyler's birthday. That also means I am soon to add cleaning to the list of exhausting tasks. Someone carry me to bed... I miss the city already and kind of wish I was in the Bronx sitting at my spot by the front window right now. It's weird how some place can become your home and then you just have to leave it behind. Saying goodbye to NYC was d...

I created my month long bucket list over a month ago, so it's safe to say that I'm not too great at bucket lists, but let's review: 1. Get tickets at the TKTS booth for a Broadway show. Okay, not completed yet, but Tyler and I are going over break for Christmas gifts, so I'm getting there with that one.. 2. Go ice skating at one (or all) of the outdoor rinks. I brought my ice skates back after Thanksgiving but have yet to go... Does anyone want to go ice skating? SOS. 3. See a movie at the Loews Theatre with reclining chairs. (check.. almost) Funny story about this one... On Thursday, Tess and I planned on going to see The Hunger Games at this theatre. I chose a movie time, met up with Tess, and we hiked it through the city in the below freezing temperatures.... towards the wrong theatre. TOTALLY my fault, I don't know how I managed that one. But it actually worked out well (I'll explain below) and we're going today, so that's soon to be che...

For the past two weeks or so I have been dying to write about my upcoming trip to Stonehill, but to keep the visit a surprise, I had to seal my lips. I decided to set up an interview for a possible part time internship at Lombardo's, a beautiful, family owned venue for corporate and social events (www.lombardos.com). It's about a 20 minute drive away from Stonehill, and would allow me to get a taste of the event planning world. Anyway, for fun, I decided to not tell my friends that I would be at school, and trekked through the snowy weather up north. Before heading to Massachusetts, I had to take a train upstate to get my car from Grandma (she's visiting her sister who just had knee surgery). So, Sunday night I arrived in Poughkeepsie, and met up with the pair to head back to Aunt Chickie's house for the night. Now, as I mentioned, she just had knee surgery, but I spent about 10 minutes at the train station trying to find them, because she kept climbing d...

It's actually really crazy how fast this internship flew by. I remember getting ready on my first day, putting on the outfit I chose the night before and overanalyzing every bit of it. I began my commute in flats but changed into heels before I even got off of the subway in case one of the staff saw me in flats (what?! Who cares!). I spent my first day working with Lisa Furman. Originally, she intimidated the crap out of me, but after getting to know her and working with her again during my internship, I learned that she has one of the biggest hearts. I remember getting assigned a locker in the bathroom and thinking I would never know half of the dresses on the main floor, let alone the dresses in the stock room. Over the summer, when I would tell people about my upcoming internship, they either asked if I was going to be on TV or totally judged me for going to work at a bridal salon. I guess it seems like something that would require no skill or benefit me in any way? Who know...

I'm not really sure where to begin recounting my last week from... I spent Thanksgiving weekend in Florida and it was a ton of fun as always. While the weather could have been a bit warmer, anything is better than the 30 degree winter weather here in the Bronx, so it was still enjoyable. On Thanksgiving, we golf carted over to Gram's sisters house and spent the day with that side of the family. Dinner was delicious and it was nice to sit and chat with everyone. I don't get to see them often, so it was nice to catch up. Also, I got second place in the Thanksgiving Day Scavenger Hunt (honorary first if you count my bonus point...). I lost to Mom, so I guess I'm okay with that... On Friday, Mom, Dad, Gram, Tyler and I went to spend the day in Epcot. So fun! We went on a few rides and then explored the different countries. That definitely did not lessen my travel bug, but that's besides the point. I had lunch in France and dinner in Italy, and peed in Japan, China, ...

You know, I thinks it's safe to say that we all take too many things for granted. Last night, while waiting at the airport to head to Florida, our flight was delayed, and of course I couldn't help being slightly annoyed. But really, looking back, I'm grateful for the fact that I'm even able to spend this holiday in Florida, surrounded by some of my favorite people in the world. I'm thankful for my family. I have the most supportive Mom and Dad in the universe who will accept me for whoever I become. You guys are my rocks and the reason I am who I am today. You both deserve endless thanks. To my brother, I'm thankful that you still love me even though my IQ is probably about half of yours. Thank you for the laughs and life lessons. Grandma, I couldn't be more thankful to have you as my soul shopper/partner in crime. I love you with my whole heart and couldn't ask for a better inspiration. And to Grandma and Grandfather, thank you for raising such a st...

So, my month long bucket list is coming along, slowly. I've only crossed one thing off, visiting the High Line at night, although as soon as I get back from Thanksgiving break, I have plans to cross off a few more. I've had the most fun and amazing past few days, and that only makes me more sad that this semester is coming to an end. Let's go for another list. 10 Things I will miss about living in the Bronx and being in the city: 1. You can't really ever be bored. Or at least you never have an excuse to be. 2. Public transportation makes for easy traveling when you're tired or drinking. 3. There is an endless amount of cool shops, restaurants, and places to discover. 4. Being able to see Tess and my Bronx family whenever I please. 5. I can go home at the drop of a dime. 6. You can wear whatever you want because no one will really judge you for it. 7. There is no such thing as an appropriate bed time. 8. While it gets exhausting, I pretty much play dress up ...

There are three things stopping me from having an emotional freak out right now: 1. Tomorrow night I'm going on a girl date with Tess. 2. Sunday night I get to see my long lost brother. 3. I am less than a week away from being in sunny Florida. Tonight, I got home from work at 8, and after going to the gym, I began cooking dinner a little after 10:15, which means after watching my veggies cook for 10 minutes, I decided I couldn't wait any longer. Needless to say, eating undercooked vegetables for dinner at 10:30 can put you in a pretty crappy mood. Now, I'm sitting here with my head in a turban, letting my hair dry a little before I finish it with the hairdryer and pass out. It's one of those nights where the little things are just getting to me. Anyway, on a more positive note, today was a great day at work! I was paired with Ellie, who I haven't been with in forever, so it was great to chit chat and catch up in the stock room while searching for dresses...

I haven't blogged for days, and I'm pretty sure Mom will start to resent me if I miss another post... On the bright side, that means I've been super busy and haven't sat around on my butt long enough to write. The past few days at Kleinfeld have been great! I worked with Rosaria again and ended up choosing the dress that the bride said "yes" to, which is always so rewarding! Our bride, Nora, was getting married on the beach in Punta Cana and used the words "hippy" and "bohemian" to describe the style she was going for. I immediately thought of this beautiful dress by Temperley that I want my roommate to get married in (maybe one day) and showed it to Rosaria. She had never seen the gown before and thought I was kind of crazy, but allowed me to pull it anyway. After trying on a few other gowns, we put Nora in the Temperley, and she instantly fell in love. The dress is so pretty and bohemian and absolutely perfect to wear barefoot on the be...

I'm relieved to say I had a totally normal day at work! I was placed with Rosaria, an older Italian woman that acts like a mom to many of the staff members, and our slots were all filled with level headed brides. That's a pretty rare day, but I was glad to take it! Kleinfeld has Hayley Paige in for a trunk show today and Thursday. She's a hip, young designer that makes some of the coolest gowns I have ever seen! Her new collection isn't online yet, so it's fun to have the dresses in the store, and we're able to guarantee the brides that they're the only ones with the gown! Anyway, after work, Tess and I headed to Sushi Damo, which is right outside of Columbus Circle, for a dinner date. It was my second time ever having sushi, and Tess' first, so we knew it was bound to be an interesting experience. Based on some suggestions from Terry, the Fashion Director at Kleinfeld, we ordered spicy tuna rolls (my favorite), eel avocado rolls, and Philadelphia roll...

I'm really having a hard time accepting that it's almost halfway through November already. I feel like time goes too fast when you don't want it to... But, on the bright side, I'm so excited for the holidays and to be in the city when everything starts to get decorated! Here's a mini bucket list that I have about a month to complete. Who wants to join?! 1. Get tickets at the TKTS booth for a Broadway show. 2. Go ice skating at one (or all) of the outdoor rinks. 3. See a movie at the Loews Theatre with reclining chairs. 4. Visit the High Line at night. 5. Shop the outdoor Christmas markets and buy pretty presents. 6. Walk through "The Mall" area in Central Park when there's snow on the trees. 7. Visit the Bronx Botanical Gardens to see the train show. 8. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge. 9. Museum hop. 10. See the tree all lit up and pretty. Anyway, Saturday at work was chaos! I was placed to work with Judith, who I haven't been with in a long ...

What is better than free food and wine? Nothing... Nothing at all. Last night, Ronnie and Mara, the owners of Kleinfeld, treated the interns out to dinner at Sambuca, a restaurant and wine bar right outside of Central Park (www.sambucanyc.com). The meal was four courses, and couldn't have been more delicious. Everything was served family style. The interns all squeezed onto one table, and there were three other tables filled with Kleinfeld staff. Course one consisted of salad, bruschetta, baked clams, and fried calamari. Tess and I decided that we had to try the clams and calamari (neither of us had ever had it) and it was actually really tasty! Course two was Penne alla Vodka and spaghetti with meatballs, followed by veal parmesan and chicken and sausage for meal three. Dessert was amazing, as I'm sure you could imagine. We had cannolis, tiramisu, and tartufo. It was so much fun to sit and chat with all of the interns; we never really get a chance to do so! Today at work I...

With every day that goes by, I get more and more bummed that my semester in the city is almost over! This is honestly the best thing I have ever done, and I couldn't be any more grateful for the opportunity. I can't wait to graduate and live in the city for real. Yesterday, I had the most perfect, adventurous day! My friend, Brett, came into the city and we headed to Central Park. I love showing off the coolest and prettiest places there: the Belvedere Castle, the whispering bench, and Bethesda Fountain... If I was in the city over the summer, I can guarantee I would be there picnicking for lunch every day. It looks amazing now, though, with all of the trees turning different colors. After walking around for hours and miles, Brett and I decided we were really hungry. I'd say I was forced into trying sushi, but I guess I was sort of willing. I don't eat fish, and hate it based on the smell, so needless to say, I was really nervous. Anyway, I ended up LOVING it, and n...

Happy November! I cannot believe this fall has gone by so fast! It really feels like summer ended a month ago, yet I have been living in NYC for over two months already, and only have a month and a half left... Where does the time go? My week has been pretty busy, and I'm sure that my extreme exhaustion has made it seem more intense. Last night, I went to see the Lion King on Broadway with Cynthia, Jackie, and Grace, and I can't even explain how amazing it was! I've been wanting to see the show forever, and am so glad that I finally got the chance. We made it with seconds to spare (Cynthia had the tickets and was stuck in traffic), but after sprinting up the stairs, we made it to our seats just in time to see the animals walking down the aisle in the beginning. The performers were all so great and I can't believe how much they were able to accomplish on a single stage. Work hasn't been too crazy, although of course I have a story to share... The other day, I was...

I'm pretty sure that I'm currently the sleepiest girl in the world. After living on an old person schedule for a solid month and having early bed times, I'm still trying to recuperate from my eventful weekend. A whole day of napping and sitting around is necessary, but who knows when that will be... Friday night, Jackie, Grace, and I decided to be adventurous and go to the "President's Ball" at Fordham, which was pretty much a semi-formal. I was up too late on Thursday, so I was extra exhausted all day Friday, but decided to go anyway. I ate too much free food and danced until my knee felt like it was broken, but we had so much fun and it was definitely worth it. Saturday night, after work, a bunch of people were over the house for Raul's belated birthday celebration. I had a friend over as well, and once again, I stayed up too late for my own good. Sunday, I was in charge of cooking common dinner for everyone in the house, and I have to say it turned ou...

From bed at 6 AM, I am writing this to share the cutest proposal story ever... Our bride, Cara, worked as a writer for a magazine (I believe) and often had to meet up with a man in her field to discuss work. One night, a few too many drinks caused one thing to lead to another... Anyway, this guy (Rob) ended up asking Cara out on a date and four days later they met up for dinner. At this date, Rob handed Cara a letter in a sealed envelope and made her promise to bring it everywhere with her, but not open it until she was told to. So, everywhere Cara went, the letter went. Cara and Rob took photos with the letter on vacations, brought it to dinners, etc. For a while, Cara thought the letter was going to be a cheesy way for Rob to say I love you. Well, after about a year and a half, Cara and Rob and the letter went on vacation somewhere pretty (I can't remember) and when Cara got home, she realized the letter didn't come home with her. Hysterical, Cara called the hotel, the ai...

While on the treadmill tonight, I was trying really hard to think of a single, clever adjective that would perfectly describe my day. I failed and decided on settling with saying that my day was anything short of boring. Well, with some exceptions anyway. This morning, I was placed to work with Erika, who I have only been with for one appointment a few weeks ago. Our first appointment was pretty uneventful, but our bride was so nice and funny, and her family members were as well. She was looking for a dress within the $2,000 to $3,000 range, and left saying she needed to think about making the commitment to a Dina Davos dress. I guess we can consider my second appointment to be boring, because I can't even remember it. Oh, also, Seth Meyers was at Kleinfeld today. That literally means nothing to me, considering I had to Google who he is, but I'm sure there are some people who find that exciting. For those of you who don't know, Seth Meyers is a writer for Saturday Night...

While I haven't written in a few days, I've been so super busy! Saturday and Sunday were both normal days at work, as far as I can remember, and I left from Kleinfeld to Penn Station Sunday after work for a quick trip home. I didn't have another long weekend, but an early morning doctors appointment on Monday made the trip necessary. The train ride home was uneventful and I had a calzone at dinner which I only regretted about twenty minutes after inhaling it. But man, it was good. Home wasn't too exciting. After waiting an hour to get called into my doctors appointment, I met up with mom at the mall and spent some money I should have saved. It's pretty impossible not to shop on occasion though, so I would say it was worth it! We had lunch at California Pizza Kitchen, and then I spent the rest of the afternoon in the sun. I love this wonderful fall weather and wish I wasn't inside at work all the time! I caught a 4:48 train from Ronkonkoma and headed back int...

Today was the day of big, beautiful rings. Each of our four brides today had huge rocks on their fingers, and were all so unique! I spent a good 20 minutes when I got home looking at engagement rings online, then decided my future fiancée really has a tough decision ahead. Anyway, I still have a few years before I need to worry about that. This morning, I woke up early and headed into Manhattan to do some food shopping at Trader Joe's before work. I found this yummy looking pumpkin butter, and I'm excited to try it with breakfast tomorrow morning! At work, Nicole gave us a say on who we were going to be paired with for the day (with some restriction) and I volunteered to work with Renee, since I noticed she was with a bride who we had the last time I worked with her. The bride, who we'll call Jenna (I can't remember what I named her last time) had selected a simple Pnina gown when she came about a month ago, but returned to Kleinfeld with a few doubts in her mind. S...

Thursdays are the new Mondays, who knew? I don't think I will ever get used to beginning the long work stretch on a Thursday and working through the weekends. Hopefully I won't have to once I get into the real world... This morning, I somehow managed to drag myself out of bed, which was seemingly impossible, and got ready for my Monday. After getting to work early, chatting with a few of the interns about life, and sitting in on a morning meeting being filmed, I was paired to work with Jacqueline again, and I have no complaints about it! I really enjoy working with her. To be honest, the day was kind of a blur. Our first bride was from Sweden and left empty handed, despite the fact that her wedding is in April, so she technically should have ordered a dress back in August. She came in with a picture of a long sleeve lace dress with a bateau neckline and has been unable to find anything that came close. I don't even know, actually, if that was our first bride or our seco...

Yesterday, I had Mom and Dad in the city to celebrate their 24th anniversary! It was a great day; after they arrived around noon, I showed Dad around my Bronx home, and we walked to the D train to head into Manhattan. First, I brought them to David's Tea (of course) and they were much better at deciding the flavor they wanted than I usually am. I tried a hot Oh Canada, mom had a hot Mom's Apple Pie, and Dad got an iced Lime Gelato (it tasted EXACTLY like a lime gelato). I also got some loose Guava Cadabra to go, and there's now a huge pitcher of it in my fridge. We spent the afternoon exploring Chelsea Market and The Highline (truly my favorite places in the city), and found a really awesome art show in the process that was promoting local NYC artists. I fell absolutely in love with one girl who looked like she was straight out of Gossip girl. She had a bunch of really cute paintings on note cards and bigger canvases, and I ended up emptying part of my bank account for so...

As if the title of this post doesn't tell it all, I'm totally becoming a bridal snob. I analyze every wedding ring I see, every dress a woman wears on her day, and critique every adorable wedding engagement video I see on YouTube and Facebook. I'm just saying, if I get proposed to with a boring ring..... Anyway, I just finished breakfast with a banana that wasn't ripe enough and am waiting for Mom and Dad to get their butts up to the Bronx! It's their 24th year anniversary today and they took off of work to come spend the day! Dad hasn't seen my Bronx home yet, since he didn't come to move me in, and neither of the pair have been to the city with me, so I'm really excited! Being able to spend the day with their daughter is a good enough present, right? ;) Yesterday was a total chill day for me. Afer getting back to the Bronx around 5:30 PM, I just straightened up my room and relaxed until Grace came back from MA and we chatted for a while. I love gir...

Happy Friday! I wish I were able to request more hours in the day today. I got back to the Bronx from work tonight, worked out, gathered laundry, and put my dinner in the oven, and now it's almost 9 o'clock. My dinner is still cooking, my laundry is in the dryer, I still need to shower, and I certainly would love to sit down with a glass of wine and watch some TV. Three extra hours, please! When I woke up this morning, I consulted weather.com and it advised me to wear rain boots and dress for colder weather. I put on the most comfortable, appropriate outfit I could think of for work, as well as my rain boots again, and headed outside into a rather comfortable temperature. The rain boots were unnecessary for the second time in a row, but I know the day I don't wear them it will be pouring. I got into Manhattan really early, so I stopped at Trader Joe's and did some much needed food shopping. I made my own tea again this morning, so I wonder if my tea friend was missi...

I should never have purchased the pumpkin ice cream from Trader Joe's because now I cannot stop eating it. Plop some on a GF waffle with cinnamon and try to stop, I dare you. Yesterday, I really did nothing. I wish I could say I had an exciting day, because I'm in the city and should do exciting things, but I sat in my favorite spot in the living room by the front window and watched too many TV episodes on Netflix. I started to regret it around 4:30 when I realized I did nothing with my day and had two hours until class, but at that point it was too late to do anything different anyway. Oh well! Relaxing was great and class was interesting. This morning, I woke up extra early, made myself tea, breakfast, and another breakfast for tomorrow. I'd say I was rather productive. Since it was gloomy out and rain was on the forecast, I sported my rain boots, coat, and bubble umbrella to the bus stop (it ended up not raining, but at least I was prepared...). I was paired to work ...

Dinner at nine o'clock is better than no dinner at all! Today I experienced one of Kleinfeld's Blowout Sales, where brides line up to get numbers and we open up the store to sell sample dresses at a crazy discount. Based on Kleinfeld's twitter, the first bride was in line by 6:45 this morning, and the sale started at three. I guess she really wanted a wedding dress. I woke up this morning, brought caramel apple bites to my "people" at my summer job, and headed to Ronkonkoma to catch a noon train into Penn. After stopping at David's Tea for an iced Guava Cadabra (one of my favorites), I got to Kleinfeld just on time. It was weird seeing the store ready for the sale; the floor that is usually filled with mirrors and couches was filled with rows of dresses in bags with red price tags on them. We started a few minutes before 3 and were all prepped for craziness. My job, as an intern, was basically to bring brides to the room of the consultant they would be wit...

I'm sitting in one of my favorite spots (my back porch) and wondering how much longer I'll last here until this crazy wind blows me away. Two umbrellas have already taken the fall, along with one patio chair, and my dogs Frisbee came flying back and almost hit me in the face. It's a bit much, but I wouldn't trade this spot for anything in the world right now... Except maybe a nice tropical beach. Anyway, work has been good the past few days, and I took off yesterday so I could head home for a mini visit. I got here Saturday night, ate a piece of steak for the first time in forever, and stayed up way too late. On Sunday morning, I woke up early and had breakfast at Crazy Beans with my best friend and part time soul mate, Amanda. Crazy Beans is the cutest little café a few minutes away that serves breakfast and lunch and the most delicious frappuccinos you could imagine. I traded my usual chocolate peanut butter iced frap for a caramel apple pie latte (which put me into...

Red Jacket Orchards Apple Cider. Have it and you will never want to drink anything else, ever. Holy cow... Now all I need are sweet potato pancakes and Dad's peanut butter cinnamon mix. It's really feeling like fall! This morning, I made a rare, quick decision on my tea for the day, and went for Pumpkin Chai, since I've been thinking about it for a while. It was really tasty, but I did feel like I wanted to stir it with a cinnamon stick or something for a warmer flavor. I also bought one of the dark chocolate and flax breakfast cookies, which is becoming an addiction as well, and convinced another tea drinker to try it... That should mean a free tea for me again, right? Today, I was paired to work with Barbara, who I haven't been with before. The day was pretty bland, to be honest, but Barbara only stays until 5, so I got to get out after only four appointments! That was a nice treat. None of our appointments said "yes" to a dress; they all had lower budge...

Today, I'm going to share a few Bronx-based lessons: 1. Whether you need to shower, didn't do your makeup, or are wearing the same shirt you slept in, someone will always call you "sexy mami." So don't worry about your appearance. No need. 2. If you aren't watching out for poop, you will step in it. A fine does not deter everyone from letting their dog shit on the sidewalk. 3. When you help someone out, even in the smallest way, they will send you off with a "God bless" and one of the warmest smiles. 4. If you don't have a Metrocard or don't want to pay for the bus, use the Select Bus. There are too many prepaid people boarding to notice. This morning, I woke up early, despite the fact that I didn't set an alarm, and did some much needed straightening up in my room. After working out, I headed downstairs to make breakfast, and ended up chatting with Camelia for a while. She noticed that I sprayed my pan with coconut oil, so my veg...

Today ended up being a really great day at work. I was exhausted, needless to say, but I managed to wake up early enough to stop at David's Tea. Because there are too many flavors there and I'm awful at making decisions, I always ask the workers to help me decide. During our decision making conversation, the man helping me pulled out two teas for me to smell, and I laughed, telling him that those were the exact two teas that I got during my two visits to David's yesterday. After choosing a guava flavored one, and asking for it iced, the worker told me the tea was on him today... How nice! Anyway, Angel Sanchez is at Kleinfeld this week for his trunk show, and we learned about a few of his gowns at this mornings project knowledge meeting. He began his career as an architect which is very apparent in the design of each gown. I was placed to work with Ingrid, who I have never been with before, and what a hectic morning it was. Ingrid was asked to show up early this morning...

I never thought I would be able to stand for so many hours in a row, ever. I'm getting really good at it, too! Today turned out to be a really awesome day! I woke up at 6 o'clock to get ready and meet a "new friend," Alyssa, at Penn Station. Our parents are friends and my Dad mentioned that she would love the chance to visit Kleinfeld one day... so the chance I gave! After finding and meeting each other, Alyssa and I started walking towards work on 20th Street in search for breakfast. We played it safe with Panera, and I ordered the trusty four cheese egg soufflé with a yogurt parfait. Over breakfast, Alyssa and I chatted about our lives and she was awesome! I'm so glad to have made a new friend. I introduced her to David's Tea, too, and I think she's as in love as I am. Anyway, we made it to Kleinfeld by 10, ready for a day of filming the opening of "Say Yes To the Dress," as well as other fluff for the next season that will air around Sprin...