Friendship. What does it mean to you?

“Later that day I got to thinking about relationships. There are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up lots of questions, those that bring you somewhere unexpected, those that bring you far from where you started, and those that bring you back. But the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous.” --Carrie Bradshaw

I had a weekend full of friends. My friends, Tom's friends, our friends. Old friends, best friends, long-lost friends. I haven't had a weekend like this in a long, long time. It made me truly appreciate the relationships I have in my life... with my friends (who are all so amazing in their own way) and with tt (he was right along there with me the whole time, which if you know anything about me and past relationships, is super important to me).

1. Friday Night: had a little happy hour beverage with my bestie which led to an impromptu double date with the boys. We had apps and sushi, sake bombs, and lots and lots of drinks. Me and my bestie got to act up a little, the boys tried to keep us in line... but all in all, it really ended up being a fantastic night. 
2. Saturday Night: a reunion with a LONG lost friend. (we realized it has been.... eight years since we last saw each other?!!!). After a little direction disaster.. aka I got horrifically lost.. I finally made my way to Milford and we had a fab little dinner. - if you are a CT person, go to Stonebridge in Milford, CT. It's on the water and delightful. Unfortunately they were PACKED and so our reservation was for a booth in the bar, not along the windows, but that didn't matter, it was a great spot. We chatted, had a few 'tinis, and a fantabulous dessert. Def need to make this a reoccurring thing- more frequent than eight years in the making!
3. Sunday Night: ended up going over to tt's friends house for a little cookout after the boys went golfing. Haven't seen these guys in a while and it was super fun (with delish steaks!) Even though I have a lot to do tonight and need to leave super early in the AM to go to Boston, I'm glad I met up because it was a nice little evening. 

What does friendship mean to you? To me, it means just that- exciting, challenging, and significant. It's about finding people to love you for all that means...the good, the bad, and the ugly. And it truly IS fabulous. I am so lucky to have such beautiful people in my life. ((and a special shout out to the Laverne to my Shirley on her engagement today !!!! So happy for you both and I love you so ))

Recipe of the Day:

Lemon Marscapone Cake

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Laugh much, cook often, and always wear stilettos

xoXO ~ Coleen

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My newest love affair

I have been horrible about posting lately and I want to apologize. Last week was a rough one. And this week, I have been crazy busy. We started back on our health kick, however, so hopefully I will be coming up with some super fabulous recipes to share! (that being said, today's recipe is not one I have yet made... but one I definitely want to, stat.)

Today I want to share with my little blog world, my newest discovery. People (all seven of you...), get ready for this.... mason jars. Holy Hannah, are these things amazing. Let me tell you. I have been bringing my lunch in mason jars all week. Sunday night, made my salad- stuffed the whole thing in there (you can fit a TON in), didn't eat it on Monday due to a forgotten lunch celebration, and then had it on Tuesday. You never would have guessed it was made on Sunday due to the fact that these little babes are airtight. Items can be stacked inside, layered if you will (and they actually look pretty once they are put together). You can always tell what is in them. They are dish-washer safe and won't scratch (they will, however, break if you drop them since they are glass). Not to mention they are a complete conversation starter and you look wicked cool walking around with your lunch in mason jars. Well... at least I feel like I do.

Last night, we had a photo shoot (obvs).  Here, you can see how this could potentially make lunch exciting (both the act of making your lunch, and the fact that you brought your lunch and are not enjoying the beautifully sunny 70 degree day...)

I really am living a changed life since I made this purchase from Walmart (gross) on Sunday. tt doesn't share my enthusiasm, as he was the butt of a few jokes on Monday when he brought his into work. Poor little bugger. 

(Dedicated to.... a certain someone who loves to read this blog so very much and just couldn't wait for my post about my mason jars because she is jealous of my super fabulous lunches that I bring from home)

Recipe of the day:

Mushroom Stuffed Chicken

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Laugh much, cook often, and always wear stilettos

xoXO ~ Coleen

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Love that dirty water

United we Stand | Prayers for Boston, MA

I was there.

And I'm not saying that in a "OMG I was there when it happened" kind of way- I literally mean, I was there.  Literally a few blocks down the road.... And it's just starting to sink in. Let me start this off by saying that there are no words for the inhumane, selfless acts that ensued yesterday in Boston. There are no words for how physically sick to my stomach this makes me. And there are no words for how united this city really is- and how everyone has joined together through such a horrific tragedy, on such a wonderful, celebrated day in such a wonderful, celebrated City. And so my story begins...

It was the perfect day. The sun was shining, clouds were in and out, and the temperature was a crisp 55 degrees. Beautiful. Situated just before the mile 17 marker, outside of "the club", we were ready with our sign, to cheer our Texan friends on. 

Both of them were complete ROCKSTARS!!! Claudio finished in 2:55:36 at 12:56 pm and Pam finished 3:31:08 at 1:52 pm- seriously, they are absolutely amazing. And thank God for that, because they finished their races, met up, and headed to their hotel before the day took a turn for the worst. 

After we saw Pam run by, we had lunch and a beverage, and made a game plan. We'd take the T into the city, do a little shopping on Newbury Street, and then see where the afternoon took us before dinner reservations and meeting up with Pam & Claudio. 

The T was pretty busy, because the Sox game had just let out. We got off at Hynes, and headed left towards Newbury St. We stopped in Patagonia to buy a fleece, and time stamped the receipt at 3:04 pm. When we left the store and tried to start walking down Newbury, police were beginning to divert everyone the other direction, and around the corner. The first police officer said "there's nothing to see here" - the second said "walk briskly, folks... there may be more" --There may be more? There may be more WHAT?!-- 

At this point, we were starting to put things together. The buzz had started with the other bystanders around us. There was an explosion. At the finish line. A second explosion. Blood everywhere. Limbs flying. Terrorist attack. People dying. All we could think of was we needed to get out of the city. Get us the F out of this city. 

I called Tom, I called my mother. Neither had heard what was going on. Found out that my BFFs husband and brother who was volunteering were both safe and accounted for. Text messages and phone calls started coming in like crazy- although that only lasted for so long before the networks got bogged down with activity (and ultimately cell service was shut off completely to prevent remote detonation of any additional bombs). 

We just started walking. Walking as far away as we possibly could. We walked and walked and walked. What else was there to do? We didn't have a car, and couldn't get back on the T. We kept our eyes peeled for a cab, but the chances of that were slim to none too. Somehow as we passed the crazy frat houses (complete with frat boys sitting outside on leather couches?!) a van pulls up next to us. A girl gets out of the taxi and grabs a suitcase from the trunk. The cabbie tells us just how lucky we are to have found him, and we don't disagree. Freedom. 

To put it into perspective, here is a map of Newbury Street. 

Black stars are where I was- Orange star is appx where the explosions occurred. Proximity is pretty close if you ask me, but the scariest part is the timing. Honestly, had we not decided to head left towards Newbury, and followed the crowd down Boyleston when we got off the T, we would have been walking straight into the explosions. We were in the store for maybe 10 minutes...and checked out at 3:04 pm - the first bomb went off at 3:00. 

Whoever was watching over me yesterday, thank you. I have {at least one} guardian angel- I have always known this. And I have definitely made it out of my share of scary situations practically unscathed. I will never take for granted how lucky I am. For my own well-being, but also for those I love. And my love, thoughts, and prayers go out to those families who have been affected by this horrible tragedy. Especially to the family of that precious little boy. Hug your family and friends and tell them you love them. Life is fragile, and way shorter than you think it is. 

And when they find the son of a bitch who did this.... well, let's just say that I hope that he is not lucky in any way shape or form. 

Love that dirty water. Boston, you're my home. xoXO

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Laugh much, cook often, and always wear stilettos

xoXO ~ Coleen

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What's in your wallet?

Now, that's a loaded question if I ever heard one. For me, right now, it's full of receipts. Particularly from Target. And now comes confession time...

When I have somewhere to go {cue: Marathon Monday} and I need an outfit {um, hello, change of seasons} I can't stop until I get enough. My sister shares this weird OCD-like symptom with me, as does she share much of my cRaZy. The saddest part is that I literally have been losing sleep about this.

• Trip last night included salmon boyfriend chinos, a sleeveless shirt, and white shrug sweater {debit}
• Got home, hated it all. Actually, that's a lie. I liked the pants, but the juniors size did not like me. Returned to the store, returned the clothes {credit}
• Re-entered the juniors section and perused. Picked the next size up of the pants, found a denim blazer, 2 dresses, and a pair of flats-weird, I know. Tried everything on, bought everything in my cart {debit}
• Got to the house, and started trying things on again... was shocked into the reality that the pants are WAY too small (did I expand in the 5 minutes that it took me to get from Target to my house? No, I am just STILL too curvy to wear juniors pants) and I then determined that I hate the denim blazer. {credit pending}
• The good news is, I have 2 outfits that I am currently between, and a pair of ab-fab flats that I am just abslutely psyched about. Score!

Outfit 1- A grey jersey maxi dress with my white cotton cropped jacket. Love this dress, it literally feels like you are wrapped in jersey sheets straight out of the dryer. I have this great spring jacket- structured, 3/4 sleeves, and crisp white cotton.

Outfit 2- A pink polka-dotted hi-lo (although the high is on the sides- super cute!) with a jean jacket. A little more cutesy, not quite as comfy. And of course, I can't find a picture of it. Trust me, it's girly and flirty and peachy-keen. Forecast says 60 and sunny, so either way I think I'm good.

Either way, regardless of outfit, I am definitely wearing these babies:

and yes I realize I will be mixing patterns. Do I care? Really? Do I?

And now, Tuesday is over... and it's on to HUMP DAY.
tt is home and it's time for some QT before bed! xoXO

Recipe of the Day:

Fettuccinne Alfredo {single serve}

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Laugh much, cook often, and always wear stilettos

xoXO ~ Coleen

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These are a few of my favorite things {March 2013 Edition}

It's that time again!! Time for my favorite things, which I know you have been just been on the edge of your seat waiting for. Wait no longer. Here we go.

March:

1. Rockaholic "Dirty Secret" dry shampoo by TIGI - If you know anything about me, you know that I hate washing my hair. This is my dirty secret. I tried the Tresseme brand when it first came out and hated it. I thought I was destined for greasy hair if I wanted to not wash it daily. Then I stumbled across this. The bright lime green top is what actually caught my attention. I bought it and fell in love. This stuff is the cat's meow. (Literally as I am writing this, I am sitting here with 3rd day hair) I highly recommend it. The difference between this and the Tresseme one is that this doesn't make your hair hard, and there isn't as much white residue left. Fantastic. 
2. Loreal Sublime Bronze tinted tanning lotion - This isn't a new thing for March, but now that it's getting to be springtime, it's time to start showing some skin. I'm entirely too pasty on a normal day, but right after the winter? Forget it. I need some color, and this is just the product. Honestly, you mix it like half and half in your hand with regular lotion, and it goes on practically streak free. Love it! 
3. Couch to 5k program - This also isn't 100% new for March.. well it was in March of 2012 when I thought maybe I'd start running and then gave up. Now that I have an actual 5k on the calendar (June 8th - woo!) I need to get my little toosh in gear. This is the perfect program for a beginner, and really will get you prepared. It's a 9 week program that slowly ramps you up, even if you are starting from literally the couch (like I have been!) I'm finishing up week 2 and feeling really confident about June!

Of all time:

1. Ok I am seriously going to blow your mind in a second. I am going to share a beauty secret with you, only because I heart you lovelies so much. Brace yourselves. So, one of my fave things to do, obvs, is happy hour. One of my least fave things to do is to lug my makeup back and forth to work (and who likes to reapply makeup anyway?!). I keep a black and a white eyeliner in my wallet, and always have Evian Facial Spray in my bag. This refreshing, mist of mineral water 100% freshens you up in just a spritz. Literally, you mist it on, dab with a tissue if there is anything leftover, and look at what it does to your face. (Example: when we were in Orlando for work, we had a banquet one of the nights after training all day. They literally gave us like an hour in between so there was limited time to freshen up for the night's events. I used the Evian spray, and reapplied my eyeliner, and walked out of my room. One of my coworkers commented on how fast I was able to re-do my make up!) BONUS: Yes, I said I always have a white eyeliner on me. If you use it on your lower waterline, it brightens up your eyes like you wouldn't believe! This is a great look for daytime, of course I use the black to sexy it up at night. 
2. Postsecret.com - I absolutely love what this guy has done. I think it is such a great initiative, such a wonderful outlet for people to share things about themselves. Every Sunday I jump on the website, and always think to myself how gutsy it is to actually send in a secret. How amazing it probably is to read your on secret on the site and say "hot damn, I feel so much better having it out there" - even if no one knows it's you. I always wonder if the people referenced in the secrets know that it's about them. I don't know if I ever could actually submit one, but I never get tired of reading them. 
3. Isle of Luxe "Glowing Body Polish" - I got this as a gift, and judging by the scent options I am 99% positive I have unscented (even though it still has a delightfully clean, fresh smell to it). This was on recommendation from my uncle, that this stuff is the best ever. And honestly, it is. It's a salt scrub, that leaves your skin exfoliated, moisturized, and so soft. Just trust me on this one. It's worth the money.

Recipe of the Day:

Spiced Scallop-Zucchini Kebabs

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Laugh much, cook often, and always wear stilettos

xoXO ~ Coleen

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Tuesday blues

To quote the infamous Clinton Kelly... Today sucked out loud (sorry mum)

At least I'm ending it with a new, fancy blog! What do you think?!!!

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Laugh much, cook often, and always wear stilettos

xoXO ~ Coleen

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