Archives for May 2012

Memorial Day Weekend in Maine

May 31, 2012

Guys! HEY!

I feel like I haven’t been on this space in FOREVER.

Here are the reasons:

1) School is CRAY-ZY.

2) I’ve been sick. Sore-throat-achy-body-sick. And it hasn’t been fun.

And because school is crazy and the end of the year is coming close, I haven’t been able to take a proper sick day to rest myself back to health. Instead I’ve just been hammering down Dayquil and spending my afternoons face down on my couch. SO awesome.

I know how I got sick in the first place if you’re all wondering. I spent the weekend with my college friends pretending I was in college again. You know, day drinking turned into night drinking and the like. Oh, so wonderfully glorious.

You remember those days don’t you?

I myself often still feel like I’m 22. Pretty much every. single. day.

It completely boggles my mind that I’m 28 years old. There’s this quote from Grey’s Anatomy that I’ll always remember and love: “We’re adults. When did that happen and how do we make it stop?”

So good, right? And so true. When did that happen? And how DO we make it stop?

I’d like to hope that I’ll feel young at heart forever.

Except for the beginning of this week when I officially felt OLD for getting a legitimate sickness because I was acting like I was 22 when I actually am quite far from 22.

Whatever.

It was totally worth it.

It was my dear friend Ali’s bachelorette weekend in Maine. You remember she’s the one who lives in New Zealand? The weekend was perfect. Saturday night was reserved just for the college friends to catch up and be together. We dressed up and went out to dinner at a fancy and delicious mexican restaurant in downtown Portland. I love a good enchilada and this place had it. Then, on Sunday we hit up the Portland Sea Dogs game and then headed out to Peaks Island on the ferry for dinner. We ended the night in our friend’s garage playing flip cup to 80s jams. Nothing better, I tell you. NOTHING BETTER.

What can I say? WE BE LOVIN’ STRIPES.

And the weather? It was a little bit chilly at night, but absolutely gorgeous during the afternoons. Fingers crossed the weather’s similar for Ali’s big day NEXT Saturday!

And if you’re wondering if I’ll be pretending I’m 22 again, you better believe it.

What better a time to act young and carefree than with the people you were once young and carefree with?

I live for these kinds of weekends.

And what a way to kick start summer!

15 Comments · Filed Under: friends, summer, travel ·

the great googa mooga: a recap.

May 25, 2012

So if you’re the type to look at the glass as half-empty, you might have said that the first day of The Great Googa Mooga was a big flop. The biggest issue of all was the horrendous lines and TOO MANY PEOPLE. It was built up as a food and music festival (with an emphasis on the food) so many people went hungry figuring they’d just eat when they arrived. Well, it turned out the line for a grilled cheese was close to an hour and a half wait. And the other vendors were similar or worse. GROSS.

Cell phone service was also horrible and getting in touch with friends was next to impossible, so I’m thankful we all arrived together and designated a picnic table as our “home base” right from the start.

And yeah, I might have waited in line far too long to pay $12 for 4 bottles of water (gotta stay hydrated, people!), only to arrive back to “home base” with the rest of my crew more than ready to hightail it outta there. “BUT I JUST STOOD IN LINE FOR 45 MINUTES AND BOUGHT TWELVE DOLLARS WORTH OF WATER WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU WANT TO LEAVE??????? But the reason was legit. The baby was too hot (Bailey brought Luke!) and everyone had pretty much had it with the lines and crowds.

We had no idea it was going to be such a crazytown. Literally, CHAOS!

So sadly, The Great Googa Mooga ended up technically being a great big disappointment.

BUT honestly friends, has the glass really ever been half empty for me? I think not.

Let’s review some things I took away from the Googa, half-full style, should you ever decide to go yourself:

1. First of all, you must go to the festival with your friends. And stoop sitting with your besties is ESSENTIAL.

If you’re going to be in Brooklyn, then you better do some stoop sitting. And while you’re on the stoop, you might as well take some pictures. DO IT! You will not regret it. This I am sure.

2. Take photos while you’re at the Googa Mooga.

I found it was the perfect place for instagramming. TONS of interesting shots and tons of great people watching. Also, the day’s weather was to die for.

When you’re waiting in line for food? Take pictures.

Getting angry that the beer and water line are together and taking FOREVER? Take pictures.

Taking pictures is ALWAYS the answer. The fact that I was getting sweet pics was making the chaos so much more bearable. This is truth.

3. BABY’S FIRST DIVE BAR!

Drink beer at a bar until you feel better about the Googa fail. Three bevy’s should do the trick. Drink and laugh and just be yourself with your friends. Love on the new baby and love on each other. You are together, after all!

4. Love it up in Brooklyn.

Get excited when you come to the Soldiers and Sailors Arch at Grand Army Plaza and take a picture. Stop by Barn for wine and a cheese plate. Eat Thai food at Song and have a little more wine for good measure. Eat drink and be merry. Raise your glass to a great day.

5) Cheers to good conversations and happy times and sleepovers.

Cheers to keeping in touch.

Cheers to friendship that lasts.

Cheers to a day well spent with people that you love.

Cheers to Googa Mooga weekend 2012. ♥

9 Comments · Filed Under: friends, life, travel ·

the one and only coney.

May 24, 2012

Yesssss.

Coney Island!

I’ve always heard about this place, but this past weekend was my first actual visit, and what a perfect time it was.

First off, there was hot dog eating. Gloooorious.

Coney Island is home to the World’s Famous Nathan’s Hot Dogs and even better, the International Hot Dog Eating Contest. Meaning, people come from all over the world to just stuff these hot dogs in their face. No shame, NO SHAME.

I myself had one and I’m strictly a mustard girl. Call me boring, but I like to keep things simple. Sharon went for the sauerkraut and Beck opted out of this adventure. She missed out, right?! You can’t tell me a hunk of pork isn’t totally worth it every once in a while. Because oh, it is.

Yeah, that hot dog tasted real good.

DELICIOUS.

After that we explored the boardwalk and carnival rides. We even took a whirl on the Tilt-A-Whirl. I can’t even put words to how much fun it was. I felt like I was 10 again and it was the most amazing carefree feeling I’ve felt in a long time. We laughed so hard we cried. And we screamed like there was no tomorrow. And then we laughed some more. I got that incredible roller coaster feeling– you know the one where you feel like you’re flying and your stomach does flips flops? I LOVE that feeling. To me there is no better feeling in the world.

After that we did the photo booth and I desperately wanted to ride the Wonderwheel, but it was closed for maintenance. Better safe than sorry, I guess, so instead there was walking on the beach and dancing on the boardwalk…

Have you ever been to Coney Island before?

“If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good.”

-Dr. Seuss

9 Comments · Filed Under: food, friends, travel ·

brooklyn, brooklyn, take me in…

May 23, 2012

I arrived in New York late last Thursday night practically giddy with excitement about the weekend ahead of me. A weekend with my best friends? I’ll take it any day.

Have you ever spent time in Brooklyn?

It’s such a fun spot, with all of the awesome and none of the crowds. And it was nice to have a change of pace, too, since the last time I visited the city. My friend Rebecca lives in Park Slope and I spent the day Friday with her and her oldest friend from childhood, Sharon.

We had a blast, just the three of us, sipping coffee and popping into shops. Beck’s just one of those people who’s easy to be around. The kind you end up laughing with over the littlest things, plus she’s always got a killer story to tell. Oh, I love her stories. When she’s through telling them I always end up thinking one of two things: Only you, or, only in New York.

And Sharon? I feel like I’ve known her for years. Love that in a new friend.

We were totally spontaneous on this day and every one of us was loving it.

I feel like I’m an excitable person, and Sharon and Rebecca are too, plus Sharon was visiting from San Francisco, so she was eager to experience anything and everything that came her way. About halfway into our morning, while thinking of possible things to do, Beck offered up the idea of going to Coney Island.

Do you know it?

Think world’s famous hot dogs and lots of amusement park rides.

Well, I was sold! Plus, I’d never been before, so what better time than now? I’m a firm believer in the whole “live in the moment” mentality, and it was easy to see my companions were too, so in no time we were heading toward the subway and on our way to the land of fun. I decided last night Coney Island is getting it’s own post because 1) I took a ridiculous amount of pictures there and 2) it’s just that special.

Here’s some of my favorite shots from Friday in Brooklyn: