Grumpy

I have been sick for the past eight days with the flu.  And I have been a real grumpy about it.  The flu in June?!  Today was the first day that I actually started to feel like myself, but this sore throat and cough will not quit.  I am also the worst patient.  I whine and cry and constantly call out to J for more water or more blankets or ice cream.  It was so bad a few days ago that when I heard the Mister Softee truck drive by I begged J to run outside and fetch me a soft serve because "I'm sick!".  I think he is absolutely done with this flu.

Honeymoon: Venice

More about our honeymoon!

pok pok

we ate at pok pok last week with some friends and i cannot stop thinking about how good this meal was.  this was the second time that J and i ate here, but we hadn't been in so long.  i now want to go all the time.  i also want their cookbook.  but i i really just want to eat there.  everynight.  has anyone been?  their chicken wings are to die for.  it's also a great place for a group of friends.  you just get a bunch of plates and share.  yum!

my weekend

view from the BK bridge

my mom and my nephew came into town this weekend.  it was so busy and nice.  they got in thursday evening and after my italian class we walked around the neighborhood and got some dinner.  every time my mom is here i push her to walk and walk.  she walked so much this trip and did such a good job.

for my bday J had given me a ticket to see one of my favorite plays on broadway for friday night and it just so happened that one of my dearest friends, mary, also had a ticket.  we met up with my family at a restaurant in manhattan and then mary and i hustled off the to the show.  this play was simply amazing.  i had fallen in love with it when i read it years ago and the female lead is a role i would die to play.  Carey Mulligan and Bill Nighy are nothing short of brilliant.  really.  i cried so much that the gentleman next to me asked if i was okay.  he was so sweet and very concerned.  ha!  i want to see this again so badly and i want J to see it as well.  heartbreakingly wonderful.  i needed to decompress after that emotional journey so mary and i had a glass (or two) of wine after to discuss.  i love sitting in a bar talking about art.  it sounds so pretentious, but discussing the ride you just took after watching theatre that is so fulfilling makes me so happy.

my "plate" of BBQ

saturday J and i took my mom and nephew for a marathon walk.  we walked to BK Heights and across the BK bridge.  my mom had always wanted to walk the bridge, but she has always been so nervous to do it.  well, this time we got her up there and she loved it!  it was a gorgeous day too.  after the bridge we went down to the park and sat in the shade while i ate ice cream. ;-)  from there they were starving so we headed to Hill Country for some good ol' BBQ.

the family left on sunday so J and i decided to walk around a bit and have some lunch and try the newest ice cream addition to our neighborhood.  MilkMade is delicious!  i got the pretzel ice cream and J got the macaroon.  even J, who is normally more reserved in his feelings about food, was in love with this place.  i have a feeling we will be fast friends with all who work there.  as a side note: i have been out to ice cream three times this week.  not good.  not good at all.

pretzel ice cream

picture wall

J and i have this idea of having one whole wall of our apartment filled with pictures we've taken with our Instax Mini.  we used the camera with our guest book for our wedding and i have been wanting to make use of it going forward.  we thought that maybe we can take a pic of every guest we have over from now on.  i've been doing some research and i'm not sure exactly how to go about getting the photos on the wall.  should i mount them on a board or put them directly on the wall with tape?  i'll have to keep looking, but i'm super excited about it.  i just have to remember to actually take the pictures of our friends...

my weekend

this was such a beautiful holiday weekend.  i had originally wanted to go away, but J convinced me that staying in town was a much better idea.  he was right.

friday was so low key.  after the gym i came home and we cooked dinner and relaxed.  saturday had us out and about enjoying the day.  we had a beer at our favorite beer bar in the neighborhood and then had dinner at one of my most favorite restaurants.  this place makes me so happy and every time i have been it has been an amazing experience.  we were so lucky to get last-minute reservations!

sunday was my birthday and i started off by going to the gym.  i figured i should start my new year as strongly as possible, right?  J made a fantastic breakfast and then we went for a walk.  for the past few years it's been a tradition to get Blue Bottle coffee on my birthday.  love their coffee!  we walked to their store in our neighborhood and we both got the iced New Orleans.  and then J dropped his.  they were so nice in the store and immediately gave him another one, but i could not stop laughing.

we walked back home and after a few minutes of being back the doorbell started to ring.  J surprised me by having a bunch of our friends come by for cheese and wine and cake!  it was so wonderful and it was such a fun-filled afternoon.  i love these people so much.  plus, i got to have cake for breakfast on monday.  ;-)

we managed to eat half of this huge cake!

my weekend

this was a great weekend filled with lots of hanging with my girlfriends.  friday night i had dinner with women from work at this great restaurant in Tribeca called Pepolino.  this place was fantastic and i cannot believe i've never been there before.  it so Italian and Tuscan and it made me long for our honeymoon.  the whole dinner was delicious, but we ended with their caramel panna cotta and it was nothing short of amazing.  the creamiest panna cotta i have ever had and i will get that every time i visit this restaurant.

weekend additions: new rug and new coffee table book 

saturday night two of my best girlfriends came over for dinner so the afternoon was a busy day preparing.  i decided on an Italian meal (surprise, surprise) so we started with lots of italian cheeses and some soppresatta that i got from Stinky.  if i had to create the world's most perfect shop it would be this place.  for dinner i decided to make a roast pig with roasted potatoes.  it was the second time i used this recipe and it is fantastic.  the other great thing about it is that after the preparation you just let it roast for 5 hours.  you can visit with your guests and not worry about too much time spent in the kitchen.  perfetto! we finished off the meal with this mascarpone dessert.  now, this was the first time i   used this recipe and i cannot wait to make it again.  we devoured it!

sunday, my sister, her boyfriend and their kids came into the city for the day and we walked so, so much.  we got pizza and took them over the BK bridge and got ice cream and just had a wonderful day of visiting and exploring.  it was so nice having them here even if it was only for a few hours.

and then sunday night got sad because my favorite show ended.  saying goodbye to Mad Men was so hard! i know it's only a television show, but this was the best of the best.  i will miss these characters and the writing and the stories dearly.

an old fashioned for a favorite show