Last week, I was standing at a street corner, leaving the office and checking my bus’ arrival time on one phone and responding to an email with the phone. I noticed people in front of me start to walk so I did the same. Suddenly, the guy (man?) in front of me abruptly turned around and asked, “Do you like roses?”
It took me a moment to realize he was speaking to me and another moment to realize that he was holding out a red rose. Rather hesitantly, I said yes. He kept on walking, leaving me at my bus stop to process what just happened. One minute I was deep in the throes of technology and in the next I’m holding a single red rose.
While I try to be cheerful on my blog, my life is far from perfect. I get anxious about finances, if my hips look too wide in this dress, why I can’t get a certain person out of my head…
I’ve been a bit in the dumps lately and that’s not a place I like to be. Thank you, stranger, for snapping me out of my own head and reminding me to stop and smell the roses.
I love my job on the Hill but I definitely miss being so close to Farragut for all the food trucks. DC Ballers, Tasty Kabob and BBQ Bus regularly make their way to Cap South but Farragut Square is the happenin’ place in DC for food trucks.
When summer time rolls around, Navy Yard in DC hosts Truckeroo: a collection of food trucks gather near Nats stadium and there’s live music, drinks and general DC camaraderie. Essentially everything I love in one concentrated location. Except it only happens once per month and I was unable to go last month.
This year, I grabbed friends and even though I was running a teensy bit late, I showed up with plenty of time to case the joint. After a couple of laps and longing looks at BBQ Bus, I went with a Maine-style lobster roll from Red Hook Lobster & dessert was a root beer float from Goodie’s.
I’ll be honest, I was a little bit underwhelmed by the lobster roll, there was a good amount of lobster on that roll but I was still pretty hungry after I finished it. The roll was deliciously buttery and the lobster fresh but I think I would have liked a little more sauce on it. Or maybe I was just particularly ravenous that night. I’d get it again but there are food trucks I’d go to first.
Root beer floats are my craving. Every couple of months or so, I get a serious taste for them and will not rest until I have a float. To me, root beer floats represent all that is good and pure and simple left in this world. I guess you could say I have high hopes for my floats. I was captivated by Goodie’s food truck because it has an old-fashioned appearance, bringing the 1950s ice cream parlor to life on wheels. They were playing Motown favorites and I shamelessly sang along. TGIF, right?
The ice cream in my float was creamy and delicious but my size was a bit small for what I paid. But I guess this was one of those items you purchase for the experience? I would go back but maybe for an ice cream sundae and leave my floats for home.
I still had a wonderful time at Truckeroo and ran into several people I haven’t seen since graduation over a year ago. Still scary! Truckeroo is a wonderful way to start your Friday evening on the right note.
In summer time, my go-to comfort shirt is a simple cotton tee that is usually a size up from my normal shirts. I like the loose feeling, especially during the muggy summer months. But Heather’s racerback tanks at Sweet Tea Monograms are making me rethink my go-to…
After last week, I was in search of a high protein, high fiber meal that I could make a big batch of and bring to work for lunch. While I successfully avoided Diet Coke for a week (confession: I got a Diet Coke at Chick Fil-A yesterday but in my opinion, it doesn’t count), I felt like I indulged in heavier meals a bit too much. I needed to snap out of it and get back on track. I wanted a meal full of whole foods that would keep me full and give me energy. I rummaged in my fridge/freezer, pulled items out, put them back in their place. Then, I came up with a dish that might be my new favorite summer meal…Ingredients
Lentils
Quinoa
Low Sodium Vegetable (Chicken) Broth
Broccoli
Corn
Snap peas
Trader Joe’s White Fish Vera Cruz (let thaw in warm water for 20 minute before)
Trader Joe’s Everyday Seasoning
Directions
In a saucepan, combine 1 cup of quinoa, 1/2 cup of lentils and 2 cups of broth. Let sit, covered, on medium-high heat for 25 minutes max or until broth is almost all absorbed.
In a skillet, place the white fish and set the marinade inside (note: this fish comes with its own marinade). Cook as instructed on package.
Boil the broccoli, corn and snap peas. You can use whichever veggies you have handy, these items happened to be in my pantry/freezer today.
Once quinoa/lentils are prepared, toss into a medium mixing bowl. Do the same with vegetables once they are ready.
Season with TJ’s Everyday Seasoning to taste and mix thoroughly.
This week, I continued More Than You Know and finished Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close. I would definitely file Girls in the same category as Commencement: a solid choice for a beach read.
Girls follows the dating and professional lives of several women against the backdrop of a carousel of weddings, showers and babies. As a 23 year old, I definitely found myself relating to their stories and at some points wondered if Jennifer was writing about me. The stories were almost eerily true to life and I felt like I was at a happy hour with my friends, swapping stories. My only regret was that I wasn’t actually on a beach for this book!
I spent a good portion of the 90s as a flower girl and I had the routine down to a science. I loved the dance floor and my twirly dresses swaying to the music. Flower girl days are over and now we’re going to weddings for our friends, we’ve graduated to bridesmaids.
While I am not going to any summer weddings, I couldn’t help myself but to do a little online browsing for a summer wedding outfit…Dress // Earrings // Clutch // Wedges
Simple yet refined is the way to go for a summer wedding. The drop earrings are sophisticated and the wicker clutch is light enough to carry those few essentials: tissues for the ceremony and a lipstick for a post-cake touchup. The wedges won’t kill your feet so you can spend as much time as possible on the dance floor like in your flowergirl heydays. Bonus points to J.Crew for the breezy dress, perfect for twirling like old times : )
Lately, I’ve been scouring Pinterest for sangria recipes and have pinned/liked quite a few of them to try out. A couple of weeks ago, I made my own sangria but I love to try new recipes!
Do you have a favorite sangria recipe? Please share!! I’d love to try them out and feature them on a Thirsty Thursday post : )
Lately, I’ve been asked about my summer wardrobe staples. After perusing my Instagram, I think it’s definitely safe to say that sweater shells are a top three item in my summer closet.
I wear a sweater shell more work days than not because I can simply tuck it into a pencil skirt and throw on a matching cardigan for the days in those overly air conditioned offices. Once I’m out of the office, the sweater shell is casual so you can go from your desk to drinks seamlessly. I’ll be styling my sweater shells in a post next week so stay tuned! In the mean time, you can check out my Instagram : )
I keep a Google doc of all the restaurants in DC I want to try (and are within my budget). I love exploring a new section of the city and several of these new restaurants are now regular spots. After this weekend, two restaurants that have eluded me are now securely in the “regular spots” column.
This Saturday, I (finally) went to Founding Farmers with my friend LeFlore. Founding Farmers is a farm-to-table operation and every dish is made fresh in their kitchen with local produce. Their bar is “Prohibition-era,” meaning they concoct their own syrups so you can customize your drinks from cocktails to sodas.
I purposefully skipped breakfast that morning so when our noon reservation came around, I was ravenous. But first things first…
We each ordered a Bloody Mary and boy, was this baby spicy! For someone who puts sriracha on just about everything, this is saying something. I would rate the Bloody Mary at Founding Farmers as A+ and certainly one of the best I’ve had in DC. The menu wasn’t lying when they said it was a real eye-opener! My stuffed French toast with strawberries kept me full until lunch time the next day, no joke. The toast was perfectly crisp on the outside and cake-like on the inside. And the cream!! I did my very best to get every drop of the cream stuffed into the toast along with a bite of strawberry. I love when strawberries are in season, they taste absolutely wonderful. My only regret was that I couldn’t clear my plate.
On Saturday night, I went out with friends on U Street. I rarely go to U Street but I love El Centroand of course, Ben’s Chili Bowl. And there’s Taylor Gourmet, stubbornly still on my Google doc as “To Visit.”
I decided I would not let this opportunity slip through my fingers again. I dragged my friend Ty, who never ever reads my blog ; ), to get a hoagie. I ordered the South Street with grilled chicken: sesame seed roll, pesto, tomato and goat cheese. Still as stuffed as my French toast was, I bravely took a bite before rolling it back up for the next day’s lunch. I’m normally not a sesame fan but this hoagie was delicious. I love pesto and fresh tomatoes but it was the goat cheese that really made this sandwich pop. Taylor Gourmet was totally worth the wait and I am already plotting planning my next visit! The atmosphere was very relaxed and the open window made people watching superb.
You know those lazy Sundays you just want to spend lounging around, reading, dozing, and repeating the cycle? That’s how I felt yesterday after a lovely, busy weekend. Pulling on a pair of chino shorts, an oversized Vineyard Vines tee and slipping into my Jacks was going to be my lazy day ensemble. I added my Marley Lillymonogrammed baseball hat to top off my outfit. Easy, breezy summer time casual!
I can definitely wear this baseball hat to the Georgetown waterfront, on strolls, trips to the beach and every weekend on my apartment’s sun deck!
I would style this hat at the beach with my coral swimsuit and white tunic cover up; for the weekend strolls and errands, this baseball hat adds a fun touch of personalization to my tees & chinos ensemble. I could also picture myself wearing this with a pair of chino shorts, Jacks, swimsuit & an unbuttoned button down to grab ice cream after a day at the beach.
Marley Lilly has a variety of options so you can truly make this cap your own. A baseball hat is a great alternative to a floppy hat and can be a lifesaver if you’re not having the best hair day ; )
