Road Trip

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Road Trip
In my opinion, there really is nothing better than hitting the open road with the wind in your hair. Last week, I made a much needed escape from my little island and headed south to then head north and thus fulfilled another item on my Fall Bucket List. My first destination was Riverton, New Jersey, better known as the new hometown to my sweet little H and her wonderful family. On the drive down, I decided to make a quick detour to have lunch at Terrain in Westport, CT. Terrain is just one of those places where everything in life seems to be right. After devouring a delicious fall salad of quinoa and farro and sipping on a blood orange spritzer, I decided to do a little browsing for Christmas gift inspiration. But instead, I was more inspired by their kitchen displays. Isn’t this just breathtaking?
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My time in Riverton, a mere 20 minutes from Philly was exactly what my soul needed. My girlfriend Sharla is just one of those people in my life who truly gets me. Sitting on her porch looking out at the golf course with the sun on my face, I realized that I am so blessed. We spent a great deal of time talking about what’s next for me. An excellent question indeed. I won’t get into this too much at this time but will just say, I think I am getting closer and closer, which excites me!

I always love exploring a city through its food and Sharla always knows exactly where to take me. The first stop was a breathtaking coffee shop/gourmet food store (right up my alley) called Talula’s. For our last lunch together, we ventured over to the Navy Shipyard to the Urban Outfitters world headquarters. A fun little fact, there is a beautiful cafe there that is open to the public and serves the most delicious food. We enjoyed a vegetarian chili served on a slice of grilled polenta, potato leek soup and a chocolate chip cookie. Yummy! And the coolest part, we were surrounded by all these creative and hip types who work for one of the coolest companies, in my book. Made me realize I want to be part of something grand. I mean, wouldn’t you want to come to work here everyday!
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Having to end my visit a bit too soon to head north to Maine, I decided to make a lunch stop at a place that has been on my bucket list for years, Blue Farm at Stone Barn. And how happy am I that I did. Have you heard of this place? Simply breathtaking. An agricultural center with a working farm, a renowned restaurant, a killer cafe and a gift shop that is the most beautiful collection of gifts I have seen in quite some time. For lunch, I decided on the tomato soup (there was a bit of a chill in the air) and their newly released beet yogurt. Yes, you read that right. Beet yogurt. And let me tell you, delicious!
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With a quick visit to my home state of good old Massachusetts for the final World Series Game (Go Sox) I headed up to one of my favorite, Portland Maine for my big brother’s wedding. I will share all my Portland picks in a later post but let me just say, what a road trip it was. Until next time, stay warm!

Chain Mail Q&A

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Q&A Image
I must be honest and say I have felt a little void of creativity as of late. I have no less than 5 drafts of posts just waiting to be finished and for some reason I just can’t muster the juices to get them done so apologies in advance for my recent silence. But, good news. I was inspired a bit when reading one of my favorites, Note to Self today. If you don’t follow this blog, you must. So without further adieu, here are my answers to the Chain Mail Q&A.

1. What is the most-played song in your music library? (Lifetime. Be honest.)
Just checked my iTunes library and it looks like it is “I Turn my Camera On” by Spoon.

2. What is your favorite thing about your current occupation or job, whatever it may be?
I love that I am surrounded by beauty in my current job at Nantucket Looms. From artwork to textiles, to tabletop, everyday I am immersed in a world so different from my office 45 flights up.

3. City or country?
My family and I were just discussing this yesterday while driving to Cape Elizabeth in Maine. And I must admit, I really do think I’m a city girl at heart.

4. What is your coping mechanisim after a really bad day?
A long drive with the windows down and the music on full blast followed by a Peroni and margarita pizza at Pi.

5. Favorite item in your closet right now? (Pictures welcome.)
I picked up the most delicious, coziest sweater at The Lovely back in August that I could literally live in this winter. The designer is Amateur and I may just die in it.

6. Skill or craft you still want to learn or work on?
My listening.

7. What is your most precious keepsake?
I have a few. My prayer book from my grandmother that was given to me as a little girl; my maternal great-grandmother’s gold band and my paternal great-great grandmother’s wedding band that was given to her on July 26, 1884. Her name was Lillian and I shall name my first daughter after her!

8. What’s at the very tip top of your holiday wish list this year?
Haven’t finished my list just yet but promise to share it soon for all your readers who want to shower me with some gifts!

9. What’s your favorite spot in the town/city/state you currently live in?
My beach to chase the sun as it’s setting. Doesn’t get much better. Just take a look of a recent viewing.
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To H

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Letter H
My dearest H… I am so excited that I get to see you next week. Can’t wait to see the new house and your new room. Are you having so much fun? Thinking hide and seek in all the rooms will be a must!

One thing I know you are just beginning to learn about is the great joy(s) of being a big sister. As your mama might have told you, Auntie May comes from a rather large family. I am blessed to be the big sister to not only two sisters but three brothers. And let me tell you, at times it can be a bit challenging. You see, we are all so unique in our needs, desires and how we communicate with each other. So, my words of advice for you this week is get to know what makes your little sister smile. Is it reading Thomas the Train? Or playing dress-up in your closet? These things will certainly change with time but it is important to take the time to really get to know your sister. And in turn, I promise she will get to know you too.

Alright little H. Sweet dreams and I will see you on Monday!

Awareness

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breast cancer
I wish what I was about to write wasn’t true but sadly it is. This year, two very close friends of mine had relatives diagnosed with breast cancer. Fortunately, both had access to top-notch doctors, received exemplary care and an aggressive plan in place to fight. And fight they did. There is still a long road to recovery for both of these courageous women but I have much faith that they have long lives ahead of them.

Since I am a self-proclaimed shopper, I thought it was my duty to share with all of you some of the amazing products being sold this month with proceeds going directly towards breast cancer research. Here are just a few of my top picks:

– In my book, you can never have too many scarfs and this Stella and Dot number would be a great addition to any collection!

– Without fail, I always leave the house on a rainy day forgetting my umbrella and so I have decided to purchase this cute Tory Burch one to keep in my car always! As an added bonus, Tory Burch is donating 20% of the sales of this item (or up to $30,000) to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

– Looking for that perfect pink nail polish? Well, your search is over with OPI’s Pink of Hearts. Created exclusively for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, OPI has donated $25,000 to this worthy organization.

– Keeping with my beauty finds, I just love this Bobbi Brown blush set. Between this October and next March, Bobbi Brown will donate $10 from each sale of this set to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Click on the link and get yours today!

– New Balance has guaranteed a minimum donation of $500,000 each year to Susan G. Komen for the sales of their Lace Up for the Cure product line. If you are in need of some new kicks, I suggest the Komen 860.

– As I have mentioned before, I love candlelight and think this Marie Todd Heal candle is just lovely, especially since 30% of the sales will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

– Chan Luu’s Breast Cancer Awareness Stretch Bracelet would be a welcome addition to any arm candy. Ms. Luu will donate 50% of all sales of this bracelet to the Think Pink, Live Green Initiative.

– And saving one of my favorites for last, La Mer has created a limited edition hand treatment set. La Mer will donate $10 from each sale of this set to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Smooth hands and a great cause, you can’t go wrong.

So ladies (and gents), do a little shopping and know that your dollars are going to a worthy cause. And I know I am the worst at this, but do remember to do your own self exams. Early detection is key!

To You

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Sara Barellies is just one of those singer/songwriters whose lyrics speak to my soul. “Something always brings me back to you, it never takes to long.” Gravity. Gosh, everytime I hear that song I remember those feelings of lost love.

While enjoying her Blessed Unrest concert in Boston this past weekend, I was introduced to I Choose You, a letter Sara wrote to her future soul mate. Beautiful, right? So I was thinking, I should write one. Let me know what you think!

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Wow… what a road it has been to get to you. I really tried to never lose site of you at the end of this journey but I must be honest and say I maybe fell short a few times. But you, you have restored my faith in not only relationships, but love and myself. With you, I have found me. I was always worried about the silences I shared with lovers in the past. “What are they thinking” would run through my head. But with you. I love the silence. Because I no longer doubt how another feels for me. You show me with your words. You tell me with your actions.

I was worried I would have to chose between passion and friendship but you put that worry to bed. I finally found the one to be silly with. And honey, you make me laugh harder than I ever have in my life.

Where will this journey lead us? Only time will tell. But I will tell you this. I will be here for you. Every minute of every hour of every day. I know there will be challenges. I know there will be tears. But I also know that there will be great laughter. And adventure. And a journey we never knew we deserved until we were united.

And I just have to say this, I love that you love to kiss me as I much as I love to kiss you for it truly is one of my favorite things to do.

I am grateful everyday for you.

My New Hobby

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I can officially cross one item off my fall bucket list! Scalloping. And what fun it was. Ventured out with my good friend David, a bee keeper and all around nature guru on the island. How does one scallop you might ask? It’s really quite easy. You need: 1) waders (or a wetsuit if you’re snorkeling for them); 2) a rake; 3) a bucket in a tube and 4) lots of patience. Scallops live in the eel grass around the island so we had to find a high destiny spot and start raking. Sadly, most of the ones we caught weren’t legal (need to be at least two years old and you can tell that by their growth ring) but we were able to collect enough for a delicious lunch. My favorite part of all… catching the amazing sunset from the water. A perfect night indeed!

Pictured above: my rake; a scallop (did you know that they are hermaphrodites… crazy); and our bounty the next day for lunch. Delicious!

My List

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It’s that time again… my seasonal bucket list. Fortunately, work life has slowed down just a bit so hopefully I will be a bit more successful is completing these (fell a bit short with my summer list)!

1. Go scalloping. Yes, I am a native and no, I have never been. Tragic, I know.
2. Make apple butter. Fall always makes me reminiscent of my college days and one of my favorite memories is heading to Judie’s in Amherst with my girls. They made not only the best apple butter but the popovers to accompany said apple butter were insane.
3. Plan a road trip. I don’t want to admit how long it has been since I have been out of the lovely state of Massachusetts. For a girl who use to always be on the move, I can’t believe I have stayed still this long. Let’s just say, a boat reservation for the trusty Volvo has been made and I plan on hitting a few states. More to come!
4. Host a pot luck. It really is time to bring all my island friends together in my home.
5. Recipe testing with cranberries. Nantucket has one of the most beautiful cranberry bogs and I would love to spend a day in my kitchen coming up with some new recipes. Inspiration is most certainly welcomed.

My King

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King of Hearts
One of the many joys of island life is having wonderful friends come and visit. A few weeks back, I was able to spend a delightful morning with my dear friend R visiting from D.C. I really do have some talented friends. She was telling me all about this new podcast series she is working on with two of her friends down in the district “Ten Questions we Always Ask.” So what ten questions do they always ask? Well, you will just have to tund into the podcasts (available on iTunes) to find out.

Ok, fine. I will share just one with you. The questions is “what can you always be found with?” Let’s see… I always have my planner, a book, my journal, my favorite pen, my iPod and my king of hearts card. Yes, you read that right. My king of hearts card.

Since my divorce, I indulge in a yearly card reading. Why you ask? One of my greatest fears is that I will end up alone. I know, I know… I shouldn’t think such things but I do. So the one question I return to again and again (as he always ask, “is there something you want to focus on?”) is “will I find my great love/partner?” And you know, the card I have pulled more times than not is the king of cups. Lucky for me, there are few cards that are more loving than the king of cups, which indicates that someone who is very balanced and loving will enter your life in the future. Hope.

So how does the king of cups translate to my king of hearts card. Well, let me tell you. It all goes back to that wonderful series Sex and the City. I think it was a February night when I was siting in my apartment at 263 watching an old episode (season 6, episode 7 to be precise) when I realized, oh my god, my ex is Berger. Now don’t worry, he didn’t break up with me on a post-it note but the similarities are quite strong. Berger’s one redeeming quality was his quirky hobby of collecting playing cards found in the street. So I thought… I want to do this. And as you can guess, the first card I found was the king of hearts. My past leading me to my future? Yes, that is exactly how I see it!

And there you have it… the things I will always be found with. Be sure to tune into this bi-monthly podcast. I promise you will be well entertained.

Have You Heard

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Domino
That’s right. Domino magazine is coming back. Now I know that they have had bi-annual issues this past year but word on the street is that Michelle Adams, founder and former editor of Lonny Magazine, will be taking the reigns and moving it back to a monthly publication. Are you as excited as I am?

Funny little story. I use to technically be a sort of magazine hoarder: Cottage Living, Martha Stewart Weddings and of course Domino. I had a small intervention with myself and decided to clean house. Well you know what, literally days later, I got word that Domino was ceasing its publishing and my heart sank. Instant remorse. So you know what I did… got myself on eBay and bought almost all of the issues. Crazy, right? But now they are one of my prized possessions and I refer to them often when I need a little inspiration.

Can’t wait to pick up the new issue and see what Michelle and her team have done!
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I Do

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Wedding season is certainly upon us! And from all the Facebook updates, it looks like all of you have been to quite a few weddings. Hope you have been enjoying yourselves. To help ease some wedding time stresses, I thought it might be fun to post some of my favorite go-to wedding gifts.

– My dear friend’s Macey and Cam celebrated their third anniversary this past May. After a beautiful wedding down in Vero Beach, the happy couple jetted off to Greece. Macey and Cam are lovers of the arts and thus I knew this customizable print by JP-based artist would be a treasure! I included not on their wedding date, but the hotel they stayed in while on Mykonos and one of their favorite memories.

– My sweet college friend Kate found love back in her home state of Minnesota with Kerry and had one of the best wedding weekends in Steamboat, Colorado. Kate is a romantic, just like me, so I knew these Simon Pearce candlesticks would be put to good use in their home.

– My big brother Todd is marrying his best friend Kirah this November in Maine and I am so excited for a family affair. Both Todd and Kirah love to cook so I am thinking of filling this recipe box with some of our family favorites, along with some island inspired recipes. This would equally be a wonderful shower gift!

And, on a side note, I finally found that little black dress to say “I Do” to for all these weddings. Success!

Now here’s to the happy couple(s)!