adventures in weekending: 2 birthdays for the price of 1

Bob and I decided to combine our birthday celebrations (we were born only one day apart!) and have a small get-together at The Smith with just a few close friends.

We had such a great time! I always feel a little apprehensive about mixing friends, but it always turns out well.  Through the cocktails, shared chicken potpies, bacon-wrapped apricots and cheesy gnocchi, we were chatting it up like crazy. I was thankful that the restaurant was busy and bustling, otherwise, we would have been the most obnoxiously loud table there.  A sign of a good time, that's for sure!

adventures in weekending: city evenings

A good weekend filled with tons of sweet, fun, surprising and hilarious moments: celebrating my friend Tanya's birthday, dancing like we were back in her dorm to a song we haven't heard in ages, filling up on bakery treats, glorious views of the city from a rooftop, finding out an acquaintance carries hot sauce wherever he goes, thrifting a kimono jacket for $5, sharing Thai-French appetizers with friends, long conversations about butter (for and against) and late late nights. Exhausting, yes. But so very fun.

It felt great to put down my bulky DSLR and put my camera phone to good use. And as you may have noticed, I'm now on Instagram! Username: jillianm55, if you want to follow along ;) I'm kind of addicted.

p.s. For those of you who were curious about how Mac's Russian Red lipstick looked, peep the third row photo!

adventures in weekending: jen's birthday

A homemade Hunger Games-inspired cake.

A little Dance Central (probably one of the most fun video games ever)

And a slightly off-key, head bangin' rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. 

Jen and I used to sing this song all the time at our lunch table in junior high. We're positive this was the reason why no one bothered to sit next to us. But we console ourselves by saying we had the most character out of everyone. People just couldn't handle our kind of "interesting".

adventures in weekending: busy days, lazy days

I can honestly say that not one minute of this weekend was wasted.  Whether I was at my sister's annual After Christmas party drinking mimosas, feasting on Mexican food, going on a bit of a home-shopping spree or watching a marathon of 24, it was well spent. I could definitely get used to these rare three-day weekends.

There were times when my feet were going to fall off from walking so much (and with heavy bags in tote).
There were times when I felt like me and the couch were one from sitting on it for so many hours.
There were times when I wanted to explode from from eating too much steak, cheesy potatoes and creme brulee.
And it was all so so good.

adventures in weekending: housewarming party, part trois

Yes, you saw that right.

We had a third housewarming party.  Since our apartment is about the size of a shoebox, we had to divide our families and friends into separate parties. Part three aka the last of our housewarmings (thank goodness) included a mix of mine and Bob's close friends. I must say, this was definitely the most boisterous party of the three and it seemed appropriate since we wanted to "go out with a bang". Go out with a bang indeed.

Disclaimer: Pardon the crooked/cropped/out-of-focus photos. Some of us behind the lens may or may not have had a few drinks.

My friend Tanya and I have very passionate discussions that look like we're mad at each other...

but we're not...

And then we dance (obviously).

Bob and his friends having a bro moment at the end of the night.

I love this sweet message from some of our guests.

And after that night, I no longer have the right to complain about my neighbors being too loud.

friends on a weeknight

Sometimes, all you need for a mid-week pick-me-up is a visit from some old friends (wine in tote, of course). 

And spaghetti and mushrooms served with Parmesan-crusted chicken cutlets.

I certainly paid for it the next morning, but it was well worth spending some quality girl time with these lovely ladies (especially since one is leaving for Spain in a few days!).

Sometimes, a late night is essential for long overdue girl talk and stories about ex-boyfriends, concerts and early college days.

(I could never quite get our whole faces in any of the pictures we took)

-jillian m.

adventures in weekending: pizza, rooftop sunsets and growing up

 The weekend was spent delighting in small, significant moments: heaps of food (obviously) and just taking the time out to think about upcoming changes. Reminiscing with an old friend or even just taking a short pause triggered some scary, albeit exciting thoughts about the future.

A Thai chicken pizza shared between me and my love (and leaving him my crusts).

Spicy chai tea lattes.

Stopping to savor the surrounding beauty. I can't resist snapping photos of gorgeous, cheery blooms.

Enjoying the last few minutes of the sunset from Bob's rooftop, where Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan are in clear vision.We even spotted the neighborhood we'll be moving into (hopefully) by the end of the year.

And having lots of Italian food and wine with my newly-engaged best friend (eeeek!). Witnessing a friend's life from childhood makes events like this all the more impactful. I still can't believe I'm at that age where the people around me are getting married, pregnant and moving away. It's just all happening so quickly...and yet, not really.

This part of my life reminds me of the very first day at a new school. I was terrified of being in an unfamiliar setting and not knowing anyone. But once I stepped inside, I formed relationships I knew I would keep for life and memories to cherish forever. So while I'm nervous about the next chapters of life, it's a good kind of nervous.

-jillian m.