House Progress

Our apartment is slowly feeling more like home. My list of things I want like always is a mile long, but I am trying to enjoy the imperfections and stick with my 2014 mantra of calming down, it will all come together in time. Some recent pics below.

Playing Tourist - South Beach

So, in all honestly I have been a little scared to venture to South Beach since we arrived in Miami.  I wasn't sure if I could handle the crazy party that everyone had told us about and driving through it a few times was enough to give me an ulcer.  

Last Saturday morning I decided to be brave and check it out. I hopped on the bus (which smelled like sun tan lotion, where else but in Miami does a public bus smell like sun tan lotion) and jumped off around 17th Street, I walked down the Beach Path to Lummus Park where I was going to take a beach yoga class. I waited on the beach and people watched and let it sink it that it was the middle of January and I was on a beach in a t-shirt and shorts. The yoga class never seemed to materialize, unless it was the super skinny guy sitting on a towel. I decided instead to play tourist.

 I walked along Ocean Drive, which around 11 AM is much more low key than 11 PM. I hit up Zara which was having an amazing sale. I found some cute little boutiques such as Helium I made a mental note for future gift giving, and Taj (if I ever want to splurge on swank beach wear I will be going here). 

I decided instead of taking the bus back to bike it.  Like Boston's City Bike, Miami has it own version called Deco Bike. I biked back up to 63rd street and spent the rest of the day at pool at my building. I think it was my favorite Miami day to date.

The bus option opens up a whole new way to explore the neighborhood and I already told  Marc... next up will be a South Beach Hotel Bar Crawl ... that will be a post for another day .... 

Jobim

Source

The other month Marc introduced me to Jobim on our trip down to the Keys. If you are like me and have lived under a rock  Jobim was a Brazilian composer (he composed The Girl from Ipanema) and father of the Bossa Nova. 

Well, it turns out this is the perfect soundtrack for Miami.  I have been listening to it non-stop while sitting on the beach or exploring new neighborhoods. It's an amazing backdrop to the swaying palm trees and sunny skies and transports you back to a Miami where the rat pack partied and played. You can almost block out the crazy drivers, plastic surgery addicts, and tourists wearing shorts with YOLO written across the butt. 


Happy Friday! 

Vintage Friday

Source

How Miami is this? Happy Friday to everyone :)

In the New Year

Wouldn't you like to be a fly at this Studio 54 New Years Party? Source

Hello there. After a hiatus over the holidays I am ready to give this blog a little bit of love in 2014. Marc and I headed up north for a few days with my family over Christmas.  Our little break was just what I needed. It cured my bought of homesickness I was feeling in December.  I reflected on all of the changes we went through this past year and thought about what I want to do in the upcoming twelve months.  

I have never been one for resolutions. I usually break them less than a week into the new year and then feel like a failure. I like to think more about a theme or goal I want my year to have.  This year its all about settling in and calming down.  

Looking beyond even just the last year, the past five years have sort of been a whirlwind of change and growth. The end of my twenties and beginning of my thirties brought career changes and growth, my first serious relationship, a new dog, an engagement, planning a wedding (in 3 months eek), realizing I had a mountain of credit card debt, getting said debt in control, capped off with moving a 1,000 miles away and starting a new life in a new spot.

 I think we are all wired to want to rush to the next step, whether it be the next job, a bigger house, or a child but this year I want to really try to stop worrying about when that next big thing is going to come and just enjoy the now and let things happen naturally. I want to get to know Miami and I want to try to be more appreciative of everything I have in my life right now. I get to live blocks from the beach, something most people would kill for and something I never thought I would be doing it's pretty cool! 

So here is to 2014 and all it may bring!! 

Life Lately

I apologize for the radio silence, between the holidays and starting a new job I have been pretty busy but I realize I miss sharing on this little blog for the 1 or 2 people who follow might along!

It's December and I am in Miami ... something I never thought would be the case ... I sat on the beach today and listened to Christmas music, I wear flip flops most days, and I have a tan. Its odd I can't wrap my head around it it does not seem to be right. All of a sudden Bing Crosby signing "white christmas" makes perfect sense!  The weather is awesome but I am missing the New England holiday season, I am missing the first snow storms and trudging around Boston with its narrow streets to get together with old friends in old apartments that have seen holidays for years on end. 

Anyways ... I am trying to find the positive in being far away in the unfamiliar. I am looking for new traditions and telling myself that is pretty awesome there is no such thing as "winter weight" for me this year. 

Here are some photos of whats going on, I am trying to keep my instagram feed to a minimum of shots of sunsets and white sand beaches so as not to turn into one of "those people" but I am accumulating quite a lot ... which I might share on here from time to time ...

This does not make sense ... it's December!

Cozy Christmas you almost forget its 80 degrees

The Beatles performed on the Ed Sullivan Show in a hotel down the street from us and then swam the pool

we played tourist last week and visited Vizcaya, an old mansion on Biscayne Bay

you can wear neon green in December in Miami

My new work commute

Food, Friends, and Drinks on Thanksgiving

Sapotes was included in our CSA this week, wtf is a sapote?! Apparently their seeds can be roasted and taste like chocolate ... sounds good to me!

Happy Friday!

Source

Sorry for the silence this week friends. Between starting a new job and Thanksgiving this week flew by. I am looking forward to unpacking my Christmas decorations and "winterizing" my apartment this weekend ... pictures to come next week!  I Hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving and a relaxing weekend!