Welcome Committee

One last thing we did to get the house ready for our BBQ party was to finally get some furniture in the entryway. I slapped down a rug a while back because I couldn't stand to look at an area that had nothing in it, but let's be honest. It's been pretty sad looking. And what's worse, this empty space is what guests took in as their first impression of our house. Womp womp.

Behold my laziness evinced by the fold marks in the rug that I didn't bother to get out.

Back in January/February/March when I was looking for furniture for the house, I had a long list of things I would search for on Craigslist each day. One item on the list was a mirror, and I found one I loved. It seemed really over-priced, but when I met the lady and saw it in person I realized that it was because it was way bigger than I realized. In the picture it looked like it was about 2.5' tall which would be the right size for the half bathroom. In reality, it was 4' tall. Four feet! I loved it, so I got it (and even negotiated her down a little which made it a great deal, given its size), and it has sat around waiting to be hung since January. We are now in October (in case you weren't aware).

In my defense, I knew I wanted to hang the mirror in the entryway, but I didn't have a console table to put under it and I didn't want it just randomly floating. I spent months searching for a console table, and in case that sounds like an exaggeration, it isn't. I was actively looking every day on Craigslist for about 3 months, and then after we got married I'd look from time to time, but I couldn't find anything that was narrow enough to fit our small entryway. So I gave up.

Once it was time to have people over, I decided to give it one last shot, and BAM. Found it on the first try. Craigslist is a beautiful thing, guys. Not only is it narrow enough to fit, it has a feminine shape that goes well with the mirror. If that wasn't a clear enough sign from the universe, it also has teal accents.

I don't totally love the other finish on it, so I'm currently debating how to tackle that. It has a weird white-washed finish but then it looks like they went back and did a dry brush application of a dark brown paint or stain in the grooves. It's a little strange, and in person it just makes it look kind of dirty. I think I want to do a heavier white wash over it to lighten it up but not completely cover it. Theoretically, it would mainly cover the recessed areas which is where the dark stain is, and you'd still be able to see the current finish on the highest areas.

You can sort of see in the picture below that the top is nice and clean looking, but the legs have a lot of the darker stain on them which makes it look kinda grungy.

Another small addition was to hang up some vintage postcards we got at a flea market in NYC back in June. It was as easy as that :)

Wahoo for a much more finished entryway than we started with! So what do you think? What else should I add? I love having the mirror at the bottom of the stairs because it's like a last-minite outfit/hair check before heading out the door. That is, except for when I go to the gym at 7am and it's pitch black and I can't see myself. Although I probably don't want to know what I look like at that time anyway... amIright?

The Big Apple

When I was young, my mom worked as foreign business consultant (taking local businesses across the world to help them expand their reach) and I was lucky enough to go to an elementary and middle school that allowed me to take days or weeks off to go along with her. I got to visit Japan, Puerto Rico, France, Sweden, Australia, and some states in the US all before I went to high school, but sadly my overseas trips came to a screeching halt when I entered a public high school and wasn't able to go on worldly adventures whenever I felt like it.

So, for the past 8 years or so, I've been somewhat landlocked. I'm fortunate that my dad's family still lives in Hawaii (where he grew up), which has given me an excuse to go there, because I'm sure I would have never been if it wasn't to visit them. Other than those trips though, I haven't really been anywhere since middle school, which feels like eons ago. John and I went to Vancouver for a couple of days a few summers ago which was the first taste of a new place I had had in a while.

John's family goes on a family trip each summer to different places around the world. Sometimes they do low-key trips to a beach house or lake house somewhere in Texas, and other summers they go on cruises through the Baltic sea or to a house in Italy. Now that I'm a part of the family I get to benefit from this wonderful family tradition! This summer his grandparents decided to take all 12 of us to one of their favorite places: NYC.

Both of his grandparents love New York City, but his grandmother has some sort of deeply rooted, head-over-heels-enamored kind of love for it. As you'll see in some of the pictures, she truly is like a kid in a candy shop when it comes to NYC. Specifically, she loves Times Square. Can't get enough. It was the sweetest thing to watch her just look up and around and soak it all in. We stayed right on Times Square and it was a truly amazing thing to have it be equally as bright at night as it was during the day from all of the lights.

We started off each morning at a diner near the hotel. I got a bagel every single day. No regrets!

I loved seeing the blue skies above the tall shiny buildings.

Grandad taking it all in.

And BOY was it windy!

John's Pizzeria, where we ate 3 times, including for John's birthday.

We saw Lady Liberty on a boat cruise around the island.

Grandad loves the subway and would ride it just for the experience.

Washington Park.

Gorgeous brownstones in Greenwich Village.

Dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History.

Central Park on a gorgeous day!

Brooklyn shops.

Awesome succulents in bricks at the Brooklyn flea market. I wanted to buy one SO badly but knew TSA wouldn't want me attacking anyone with cactus spines on the plane. Future DIY project?

Lunch options at the Brooklyn flea market.

The view from the Brooklyn Bridge.

The Brooklyn Bridge.

All in all it was a wonderful trip. A different part of my body may have hurt each day from being a wimp walking so much, but it was well worth it! We got to go to so many great places and spend tons of time together. Can't wait for next year :)