Spring Fling

This past weekend NYC got its first taste of spring and I couldn't have been more excited!!!! In addition to being happy that there was a break in cold weather (it was short-lived as I'm freezing today), it was a totally indulgent weekend for me. Indulgent because instead of doing something productive before playtime, I opted to play all weekend!
 
Friday night: 
In search of sheets at Century 21, I came up empty handed. That was in the home department...In ladies' shoes on the other hand, I scored these babies which I gladly broke out on Saturday...

 Me waiting to get my brows done at Bloomies Sat. afternoon

Saturday:
I had every intention of going to the laundromat and possibly prepping the bedroom for painting, but never happened. I ended up meeting with The Stormy One and heading down to the Meatpacking District where we had a blast.

First, we went over to the Hotel Gansevoort for afternoon cocktails and snacks where we were met by a couple of The Stormy One's friends.

We even ran into a beautiful bride and groom and a random bouquet of airborne balloons.

Then it was off to check out some contemporary/pop art at French artist Mr. Brainwash's "Icons" exhibit. The work is Warhol-inspired and completely crazy!!!! I sooo enjoyed walking through the gallery space.

Healthcare Hero!

After my eyes had been visually stimulated, it was time to tempt my tummy with some grub from The Standard Grill, a restaurant of the Standard Hotel. I ordered the Organic Berkshire Pork Chop with Crispy Brussels Sprouts, Shallots, and Bacon (yummy tummy oh yeah). The Stormy One had the Creekstone Farm New York Strip with Crispy Potatoes with Smoked Paprika Aioli (she seemed to be pleased te he he).

With our hungry satiated, we headed uptown to meet up with Miss Scorsese at Cafe Lalo for dessert. We laughed while The Stormy caused trouble for the clearly flustered waitress.

S

Per usual, Cafe Lalo had a packed house

Sunday:
After church, Chi-Town Stepper and I made the now traditional Sunday stop at Tonnie's in Harlem for cupcakes. But this time, not for myself (Ok I bought and ate 2 before making it down the block). The main purpose of my stop was to pick up a couple of cupcakes for a friend's bday.

The 3 of us headed to the Upper Westside to check out "Our Family Wedding" (trust me, you can wait until the dvd comes out) and then grabbed burgers (turkey w/ mushrooms for me, beef for them) at a spot on Columbus Ave.

And that my friends, was my weekend void of anything remotely responsible in terms of productivity. But I welcomed in spring with open arms!!!!!

Beans and Biscuits

For the past 2 years, I've been on a rather intense journey to get myself in alignment with what I consider to be God's plan for me. Deeming this period of life one that requires immense concentration, I've sometimes left myself blind to the things going on with people I'm not intimately close with. Two such people would be Beans and Biscuits*.

Continue ruminating...

Wednesday's Woman: Russatta Buford

In the previous post, I thanked Mr. Tyler Perry for his commitment to advance worthy causes. I'm proud to say that for the inaugural posting of Wednesday's Woman I can feature my friend Russatta Buford. I met this petite powerhouse 2 years ago and I've been impressed and influenced by her dedication to serve ever since. She is resolute in her desire to make her community better by her presence and her sincerity of service is commendable. Russatta's philanthropic work was highlighted last month in O, The Oprah Magazine in a Covergirl feature. 

I asked Russatta to ruminate on what that experience and service meant to her. Here's what she had to say...

Weekend Excursion: 7 Train Pt. 1

Yeah yeah, I know it's Valentine's weekend and most folks are posting about romantic plans and cute gifts, but that's not what I'm blogging about this weekend. As I am one of millions of single women without a beau to celebrate the weekend with, it doesn't mean that my weekends have to be sad and bland. While it would be nice to have a fella of interest in my life right now, I refuse to allow myself to sit and collect dust until he comes. Instead, I'll enjoy the company of good girlfriends and spend time doing things that I enjoy. It all makes me a more interesting catch anyway.

One of my goals for 2010 is to explore more of the local area. Many Manhattanites tend to resist the thought that there is life outside of this tiny island. And as such, rarely venture out of it to explore the other boroughs, unless accidentally or coerced. The New York metropolitan area actually has lots to offer with many diverse and culturally rich neighborhoods and towns. Last month, the Tiny Tyrant and I decided to explore Queens by way of the 7 train.

Check out the slideshow to learn more about our travels.



If you can't see the captions, click on the quotations symbol on the bottom of the slideshow. Or, you can doubleclick the slide show to just go straight to the album and view it that way.

The Gratitude Exchange

This past Saturday, The Ladies got together for a gratitude exchange. This was our postdated Christmas gift exchange. Why so late? Because most of us aren't from NYC so, we weren't all in town on Christmas Day. What's a gratitude exchange and why do it? Glad you asked. A gratitude exchange is when instead of store bought gifts, you give something homemade from the heart that symbolizes your appreciation of that person.

The gifts were thoughtful and very creative. The exchange included free make-up sessions, coupons for an excuse-free workout, a progress report on personal evolution, poetry, a music video, proclamations of promises, complimentary chef services, and a cookbook of favorite foods.

Before the exchange, the Bronx Bomber requested that we take communion first. Now for some of you, this concept of communion at home maybe unfamiliar, but in Biblical times, folks didn't have churches as they do today (and the very 1st communion held certainly wasn't in a church) to partake in this act of gratitude and acceptance of grace. Besides, where ever two or three are gathered...

 

Going the extra mile, or simply walking in excellence depending on your POV, BB lovingly made unleavened bread at home as representation of Christ's body and brought the good Welch's grape juice for the blood. 

To sum up the evening in one thought I'd say: Gratitude is love manifested.