Room for ONE (ok Two)!

Most of my friends grew up with a knowledge of the Plaza Hotel, thanks to Home Alone 2 and the Eloise series. Many imagined what it would be like to "make their families disappear" and stay there alone for a week or even move into the penthouse with all of their pets... I, for one, never outgrew this dream. I feel like the older I get, the more it's intensified- I. Must. Live. In. The. Plaza.

Now, a few things make this tricky, like the fact I live in Oklahoma, or that I think you need to have a couple Mil in the bank in order to dwell in the Plaza residences. But even with a few hurdles in my way, the dream lives on.

Last month when Mr. King and I flew through the Big Apple, we kept our priorities straight and landed right on the steps of my beloved hotel first thing in the morning after we arrived. Since my last trip, the hotel has added glorious shopping and the most amazing eatery to the basement- the TODD ENGLISH FOOD HALL.

Think Harrod's, but American. It's fabulous. Counter after counter of Macaroons and Espresso and Sushi and a lot of cuisine that was flat out too advanced for my palate. 

I mean, we ate cake for breakfast (because why not) that was made of layer upon layer of strawberry crepes.

So eventually we remembered we couldn't spend our entire weekend there, so we did check out the shops, lobby and tea room. It's all so enchanting- the tea room is lined with memorabilia from some of the most famous guests. I could have spent an entire day exploring!


Why Yes, this is the Eloise shop there.
Can I live here? It's dreamy and magical and designed for 8 year olds. But who's counting?

New York State of Mind

One of my dearest high school friends is getting married this fall in Pennsylvania, and Mr. King and I decided to swing on through NYC on our way back to the midwest... because why not! So he and I have been making to-do lists of what all to CRAM into our 48 hours of adventure. We are both excellent at packing a lot of fun into a little timeframe, so if our list seems a bit far-fetched, than it is perfect!

My Top 10 Stops to Hit in 48 Hours:

1. Central Park: Including a Carriage Ride, a stop at the Plaza and FAO Schwarz, to play the huge piano from one of the best movies of my childhood, BIG.

2. Hillsong NYC- We can't wait to visit a service and see for ourselves how cool a church in the heart of Manhattan can be. 

3. TIMES SQUARE- you can't not go to Times Square! We have both been before, when we were much younger. Can't wait to check it out together.

4. Dylan's Candy Bar! This. Is. My. Dream. Company. Too bad Dylan Lauren beat me to the punch... It also doesn't hurt that her Dad is Ralph Lauren, so all in all the girl has a few things going for her. 

And this? A candy wedding? My mom is thanking her lucky stars I didn't know this existed when I got hitched.

5. Ground Zero / World Trade Center Memorial. And yes, of course I will cry! I have heard that the memorial is an awesome tribute to the people who died and the amazing heroes who saved a lot of lives.

6. New York Pizza

7. Dessert at Serendipity! Only one of the best movies ever, and I LOVE the scenes where they get Frozen Hot Chocolate. Yum and Yes. 

^ ^ Is that real life? 

8. A hop, skip and a jump down 5th Avenue- In case the Mister wants to buy me a cute Tiffany trinket, like a yellow cabbie necklace! Now, if only Holly GoLightly could be there!

9. The Theater, perhaps? When we were in Londy, we saw Les Mis and it is obviously life-changing. we may have to take a trip to "Give Our Regards to Broadway"......

10. And finally, Crumbs & Magnolia, two renowned cupcake bakeries. 

Because our vacations are spotted with treats and dishes- Why not! We're going to do a lot of walking, too!

Hart of Dixie- Mindless TV Bliss

A new show started this season, and I can honestly say I am hooked. It's not wildly popular (yet), but I find it to be totally enjoyable. It has all the elements needed for a great show to get sucked into:
1. Great characters & casting
2. Quick dialogue and quips - a lot like Gilmore Girls in that regard
3. Strong Southern, Country soundtrack
4. Multiple love triangles on the Reg
5. Just enough drama to shed a few tears or laugh out loud without making me think too hard.

You should give it a whirl. Plus, if you loved the OC as much as all my friends, just seeing Rachel Bilson on a weekly basis will feel like home again.

Georgia Peach on my mind

Some of my favorite items for Spring come in the Peach family hue. If you don't currently own anything in this lovely shade... branch out!

If you're going to run....

You might as well have all the right gear to make it pretty! 

Here are a few favorites I thought I'd pass along. 

Not that I'm a Pro, but I've learned a few pointers this year!

1. Cute Work Out clothes are a MUST! You are much more likely to 

put it on (and subsequently work out) if you like your work-out wardrobe. 

2. If you're running long distances, keep some kind of energy 

block/goo/bar on you! My energy supplement of choice- Clif Shot Bloks- 

especially in Tropical Punch. 

3. Good socks are vital to keeping your feet from feeling like they 

will fall off at any second.

My bff got me hooked on Feetures. Give them a shot.

4. Chewing gum while you run keeps your mouth from getting dry and 

keeps you from feeling too thirsty...

Under Armour activewear shorts
$30 - dickssportinggoods.com

Falke socks
$45 - net-a-porter.com

NIKE activewear top
$45 - nike.com

NIKE activewear pants
$32 - nike.com

Saucony athletic shoes
$45 - dsw.com

Hair accessory
$20 - modcloth.com

Not for the Faint of Heart

I've played sports my whole life- never been serious about it, it was mostly for the recreation, work-out and cute uniforms. I like to stay in shape but usually a handful of crunches in front of the TV counts as aerobics to me... Fast forward to 2012, when two of my closest gals and I committed ourselves to running a half marathon! Wait, what? Why on earth would we do that? I am not sure we know the answer to this, even now. But this past weekend, sure enough, we ran the Go! St. Louis Half Marathon downtown in the Lou. Wow. All I can say is- we survived! and it felt so good to actually accomplish something that took serious planning and hard work. Too often my goals are tiny and with minimal effort and time commitment, I can check them off my list. Not so, with this whole running thing. Crossing the finish line made us feel like champs. Immediately after we finished and I was in major pain, I swore I would NEVER do it again. It's been a few days, and like the Biebs says, never say never. After I recoup and give my legs a few days to rest, I can't wait to put a (short) run in!

who doesn't love DIRT?

This morning I have been thinking about how much girls love having info (AKA DIRT).. on other people's lives, situations, secrets, etc. Why oh why do we crave information that is altogether unrelated to our own lives? I am not exempt from this quality- I mean really. Someone explain to me why a friend of a friend's prego photos are online and I care to see them! Wow! I don't even know that person! With the onslaught of social media like Facebook and Twitter, we now feel involved in other people's business that we would never know about if it wasn't for the web. But we continue to gather information- pointless information- about people, like their grocery shopping experience, their reaction to a fight, their opinion on the Bachelor. It is such a waste of time to gather this information about people we don't even know, when we have dozens of people directly connected to us that we could be getting closer to in person!

I recently read a blog by a woman in ministry, and she ended her post with:

"I hope today you will take a second to love the little things about the people closest to you."

And it dawned on me- It's okay to be interested in other people and their situations!

IF....

I'm interested in the healthy and thriving parts of a person's life, and if I really know them.

And that is a quick and cutting dividing line. But take a second and look- what stories/tweets/posts are you drawn to? Does a sign of drama cause you to investigate? Does someone's crazy predicament have you gathering any available information and wondering about all the variables in the story? And even worse... do you get a teensy bit of satisfaction when you are RIGHT about your suspicions?

So this is my new mission. In conversations and online, I am going to seek out the positive conversations and celebrations of the people I know and care about. I am not going to look for the dirt because that is just sad. Plus, it is way more fun and interesting to learn exciting and special things about people anyway. Weddings, Babies, Engagements, Birthdays, Parties, Graduations- those are wonderful and happy and worth knowing about. And beyond that- there is nothing more fun than learning something new about someone you love. The small, the silly, the insignificant-those qualities are what endears us to our friends and family. So dig up something sweet or special about someone today that you think you know like the back of your hand.

Here are a few small things about a few people I love:

1. My mom knows every single flower's name and how it takes sun, water, everything. I really love this about her.

2. My hubby got voted Most Mischievous in middle school. This is absolutely no shock to me.

3. My cousin Cath is the most creative person I know & wants to one day open a taco shop on the beach called the Rusty Bucket. Noone steal that.

4. My dad was pre-law and a paralegal when he first married my mom. When he told me this when I was little, I thought this meant he used to have no legs and that amazed me. He still amazes me all the time!

5. My sis Meg almost ALWAYS changes her original order in a restaurant. 90% of the time. It's always funny and expected to the rest of us.

6. My bro-in-law used to keep pet lizards and snakes in kitchen cabinets.

7. My little bro was a huge baby- over 10lbs! They had to break his collar bone to deliver him.

8. Late at night my sister and I get the sleepy sillies together and alternate between laughing and crying from minute to minute. Ask our brother- I think he is still learning how to handle it.

9. My sister, brother & I had a make-believe pet sheepdog for several years and would talk to him (Philip) like he was in our house. Parents never got us a sheepdog- fail.

10. We called our niece Cupcake before she was born, and now at 2 years old, her favorite food hands-down: Cupcakes.

A New Year's Resolution

Here is my list of resolutions for 2012:

1. Be happy every day (because why not? life is good)

2. Read at least one new book a month (fiction, faith, autobiographies, the lot of em!)

3. Run my first half marathon (help me Ronda!-and subsequently be in my best shape)

4. Wear more fur (Don't be casual everyday just because I can)

5. Paint my nails every week (because I'm 25 & nail biting is for babies)

6. Be kind to everyone I meet (Learn my Baristas' names)

7. Plan more adventures with Mr. King (Surprise trips, dates and being more thoughtful during the work week)

8. Be a really good friend (and make new ones too)

9. Laugh a lot (over any and everything, especially the silly and the stressful)

10. Try new things (recipes, hobbies, vacay spots, music genres, etc!)

11. Trust God (with the in's and out's of our life, not to mention dreams and hopes)

12. Go out on a few limbs (for people and opportunities)

The older people get, usually the more rigid they become.

That's why I have decided this year, the year of 2012, I am going to get younger and more flexible!

Laugh more, forgive more, venture out more, and

worry less.

Cheers, 2012!