Pals + Pastels

Look where I am! Or was, rather. I was lucky enough to be able to spend the weekend with Kate! I'm so glad we finally had the chance to meet, and I had an absolutely lovely time hanging out with her and her family. Living in the digital age definitely has its pitfalls, but it's pretty amazing when an internet friendship translates so well into real life. Also, her room is just as dreamy in person as it is in her photos! I definitely need to step up my decorating game.

I also got to meet Arrietty, which was quite a treat!

Since Kate and I both own this dress, she had the great idea of taking some photos in our matching outfits. We headed over to a nearby park with some beautiful gardens, and we even tried our hand at some jumping photos (my first attempt ever!). 

Outfit Details

Bernie Dexter dresses: ModCloth (similar style here)

My flats: Aerosoles (similar)

Kate's shoes: B.A.I.T. Footwear

On Friday, Kate was kind enough to accompany me to go see a friend from college in his production of Rock of Ages, and I ran into some other college friends while there. The show was great, and it was nice to see all of them. On Saturday, I met up with my two closest friends from school, and we had the most wonderful lady teatime date I could ever imagine. We had a delightful lunch at Alice's Tea Cup (consisting of peach tea, triple chocolate + lemon blueberry scones, and curried chicken salad sandwiches), and I haven't laughed so hard in quite a long time. The weather was perfect, we did some window shopping and walked through a street fair... it was pretty much the perfect afternoon. Oh, and Kate and I saw Shaun the Sheep at an awesome movie theater (with the comfiest reclining chairs you can imagine), and it was such an adorable movie and everyone should go see it immediately.

There are times where I still get a little sad going into the city. I tend to be prone to nostalgia, and I have a lot of memories of New York, both good and bad. I spent a lot of time in the city in college, and it simultaneously feels like ages ago and just yesterday. I haven't remained close with that many people from my time there, and sometimes I feel like a failure because I'm not currently living there (and am frankly really intimidated by the prospect of moving back). I'm also reminded a lot of my previous relationship when I'm there, and sometimes still fear that I'll run into my ex; as unlikely as that seems in such a big place, I always bump into someone I know, so it wouldn't be unheard of. Maybe most of all, being in New York reminds me of how much time has passed since I lived there, and how I'm not the same person anymore. Ultimately, I think that's a good thing, but I still don't know if it's really the place for me or not. I think I'd regret it if I didn't find out for sure. And luckily, I do have some wonderful friends in the area – both old and new – with whom I'm still close, and that brings me a lot of joy, even in times of uncertainty.

Have a great day!

New York, New York

Although the temperatures are slooooowly warming up a bit, the snow here is still up to my knees (which makes it very difficult to take outdoor outfit photos)... so I thought this was as good a time as any to share some quick snaps from my weekend trip to New York!  If you follow me on Instagram, you've probably already seen a few of these, but I didn't post a lot of them.

When we arrived in the city, we checked into our hotel, ducked into a Scottish pub for a bite to eat (where I had one of the best crab cake sandwiches of my life), and made a quick stop at the Disney store in Times Square.  They had all of this gorgeous Cinderella merchandise out, in anticipation of the new movie (which I must see!).  After freshening up back in our room, we headed out to meet my roommate from college for Thai food and to see A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder.  I'd been wanting to see it since I saw them perform a number on the Tony's last year, and we ended up getting $35 tickets up in the highest balcony.  The show was really clever and silly and fun, and it was wonderful to catch up with Caitlin.

The next morning, we met up with my cousin Madeline for a leisurely brunch at Sarabeth's.  Madeline is more like an aunt to me, and I hadn't seen her in quite some time, so being able to spend time with her (and feast on breakfast goodies) was a treat!

After brunch, we did some shopping!  One of the highlights was getting to visit the Tatyana store.  I have a few of their pieces, but it's such a lovely experience to shop with them in person.  I ended up getting a very pretty (albeit summery) polka dot dress that I'm excited to wear.  Spring, hurry up!

This dress is definitely on my wish list!

After shopping, we headed over to Dough (a donut shop I've followed on Instagram for quite some time) to indulge.  I was bummed that they didn't have any chocolate earl grey or blueberry donuts available, but I settled for lemon poppyseed and toasted coconut.  They were scrumptious and huge!

After picking out our donuts, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the trip's main purpose: to see John Cameron Mitchell in Hedwig and the Angry Inch!  Hedwig has been my favorite musical since I was in the 8th grade.  My only tattoo is taken from the movie, my senior thesis in college was centered around the show, and I played Yischak in a production I produced at the Rochester Fringe Festival a couple of years ago... so essentially, I'm a total Hedhead.  I was thrilled when I heard it was coming to Broadway last summer, but I told myself that I wasn't going to see it until John Cameron Mitchell (the creator/writer/originator) stepped into the role.  No offense to Neil Patrick Harris, Andrew Rannells or Michael C. Hall, but JCM is and always will be the definitive Hedwig to me.  My mom got us tickets as part of my Christmas present (seriously, how cool is my mom?), and I'd been counting down the days ever since.

I've seen productions of the show a few times (and I've seen the movie more times than I can count), but this was mind-blowingly incredible.  It's my absolute favorite theatrical experience, hands down, and I'm still thinking about it -- that's how good it was.  I went into it being very familiar with the material, but there were so many surprises, and I was just astounded by John Cameron Mitchell's talent, energy and honesty.  I'll never forget seeing it.  If you get the chance to go (especially before he leaves the show at the end of April), DO IT!   

Outfit Details:
cardigan: ModCloth // skirt: Kohl's // purse: Betsey Johnson // brooch: Tatty Devine // tights + hat: old
(I felt very clever with my (midnight) radio purse and Spinal Tap-inspired brooch!)

We flew back home the next afternoon, but before we left, we met up with my aunt and cousins (from the other side of my family) for tea at Alice's Tea Cup.  It was a bit chaotic, but so nice to catch up with them and to see my little cousin, who just turned two.  There was entirely too much food, but it was all lovely.

Outfit Details:
dress: Lady Vintage (similar) // cardigan: Trashy Diva // brooch: ModCloth

We fit a lot into just a few days, and it was definitely nice to get out of Rochester for a little while.  Even though it was cold in the city, they don't have mountains of snow like we do!  It's so easy to feel stuck in a rut in the wintertime, so shaking up my routine for a weekend was great, too.  Being in the city all the time is kind of stressful (my mom gets really anxious there, and I pick up on that very easily), and I'm still trying to figure out whether I want to move back (or live outside the city), or just go somewhere else completely.  I haven't decided yet, but it was nice to get back there again.  I have some time yet to figure it out.  Until then, visiting is always a fun option!

Have a great day!

xox Sammi