{Happy Friday} Philly, L.A., and Burning Man Prep

I feel all kinds of discombulated, guys. See I've been wanting to tell you a bit about my weekend trip to Philadelphia last weekend, but I've been in Los Angeles this week waiting for A. to arrive tonight so we can prep for Sunday's drive to Burning Man. Too much! But here's a little quick peek nonetheless.

The main reason why we decided to drive down was so A. could see his team, the Dodgers, take on the Phillies and do some exploring while we were there. I hadn't been to the area in more than five years while I was still dating Mr. First and always thought that returning to Citizens Bank Park would bring back memories of attending those games with him. Well nothing bubbled up. I enjoyed the games (the Dodgers won on Saturday and on Sunday I cheered for my former Phillies crush Cole Hamels) and the meandering strolls through the downtown area taking note of the places where our country took shape.

We also enjoyed stumbling upon random art like the buildings along South Street completely covered in hodge podge mosaics that led us to Magic Gardens. Unfortunately for us, it was closed for a private event when we passed by, but the labyrinth is made from a colorful (and somewhat inexplicable) collection of found objects, glass bits, mirrors, and painted tiles. The exterior of this sculpture garden offered so much to take in, I can only imagine what a trip the interior must be.

A. and I then took a little snack break at Tattooed Mom where we snacked on waffle fries, pineapple juice, and Dum Dum lollipops while we cuddle on the couch and wondered what on Earth was going on with the restaurant's window displays.

Sunday found us roaming around early in search for activities and food. See, aside from baseball and lunch with friends at the Continental on Saturday, we really had no itinerary planned. The night before we walked back to our hotel room at the Wyndham, giggling while I tried to follow the sidewalk footprint decals placed outside the National Museum of American Jewish History for its exhibition on Ezra Jack Keats' The Snowy Day. Instead of going back out for drinks and mayhem, we tucked in for the night and enjoyed some bad cable TV (like Catfish!) before falling asleep on two separate full beds. It was bliss and honestly, I don't think I'd be mad if that was ever implemented in my marriage.

For Sunday brunch, A. and I wandered through the Headhouse Square Farmers' Market before sitting down at Bridget Foy's down the block where I ordered this banana and cream cheese stuffed French toast. He chose the white egg omelet with roasted tomatoes, turkey bacon, smoked gouda, and avocado crema.

Okay why is it that no matter what I order or how delicious it might seem, I always end up wanting A.'s dish instead? Without fail! After brunch we hopped on a bus and headed back to the ballpark to catch another game before heading back to NYC and continue the final bits of our Burning Man prep.

So I've been in L.A. for the past three days running errands and gathering the camping supplies we'll need for the week-long trip. Confession: the closer it gets to Sunday the more nervous I'm getting. Not just because it's Burning Man and from everything I've heard and read, it's NO JOKE, but also because I'll be traveling to No Joke Burning Man with my boyfriend. This is going to be one hell of a journey for us and I'm anxious to see how we nurture and help each other when stress and discomforts are flying at us for a week straight. See you all on the other side.

{Happy Friday}

Happy Friday, my little monkeybutts! What are you doing for the weekend? Today A. and I are heading up into the Catskill Mountains for a fall weekend getaway at a cute bed and breakfast. We've been talking about it for two years so I'm glad we're finally making it happen (the fact that I'm currently sick and it's raining won't dampen my spirits). I hope to sleep in, stroll into farmer's markets, and enjoy the changing season. We've started wearing our favorite jackets and cuddling under our duvet and last night, we enjoyed some homemade caramel sauce with apple slices and over vanilla ice cream so I think we got this whole autumn thing locked.

Hope you have a beautiful weekend. Here are a few links I loved this week:

Caramel apple coffee cake.
A simple and sweet costume based on The Red Balloon.
A modernist dollhouse.
Have you ever said these crazy things to your children?
DIY striped notebooks.
A tent for sale!
I want this lamp for myself (or this one that's a bit more mature).
Parcel inspired social icons.
Love letter napkins.
A free art sharing project in San Francisco.

Image: ucreative.com via Roni Dé on pinterest.com

{Happy Friday}

Happy Friday, my tiny monkeybutts! I'm so tired after an hours-long attempt to catch a bus out of Atlantic City and then a four-hour ride back into the city, but we're back and looking forward to some lounging around in bed for the rest of the evening. (I've decided that gambling is just not my thing, by the way.) Are you doing anything interesting this weekend? Tomorrow I'll be taking a family member in from the Dominican Republic to see the Statue of Liberty for the very first time, but we'll be cheating by passing right by on the free Staten Island ferry instead of riding the $17 boat to the monument.

I hope you have a lovely one! Here are a few loved links from around the web:

Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling tells us where good ideas come from.
Happy tat.
How cool are these rubber dipped eco toothbrushes?
United States rubber stamps and another for your adventures.
Imagine walking under a colorful canopy of umbrellas.
A pop-up dinner party in an alleyway. (And here's a dreamy A Midsummer Night themed party!)
I. Want. This. In To Kill a Mockingbird, The Little Prince, or some vintage fairy tale classic please.
Beautiful striped leather card cases.
"Thinking is the enemy of creativity." -Ray Douglas Bradbury
What are your favorite photo editing apps?
Nutella stuffed cinnamon sugar muffins. 'Nuff said.

{Happy Friday}

This week, while quite productive, was a bit of torture because I was suffering from insomnia for a few days straight. I'd wake up feeling so sick and zombified, nap attempts were accompanied by crazy dreams, and it felt like the back of my head weighed a ton. Has that ever happened to you?

In trying to come up with possible reasons for my sleeplessness (hard mattress, tossing and turning, my body becoming more used to my boyfriend's bed, heat, hunger, stress, not powering down before bedtime), I realized how lightening fast I usually fall asleep when I'm at A.'s house. It might sound like a good thing, but falling asleep within five minutes of lying down (like I do when I'm visiting him) is a sign of sleep deprivation. Even when I'm hyped and say "I'm not sleepy! I'm not sleepy! I'm not Zzzzzzzz..." I'm out as soon as my head hits the pillow! I just wish I felt refreshed when I got up in the morning.

I don't know what the underlying issues are, but I finally got a better night's rest last night after taking some NyQuil and a warm shower. Fingers crossed that the next few days continue to be a restful one because we're heading out on our road trip in just one week!Do you have any fun plans coming up?

Hope you monkeybutts have an awesome weekend and enjoy some link love:

Twelve modern beds I could probably sleep way better in.
A list of road trip apps that Dellah sent along to me. (Thanks, lady!)
I found the New York Times 36 Hours travel book for half off at Barnes and Noble!
The perfect cheese platter.
Nora Ephron's lists of what she'll miss and what she won't.
Tom and Katie to divorce while Adele expects her first child.
Ten good and cheap eats in New York City.
Need new calling cards?
Free design tutorials from Nicole's Classes.
A call for recipe + story submissions for an Oh My! Handmade kitchen party.

Image: etsy.com

{Happy Friday}

Happy weekend everyone! The skies opened up today and the thunderstorms have finally brought in a breeze around here. In fact, another downpour is about to begin any minute now...

Stay cool, savor the first weekend of the summer, and enjoy these finds from around the web.

Make stirrers for your summer cocktails.
Three fun ice cube ideas.
A Bakers Stock giveaway. (Love those cupcake liners!)
Make an ombre painted picnic blanket.
DIY Fourth of July tea towels.
Rue's June issue is all about travel and adventure.
DIY rotating goal list. (via Oh, Hello Friend)
Pinwheel inspiration. When was the last time you made one?
An impressive bucket list + "Before I die I want to..."
Dancing Matt is back! Remember his awesome 2008 video? I wish I had his life...

Oh! And there comes the rain! Don't you just love the smell of a summer storm?