Anniversary in Boston Pt. 1

Boston holds a lot of memories and romance for Chris and I. He went to college there and we started dating when we were both in college. We only got to see each other on some weekends, so whenever we visited each other, it was always exciting and special. I went to see him a lot, whether it be by train or with his mom. When we were in the city together, he would show me around to all the places he loved to hang out and eat. We would relish in the joy of being in the company of each other. You know how it is when you're 20 and in love. Now add the long distance aspect to that. You kind of go crazy when you get to see each other for the first time in 2-4 weeks. Anyway...six years later and we are still crazy about each other and still finding ourselves reminiscing in Boston. He is my best friend and I'm so happy to have him in my life. We always have the best time together whether it's in a huge city or in one of our houses.









Chris had no idea we were spending the weekend in Boston for our anniversary. I pretty much just told him he needed the weekend off and that we were going somewhere, but that it was a surprise. He figured it out once he saw highway signs for Boston. In addition to getting an awesome hotel for a pretty great deal through LivingSocial, I also made a list of all the places we both love to eat at and visit, as well as some new places that I had found through my extensive Internet research. I even categorized everything. I basically told him that he could pick anything from the list with the exception of the two things I really wanted to do. Those two things were go to a millennial-themed party at a bar and go to the Downeast Cider House. More on that later, though!











On our first day in Boston (which was on our actual anniversary), we ate at a few of the places that we love including chicken wings (which are more like tenders) at Wing It and cannoli from Mike's Pastry. We also went shopping at Garment District which is an awesome costume and vintage clothing store. The first night is when the millennial-themed party was and it was a BLAST. Chris isn't much of a dancer, but the two of danced all night to songs from the early 2000's as well as some 90's. They played mostly dance songs, but also things like Stacy's Mom. It was so much fun.

Dress: H&M//Sweater: J.Crew (thrifted)//Tights: Apt. 9//Boots: American Eagle//Belt: Forever 21//Lipstick: LORAC Cosmetics

Our hotel was right near the Boston Common, which was nice. We were on the top (24th) floor, so we had an amazing view of the city. We had a small balcony in our room, so we were able to get some good pictures of the view. The room and hotel itself were very nice. We even got sparkling apple cider when we arrived!









I will share more about our second day in a later post!

Literary Lust: Recently Read

Well, I didn't reach my 40 books by the end of 2015 goal, but for 2016 I have a goal of reading 50 books. So far, I am on track! I started off with some depressing (but interesting!) stuff, but then switched it up with some humor and adventure/fantasy to cleanse my literary palette along the way. You gotta have some sort of balance. Here's what I've recently read:


Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series
I read this whole trilogy in less than one month. It was that good. The first two books left on such amazing cliffhangers and I found myself genuinely surprised at the twists that occurred in the books. Ransom Riggs did an amazing job at creating the peculiars' world (or should I say worlds as there were so many different ones within the books)! The series was thrilling and had so many different elements, some that pleasantly surprised me. I liked that I went in thinking one thing and then when I was done with the first book, I came out with a completely different view of it. Also, because it's a YA series, of course there is a romantic aspect to it but I liked that it wasn't mushy and over the top. It was a very realistic and almost subtle romance. It wasn't such a major part of the story, which I liked. I highly recommend this series if you enjoy other adventure/fantasy series like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. It even has a superhero kind of feel to it at times! I am so excited for the first movie to come out this year.

Columbine
Although this is a very depressing topic, this book was exceptionally well done. It was insanely researched and in-depth and incredibly insightful. It not only covers the events of the shooting, but the lives of everyone involved and even the psychology of psychopathy. It was so interesting to read. Dave Cullen spent about ten years working on this book, and it definitely shows. It's truly heartbreaking, and I was tearing up at many parts throughout the book.

Bossypants
I love me some Tina Fey. I think she is one of the funniest writers around. From SNL to Mean Girls to 30 Rock, whatever she writes is pretty much guaranteed gold. This book is no different, and it's even more awesome because everything she is writing about is true. I was legitimately laughing out loud while reading this. It's always fun to read relatable situations and feelings written in such a hilarious and honest way. Yay Tina!

This Is Where It Ends
Yes, this is another school shooting book, though this is a fictitious one. It is a terrifying look inside what can happen during a school shooting. What amazed me is that this whole book takes place in under an hour (which is usually how these tragedies tend to pan out), but there's a lot to it and a lot that goes on between the characters. I couldn't stop reading this once I started, and there were a few times where I had a "holy shit" reaction. It's incredibly sad because you know this unfortunately happens in real life and although the story is fiction, the events are based on reality and that's what makes this book so chilling. I liked the multiple points of view and I also liked the occasional tweets, blog posts, and text messages that were included.

Sleepwalk With Me
If you love Mike Birbiglia's standup, you will love this book. Some of the stories are actually ones that he has told in his acts, but that doesn't make them any less funny. He has always been one of my favorite comedians and I was excited to finally read this book. It will definitely make you laugh out loud.

What are you reading? I always love to hear book suggestions!! :)

Bunny Foo Foo

I had a pretty relaxing Easter last week. I still can't believe it came so early. My family and I went out for a buffet dinner, then went to my mom's cousin's house to hang out and relax. She showed us lots of pictures from her various travels which was really interesting.









Chris got me this dress from Lindy Bop for our anniversary. The second I opened it I knew I would wear it for Easter. It's the perfect springy pastel-y green for Easter and the springtime in general. I knew I would pair it with this light pinkish coral cardigan as well. I had these white shoes for a year and hadn't worn them yet. I am pretty sure I might've gotten them for last year's Easter outfit, but I decided on wearing something else. It was nice how easily this outfit just came together.









I have this Lindy Bop dress in brown, so I knew the dress would fit and look good. I have never been disappointed by anything I've gotten from Lindy Bop, and I've gotten quite a few dresses from them now. I think this makes the 5th or 6th one that I own. I love them so much!! :D I really can only say great things about them. They are really engaging and interactive with their customers via social media too, which I like. I like when a company takes the time to respond to tweets, Instagram comments, and even likes fan photos.

Dress & Belt: Lindy Bop//Cardigan: J.Crew (thrifted)//Shoes: Payless//Lipstick: LORAC Cosmetics

We had pretty nice weather for Easter and then it suddenly got really cold as if we were going backwards in time back to winter. Hopefully it warms up again soon! I'm so behind on my posts. I've been doing lots of weekend trips (I'm writing some of this from DC!) and planning for future ones, so I've been pretty busy! I can't wait to share it all! Oh, and surprise! I dyed my hair dark again. :)