A little CT in Richmond....

Last night was such a treat to see one of our dear friends from CT, Monte! He flew into town for business and we got to have dinner with him and some of his Uof R friends as well. We had such a blast and it was so much fun catching up with him.

Looking forward to more visits from you Monte!

The Perfect Preppy Pant

When I was in CT this weekend I saw the perfect pair of men's pants for the summer. I can just picture how awesome these would look memorial day weekend or on the 4th of July - ohhh I just love them!

Got to love the Lobsters and Whales

Weekend Home

Both RBD and I grow up in CT, so we loving coming home to see friends and hang out at our old hot spots. This weekend we had to focus on some wedding items but we still got to do some of our favorite things while we were home....

 

I got to see my Darien Girls

 (AA is missing in this pic but she's taking it)

I went to my favorite bagel shop in Darien

Upper Crust Darien

How good does this look - yumm!

We walked around Rowayton

I love this town!

We said our final goodbye's to RBD's house in Rowayton.

His parents moved to Singapore and his family house finally sold :(

Although, I am excited to visit Singapore!



The cake tasting was really fun.

We got to eat endless amounts of cake!

YUMMY!

We can't wait for our next trip home!

Aloha!!!

RBD, Bayley and I received an amazing package today from my cousin MK who lives in Hawaii. She was so thoughtful in sending us Hawaiian snacks/goodies and best of all organic Hawaiian dog treats for Bayley!

I had to try the Sakura Arare snacks - they were de-lish!

Elite Jerky for Bayley

Thank you MK for thinking of us and sending us these wonderful goodies - Love you!

Gingham on my mind

I've had Gingham on my mind for the past 3 months now with planning our wedding. RBD and I are trying to incorporate something Gingham into the men's attire and we're trying to find the perfect look for our special day. Well....while my eyes seem so attracted to the whole gingham look, I found these amazing pair of Gingham Christian Louboutin...ahhhh - YES PLEASE!

Sonietta Cotton Gingham Ballet Flats $495

Summer wardrobe essentials

Last summer was my first summer down here in VA and let me tell you - it was hot! So this year I'm putting my thinking cap on for some summer essentials that will keep me cool during those hot summer months. Keep in mind, you don't always need to splurge on day dresses. I found this cute Sun Dress on Forever 21 for $15. Check it out....

You can never go wrong with a light weight, bright colored sun dress in the 100 degree heat!

Dog's do the darndest things!

My whole life I've grown up with cats being our family pet. So, when we adopted Bayley, the whole dog thing was foreign to me. I never realized how much attention they need and how much love and laughter they bring to your life. You can obviously see that I just adore our little Bayley. There are things that she does that just make me laugh so hard....For instance, last night I was trying to do Yoga and she just thought it was the funnest thing ever!

Can we focus on how many toys of hers are scattered in my living room!

She's exhausted after all those downward-facing dogs - ha ha 

Happy St Patrick’s day!

Today got me thinking of our March Cocktail night hosted by yours truly. I'm having a St. Patty's themed night so I need to find a cocktail that will suite the evening. My first thought was a Apple Martini but then I thought....how fun would it be to serve Vodka Limeade Cocktails! I'm still playing with some ideas but right now this idea is top on the list...To Be Continued!!

Wish List Wednesday

As always, I love poking around my favorite go-to websites for cute things to purchase (or wish to purchase). Lately, I've found  amazing MUST HAVES on One Kings Lane. One Kings Lane partners with top brands and designers to give there members insider access to designer décor, entertaining and travel needs, food & wine, fantastic gift selections, and exclusive tag sales curated by today's top tastemakers – at up to 70% off retail. I mean, could you ask for anything better!

OneKingsLane 

Today I found Harry Barker collars on OneKingsLane for Bayley- only $14 - Yes please!

~Love the nautical look~

Sunday Fun Day

Yesterday was such an ideal day for me...

It was 75 degrees - LOVE...

We took Bayley out for a little swim - awww look how excited she is!

Bayley loved going swimming at U of R.....

And I ended my day with a fabulous fruit salad - YUM!

Oh how I love warm weather :)



Madras me PLEASE!

I'm sorry, but how cute would this LLBean Madras tote be for summer?!

This would have to be my payday pick of the week!

Bright Idea

I've always been creative with my living spaces (especially when I lived in New York City) but down here the only space issue seems to be the bathrooms. With all my make-up, hair dryers and products, there was no way RBD and I could split the upstairs bathroom. That being said, I've taken over the down stairs guest bathroom.

I'm completely happy with this arrangement but I hate the fact that my guests would walk into the bathroom and see all my make-up so disorganized! Well, after months of procrastinating on what to do, I thought of a cute way to organize my make-up, brushes etc. so that I wouldn't feel embarrassed if someone needed to use my bathroom. Check out what I did!

Before

The three essential pieces (2 small vases and some clear stones).... and finally

After!

Obsessed!

I've always been the type of person that gets into shows but lately I've been obsessed with Bethany Ever After on Bravo. About five years ago my life turned upside down and my, oh so functional family, turned dysfunctional. I remember talking to my friends and RBD about how complicated life will be with all these changes in my family (and it is). Even till this day, I warn TPT and RBD that it's never a dull moment in the Y household. We all laugh about it but what troupers these men are for sticking with us! Anyway (got side tracked), I just love how this show makes me laugh out loud. After the crazy two days I've had, I couldn't have asked for a better show to watch last night. Thank you Bethany for making my dysfunctional life, seem functional!

Click here to see a funny clip from Season Two!

A year to remember

This past friday, Chip and I celebrated a year of being engaged. We thought it would be a fun to celebrate since you typically forget the date you get engaged once you're married. The best part was, I didn't even remember that we got engaged in March, RBD had to remind me! That was a first - haha. Anyway, after this weekend, I realized how lucky I was to be marrying RBD. xoxo

RBD  +  ALY

It's that time of year again!

Oh, what joy this brought me when I arrived at work today. Just the sight of these colorful boxes made me smile (and my tummy rumble). Are you dying to know what I'm talking about? ha ha. Well, it happens once a year, you can never get enough of them and every flavor is TO DIE FOR! Yup, I'm talking about.....

GIRL SCOUT COOKIES!!!

I seriously live for these cookies and can't wait to open my first box tonight. YUMM :)

What's your favorite Girl Scout Cookie?

Deep Breath

These past few days have been insanely busy for me. Now that my wedding is almost 5 months away (in CT mind you) my days, nights and weekends have been consumed with planning a long distance wedding. Oh, and on top that I have a full time job! Ugh. On a positive note, my best friend Kiki (maid of honor) finally got her bridesmaid dress in and it looks AMAZING. I kindof took a chance on these dresses (not really seeing the full look before they purchased them) and they turned out fabulous - phew. With all this being said - I need some zen time to regroup and focus on enjoying this time of planning and celebrating. And with that, this will be me tonight.....

And maybe a glass of wine :)

Wet Dog

Last night, Bayley and I got caught in a torrential downpour on our little run after work. She was absolutely soaked and all I could smell was wet dog - ugh! Well, thanks to my (soon to be) mother in law ESD, we had Kiehls to the rescue! Their doggy Spray-n-play cleansing spritz is amazing for getting rid of that damp dog smell. I even tend to spray her with it every couple of weeks just to give her a fresh smell and to keep her coat nice and clean. The best part is - even Bayley loves it....

Kiehls  Spray-N-Play Cleansing Spritz

 

We even use the Kiehls Cuddly-Coat Grooming Shampoo

Look at how shiny my wet coat is after using Keihls!