Brunch in the Big Apple

This weekend I took a mini vacation with one of my best friends (and Phi Mu little sister) and Brett to New York City. After a *very* chilly first day, we were able to have a fantastic day on Saturday beginning with a delicious brunch at The Kimberly Hotel Rooftop.

If you’re acclimated to the lifestyle of NYC (or DC for that matter) you understand brunch is a big deal to all of these northern city folk, and it’s quite a fun time. I highly recommend The Kimberly as a brunch spot if you’re in the city. As some of you may have seen in my excited Instagram post, it was fantastic to be offered french fries alongside eggs, french toast and waffles. We had a reservation for noon and the rooftop wasn’t nearly as crowded as a vast majority of the brunch spots in NYC. Also, as you can see from the photos, the hotel offered a beautiful view, and had a gorgeous salt water fish tank. We honestly spent a good ten minutes just treasure hunting through all the beautiful fish and anemones.

Look out soon for more posts from our New York trip, and the upcoming history post of the week. It’s a bit different than what you may normally see on the blog, featuring a former high-fashion model (who will remain anonymous) and her experiences in the industry.

Found Nemo!

Refocusing on Things You Love

Towards the end of high school and all throughout college, I worked on a bit of a small hobby for me, cake decorating. I genuinely loved it. (Not so much the baking part) I would prefer someone to bake a delicious cake and make scrumptious icing then pass it off to me to make it beautiful. My first encounter with this hobby was when a close friend of mine was making a wedding cake for a teacher in our school system, which she allowed me to help her with. Under her tutelage I started working more and more on my own to perfect my skills and created cakes for banquets, birthdays and even participated in a bake off competition. PSA: I CERTAINLY am not at the level of cake boss or any other television star, and in fact haven’t made a cake in years. However, after strolling down memory lane with a friend a few days ago, I’ve decided to give it another go, and will soon be returning to one of my passions. I think it is important that we remember the things that we truly love to do and not get so caught up in work or school that we are no longer getting enjoyment out of life. Stop, take a step back and evaluate the things that you used to love doing, and make a plan to at least dabble in that activity this week. I’m sure you won’t regret it.

This is the first cake I ever helped to decorate

And this was the first cake I ever made on my own, it was a bit random and experimental

I made this cake for one of my very best friend’s 17th birthday party (SO long ago!)

This cake was one of my personal favorites, and the first I was ever compensated for. It was for a Pre-Legal Honor Society Banquet

I loved the tiny baby feet we created for this baby shower cake

And this was the last cake I decorated, my Junior year of college. I made it for a fraternity’s philanthropy, and it was definitely both a fun and rewarding experience