The weekend is here!

Happy Friday, my darling readers! What do you have planned for the next couple of days? Matt and I are taking a photo class together in Central Park (like I said, I'm really trying to learn before my trip!). Here, to get your weekend started right, a few happy posts from around the web:

The perfect spring bouquet.

A NoLita pop-up shop.

Mindy Kaling visits Vogue.

Behind-the-scenes with the New York City ballet.

LOVE The Office Time Machine.

Did you see this jump?

Royal dinnerware.

New word: frostage.

The end of an era.

How to take a staycation.

Wishing my dad a happy birthday today!

(Image via Pinterest)

Spur of the Moment Reading

Over the weekend, I found myself on the Upper West Side — the weather was perfect, and I had no place to be. I stumbled into Westsider Books, a delightful used bookstore, where I planned to browse, not buy. But, while looking through the fiction titles, I came across Heartburn, the first-ever novel written by Nora Ephron, a woman whose writing style I will always admire and adore. The copy was pristine — whoever read and owned the book before treated it with care. I purchased it for a bargain rate and ventured over to Central Park to read. I'm hooked! And also happy to report that I was able to squeeze in another Saturday in the Park before the weather turns freezing cold. :)

What are you reading now? For lots of great book pics, check out Critics & Writers!

New York Road Runner - Take 2

I did it! This weekend, I ran my very first 10K in New York. As a Christmas gift to my dad, I suggested we run a race together in the city. He runs much more than I do, so I figured it was a good way for me to get in shape and enjoy some father-daughter bonding, too. :) It was a success — and such a pretty route running around the perimeter of Central Park. The first pic is of me right before I crossed the finish line; the second is my dad and I post-run. I look a tiny bit tired, don't you think? But so happy to have accomplished one of my 2012 goals!

New York Road Runner

I did it! This weekend, I ran a four-mile race in Central Park to benefit the City Parks Foundation. What an adrenaline rush! As I mentioned Friday, I am a total non-runner so four miles was a huge accomplishment for me. It was such a gorgeous route through the Park — up the East side, beginning at 72nd Street, and down the West side. Even better, after all the rain Saturday night, the sun came out to shine just in time for the 8 a.m. race. Thanks so much to Shalah and Christian for meeting me at the finish line (and for the pretty flowers!). Despite my nerves, the whole experience turned out to be a lot of fun!

Row, row, row your boat

The best way to spend a sunny day in New York? I'll admit, the possibilities are endless, but renting a rowboat from the Central Park Boathouse just might be my new favorite thing to do. Is it touristy? Sure. But incredibly fun? Absolutely. Here are a few photos from my excursion in the Park with Matt. Come on, how else would you have access to these views? Toto, I don't think we're in New York City anymore!

A walk in the park

 

Gorgeous fall weather this weekend, n'est-ce pas? Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

My Weekend

Lauren and I at Wollman Rink in Central Park.

Over the past five years, I have made ice-skating somewhat of a personal tradition. Maybe it’s my country roots — growing up, ice-skating wasn’t just a winter activity, it was a way to socialize. My next-door-neighbor Katie and I used to make elaborate plans every time the temperature dipped below freezing. She had a pond about a half-mile behind her house and, on most winter weekends, we would make our way through the woods (with a fresh thermos of hot cocoa in tow), clear any recently fallen snow off the ice, and skate. We would be gone for hours, coming back at dusk from a day filled with laughter and hard work. (Did you think clearing snow off a pond is easy?)

This weekend, the tradition continued. My friend Lauren was visiting from Connecticut and we made our way over to Wollman Rink in Central Park for a Saturday afternoon of skating and fun. It was a little bit cold outside, but that didn’t matter to us — the sun was out and the rink was packed! It was a great day.