Weekend in New York City

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Growing up in New Jersey meant that New York City was always a quick train ride or drive away. I was lucky to be able to make the trip at least once a year to sight see, walk around Central Park or see a show. You would think that after all of this time that I would grow bored of the City but that is the amazing part of New York City – there is always something new to see or do!

For my birthday, Jake got me tickets to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child along with a booking us a room at a nice hotel room so we could enjoy a long weekend in the city. What was nice about getting a hotel room was that we didn’t have to rush to see it all and got to have a place to go back to during the day to rest. I thought I would write up what we did over our long weekend in New York City because we tried to avoid doing the major touristy things and have a relaxing weekend.

FRIDAY

We took Amtrak into New York and were able to get really affordable tickets because we planned so far in advance. Since we were staying for the weekend, we took a 10am train so it was nice to get the extra sleep and not have to wake up super early like we usually do! After we got into NYC, we went to the hotel to drop off our things. Since Jake does a lot of traveling to New York for work, he has stayed at numerous hotels in the city so he was able to find a really nice hotel for us. We stayed at the Knickerbocker Hotel and everyone who worked there was so nice and friendly! We had planned on walking around the West Village before our dinner reservations at 7pm at Serra at Eataly but it was raining pretty hard by the afternoon. We ended up grabbing a late lunch at one of the food stations at Eataly. We both got pizza and a glass of wine to kill some time before our dinner reservation and stay out of the rain! The seating was limited so we sat at a counter that overlooked where they made the bread and it was fun to interact with the staff and see behind the scenes of the bakery. We made our way back to the hotel to nap a bit before dinner and then make our way back to Eataly for our dinner reservation. Everything on the menu is delicious and definitely get the cheese board! They turn the rooftop into a themed restaurant. In the summer, they have greenery everywhere and the ceiling is removed so you can dine outdoors. We were there when they were changing over from winter greenery to spring greenery but it was still really nice!

SATURDAY

We had tickets to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway and we knew it was going to be a long day since the play is in two parts. We slept in and took our time getting ready to head to the show because our hotel was only two blocks away from the theater. After the first part of the show, we grabbed lunch at The Counter in Times Square. Usually I am anti any restaurant in Times Square because it’s crowded and filled with tourists. The Counter however was amazing and the food was so good! We were able to sit down right away at the counter and had a good chat with the waiter. I try not to eat red meat because it doesn’t agree with my stomach but I have to say, that was probably the best burger I ever had! The staff was really friendly and we didn’t feel rushed which can sometimes happen in restaurants. It was the perfect break in between parts of the show and from there we headed back to the theater. The show was SO GOOD and a must see for any Harry Potter fan out there. After the show, we went to one of Jake’s favorite places to go when he goes to New York for work, Virgil’s BBQ. We definitely went back to the hotel full and ready for bed after a fun filled day!

SUNDAY

It was our last day in New York and luckily the weather was amazing! We checked out of the hotel at noon and were able to leave our suitcase with them while we did some walking around. We had coffee at Ralph’s Coffee which was on my to do list for a while now. There was a little bit of a wait for a table but not bad. I was also pleasantly surprised how affordable a coffee and croissant was! It was a short walk to Central Park so it was nice to walk and enjoy the warm sunshine! It was definitely a trip with a lot of eating so it was nice to get some walking in to burn it all off. Since I had never been, Jake took me to Serendipity 3 for an ice cream sundae to finish the trip. We did some window shopping as we made our way back to the hotel to pick up our suitcase and then made our way to the train station.

It was so nice to have a relaxing trip giving us enough time to see a show, walk around and try new restaurants. We have already made plans to visit again next Spring to do some more exploring!

So What Do You Want To Do?

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It’s a question I’ve been getting asked a lot lately and I keep asking myself the same thing because I don’t really know. For a while I did some deep thinking about what I want to do but I couldn’t really think of anything that inspired me. What I want is to wake up in the morning and be excited to go to work. It’s something that I haven’t experienced in a while and I did a brain dump of what causes me stress and what makes me excited about a job. I found this really helpful to see it written down on one page because it helps me look for certain words in the job description and avoid ones that I knew didn’t bring me joy.

I remember feeling confident walking into my office at my first job after graduating college. I was able to multi-task and take on more work than was expected. After just a few months of learning procedures and the day to day, people referred to me as the go-to person and relied on me to have the answers. There were days that I stayed at work late because I didn’t want to go home because I enjoyed getting work completed. Over time, the job got easy and with my free time I realized how isolated I was being alone in my office all day. There were busy days during the summer season but the winters were long and it made me realize how isolated I was.

I left that comfy desk job with normal hours to work in retail because I could not sit at a desk answering phones for much longer. Those 9 hour days flew by and I didn’t mind the weird shift hours. The job was the right amount of repetitive that I felt confident going into work because I knew what to expect. I was surrounded by people who were there for stupid questions and encouraged me constantly. Over time, my bosses saw my potential and taught me how to be a leader and learn about store operations. I was being groomed to climb in the company and getting promoted. But those late nights at the store and working on every holiday made me ask if I was going to do this forever? As much as I loved waking up for work every day, even with those 5am alarms for those early morning shifts, working retail isn’t something I could do long term.

Then I was the customer, not the employee behind the register. I was making more money than I could spend and had a prestigious title that my mom loved to tell her friends about. It was a dream job and I was running around all day making things happen. When I was working retail, from the minute I walked in the doors, the repetitiveness allowed me to fold shirts, clean the store and ring up customers at the register without much thought. I knew what I had to do and the days were so busy that I didn’t have time to do much else. Fast forward to my desk job and I would walk into work with a long to do list with 8 hours to get it done. Some tasks seemed daunting and others couldn’t be completed until someone sent me an email so I had to wait with the task haunting me. In the morning, I just wanted to sit at my desk and slowly drink my coffee to start my day. Instead, I spent most of the day overthinking and my to do list only gets longer and longer no matter how hard I try to accomplish it all.

So here I am asking myself what I want to do. If I could describe what I’m looking for, it would be a mix of walking into work feeling confident, knowing what to expect and with fun coworkers. Is there a job out there that has that work life balance we are all looking for? I want to be confident but comfortable with where I am. Is there a way we can wake up early to enjoy our morning before we go to work instead of feeling rushed? Can we go to work to do our job and walk out the door at 5pm with still energy after work to do other things? Or even step away from our desk for lunch with friends without feeling guilty about the work that isn’t getting done…

I came to realize that the dream job is only there if you make it. That work life balance is only there if you put up boundaries. Those relaxing mornings are only there if you go to bed early and set that morning alarm. Create a list of what you need and what causes you to overthink. Find a way to create the life you want because the truth is, it is a lot easier to make it happen instead of creating excuses why you can’t. What do I want to do? I want to be happy and I’m going to find a way to make it happen. I’m just still working on it.

Dermaplaning with Tinkle

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Recently I have been committed to washing my face with all of the right products and moisturizing every day. Still I felt like I needed to do more because of my skin insecurities I did some research and started to read about dermaplaning and its benefits. I exfoliated every night, but still felt like my skin was bumpy. When I used my other skin products they worked but I could feel the rough, dead skin just a few days later. Dermaplaning can be done by a professional or even at home with a special tool. Dermaplaning is a better way to exfoliate the skin to remove the top layer of skin which is usually dead skin and peach fuzz. After doing it just once, I was shocked by how much dead skin and fuzz there was! My skin felt softer for days and since there is no more barrier of dead skin, I know my moisturizers will be able to absorbed by my skin instead of just sitting on the surface.

If you have ever been jealous of people who can wake up in the morning and can go makeup free, dermaplaning is a way to get there! My skincare routine has not changed much except now I dermaplane once a month with Twinkle razors that I found on Amazon. I’ll continue to use exfoliating products at night and use my Foreo when needed with a gentle acne cleanser in the morning. I can notice a change in my skin because it looks brighter and my pores are smaller.

I watched a few Youtube videos to learn how to do it because it seemed too easy to do. Start with a clean face, I like to do it at night after I shower and then use micellar water and a cotton square to make sure my skin is super clean. Then I lightly scrape my skin with the Twinkle razor at an angle. It takes some time to get used to it and remember to work slowly. I focus on the side of my face near my ears because I always have clogged pores there because of my peach fuzz and anywhere else I have noticed bumpy skin. Once I am done, I apply my usual night time moisturizer and I won’t have to do it again until the next month. The good news is that the hair that is trimmed does not grow back thick or black. Dermaplaning is easy to do and doesn’t need much commitment!

How We Use Our Alexa

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We recently got a few Amazon Alexa’s for Christmas and it’s amazing how useful these things are! Sure, I wish I could just say “hey Alexa, cook dinner” or “hey Alexa, fold my laundry” and it would happen but it does help us out a lot in ways we didn’t even realize. It’s nice to have an assistant who is able to set timers, play music, check the weather and answer questions I may have. I usually ask Alexa to do something or answer a question before I take out my phone. You can also sync it to other technology in your house so we can turn on lights, change the temperature and other systems.

How We Use the Alexa in the Kitchen

We have an Alexa in the kitchen and it can hear us tell it to do things anywhere on the first floor which is really nice. While I unload and load the dishwasher or cook dinner at night, I like to have Alexa play music or play a podcast. Without having to waste time on my phone pressing buttons to play what I want, I just simply have to tell Alexa to play. If I’m cooking, it can tell Alexa to set a timer or ask it a question while my hands are dirty. The volume is great and can be heard throughout the entire first floor and even house so I can go from room to room without missing a tune or missing parts of my podcast.

How We Use the Alexa in our Bedroom

We replaced my very old alarm clock from college with an Alexa and at first I was a little nervous with the change. Are we sure it was going to go off? Was it going to wake me up?? I asked Alexa to set my daily alarm for a certain time and she said she would so I went to sleep. The next morning I woke up to a very pleasant alarm and was happy I swapped out the alarm clocks. I was able to create a morning routine with my Alexa so in the morning I have an alarm that goes off, that I usually hit snooze on and then a few minutes later, Alexa gives me the morning briefing. A customizable feature that shares snippets of news stories. I love it because the noise helps wake me up in the morning better than an annoying alarm going off. You can also create a nighttime routine, I’ll have the evening briefing news play at night which is a sign that I should be getting into bed for the night. Sounds silly, but it’s nice to have something to help me stick to my routine. Alexa is growing in what it is able to do. You can also create lists and easily order items by just saying “Alexa, add diet coke to my grocery list” or “Alexa, order paper towels”.

Finance Goals for 2020

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After my new job and moving to a larger house in 2019, my finances this month look very different than how they did January of last year. This year, I really want to focus on saving my money and spending my extra money on vacations and experiences. There are also other things that I want to do this year like cooking at home more, reading more books and spending more time making my house a home. Here are a few things I am doing in 2020 to stay motivated!

  • Set up multiple bank accounts.
    I bank with PNC Bank and I am able to move money easily from my checking and savings and then put money in different savings accounts based on long term and short term savings.
  • Budget Spreadsheets
    I actually got inspired by Jake because he keeps a tally of every bill paid and balances on all of his accounts. I want to track where I spend my money and document my savings goals.
  • Create a Minimum in Checking Account
    I can proudly say that I have never bounced a check because I always keep a thousand dollars in my checking account. Since I know what my monthly expenses, I can have enough money in my checking account and move the rest to my savings. Then once payments start coming out, I will move money into my checking account to keep myself at the minimum.
  • Meal Plan
    We are good at keeping a balance of eating out and cooking at home. So this year I want to keep it going by meal planning and making lists when we go food shopping so we eat in more.
  • Investing with Acorns
    Honestly, I’m not that interested in the investing part more of the savings part. Acorns is an easy easy way to round up your change from every day purchases and a $5 a month goes into an account that is invested. It’s an easy way to put money into savings without realizing that money is missing from my account. I started doing this a few months ago and was amazed how much money was in my account just from round ups!
  • No Shop Months
    Last year I was on a really tight budget and went months without buying something just because I wanted it. It’s been nice to have some extra spending money and now I’m looking forward to having a few months of no shopping challenges.

A Little Bit of Wellness Everyday

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I feel like a lot of people make wellness goals in the beginning of each new year and then they are the ones that are quickly forgotten because they don’t have the time to stick to it. I was one of those people who made a resolution to focus more on wellness in 2020 because my life was lacking it in all aspects and it was really obvious. Before I promised to have a new year, new me, I wanted to explore a little more what wellness really meant for me.

FEELING WELL RESTED

For months I had been hitting the snooze button in the morning and staying up later than I should have. I felt tired all the time and had little motivation to do things after work because I was exhausted. There was once a time in my life that I would fill up my social calendar with things to do and would wake up extra early to spend time getting ready in the morning. I knew sleep was something I needed to work on but what I really wanted to focus on was feeling well rested. I’m guilty of staying up later than I should and my Fitbit would track that I only got an average of 6 hours of sleep most nights. In 2020, I started to set an alarm on my Alexa as a reminder that I should be in bed already and started to follow an evening skincare routine to tell my body that it was time to start winding down.

HAVING A TIDY HOME

It doesn’t matter if you live in a tiny studio apartment or a big house, our homes get messy quickly and it can impact our mood. Jake probably thinks I am insane but I hate going to bed with a messy house. It takes a few minutes to tidy up at night and I like to spend a few minutes putting away clothes and clutter in the bedroom before bed. On Sunday mornings while I wait for my Keurig to turn on, that is when I collect all the cups around the house and run the dishwasher, wipe down the counters and throw out trash that I see. It takes maybe 10 minutes and when I’m done, my coffee is ready! Find a routine that works for you and with a clean home, it’s amazing what it can do more your mood!

DRINK WATER

Just do it. Your skin, hair and body will thank you for it! One trick is if you have a water bottle near you, you are more likely going to drink water! I prefer to drink water while it’s cold with a straw so I fill up my Starbucks cup in the morning and refill it throughout the day.

EAT HEALTHY

My body gets in a funk when I don’t eat my fruit and veggies so I like to stock up at Trader Joe’s every week. Stock up on salad kits, baby carrots, fruit and have them ready to go in your fridge so you can easily have healthy snacks. For healthier meals, I found it helpful to create a menu on Sunday before I food shop so I can plan out healthy lunches or dinners. Pinterest has been really helpful with meal inspiration. You’re more likely to eat healthy if you already have healthy food at home.

PRACTICE SELF CARE EVERYDAY

I mentioned earlier that I like to have an evening skincare routine to help me get ready for bed. Why wait for Sunday night to do a face mask when you can do it every night! I’m wanting to make it a habit to do something for myself every night and not just one day a week. I want it to feel weird if I don’t do something for myself because it’s important to take care of yourself. At night when I shower, I started to actually use some of the gazillion products I have because why wait for a special occasion?

I love to have my nails done and do them myself to save money. For my daily self care, I like to catch up on my reality tv shows and do my nails during a weekday. On the nights that I wash my hair, I like to put on a podcast, catch up on Instagram stories or watch a movie while I blow dry and straighten my hair. Turn the tedious things into something fun!

MAKE PLANS ON SUNDAYS

The same reason you should meal prep on Sundays, make plans with friends for the upcoming week. Even if you have to cancel or can’t commit, put a feeler out and send a text to a friend with your availability. My friends and I all have busy lives and say we don’t see enough of each other, so I want to actually make plans in 2020. Send a few texts on Sunday night and see who is available!