Tomorrow, Tomorrow, You're Only A Day Away

"Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you, tomorrow, you're only a day away!"

Yes I'm singing that Annie song at the top of my lungs because HALLELUJAH ya'll, NO SHOPPING MAY is finally over tomorrow!

Let me just say here for the record... this is my last NO SHOPPING MAY. I'm not saying I won't ever do another monthly shopping ban, but it seems more likely that I'll choose a different month - NO SHOPPING JUNE, anyone?

The reason for the swap? Don't laugh - but I honestly feel like my wallet was HARMED this year by me not shopping. Let me explain: the month of May is seriously filled with some amazing sales. Things I've been wanting or needing or keeping an eye on have finally gone on sale, and I've had to totally miss the boat on snapping them up at a crazy low price - this has happened SEVERAL times this month! The worst part is that many of these items are things that I'm going to be buying eventually, so it's basically like I looked a gift horse in the mouth by not taking advantage of these great sales while I could :(

Oh well. You live and you learn. I made it the whole month, for the third year in a row, and only broke it once... so I'm proud of myself!

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By the way... you can take a look at my "Wanty McWanterson" board on Pinterest to see the MANY items I've been pinning/bookmarking over the past month... you know at least some of those are coming home with me tomorrow!

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend. You know where I'll be.... in the mall! 

Amazing Arizona

Hello friends! Hope you are all having a lovely week!

Let me tell you - it was quite hard to go back to a normal week of work after having that luxurious long weekend off. Especially since we spent four straight days basically doing nothing but laying by the pool and lounging around the hotel in Arizona. #takemebackrightnow #iwanttobeonperpetualvacation

I am seriously already dreaming of the next time we can go back. The Four Seasons in Scottsdale is absolutely breathtakingly GORGEOUS and the staff is so, so nice. Here are some fun pictures from our little getaway!

I took this photo the very first day. Looking at it is making me VERY jealous that my mom is still there enjoying this beautiful view!

Quick snap before heading out to the pool, day 1:

Quick snap before heading out to the pool, day 2. This is the first time I'm actually wearing that ensemble as it's intended... as a cover up! Usually I wear it out at night with a slip underneath :) Haha.

Every day for lunch we ate at the little restaurant by the pool - you know, so we didn't have to take our bathing suits off even for a second! I had the fish tacos every day and they were delish. 

My friend Rachel was in town at the same time as we were... she came up to the hotel one afternoon to swim and lay out and it was lovely to see her :)

We indulged in fancy shmancy drinks while laying on our chaises.... everybody got margaritas and pina coladas but since I don't drink, I got an Oreo smoothie. It was perfection!

We ate at some great restaurants for dinner while we were there - my beloved North, Tavolata in the Four Seasons, and the delicious Cowboy Ciao. At CC we got pork belly and homemade waffles - UNREAL! 

Me and my cute boy at dinner one night:

Before heading to the airport we realized we hadn't taken a single group photo the whole weekend. Behold, the only one we managed to squeeze in... it's actually pretty cute!

Who wants to drop everything and go back to Scottsdale with me?! I know Ram and my sister are totally down. Can't wait for our next trip out there!

Back To The Desert We Go!

Well here's something fun. Today we are heading to Arizona for a family reunion in the desert!

Last year, my beautiful mama took me, Ram, Bay and her boyfriend to Las Vegas for the First Annual Memorial Day Weekend Family Vacation and we all had a great time... so we're doing it again! Can't wait to see my sister - we've been looking forward to this weekend for months.

If you need me this weekend, I'll be here soaking up the sun, swimming in the pool, eating delicious chips & guac, and hopefully getting a sick tan to kick this summer off right! 

Hope you all have a fabulous Memorial Day Weekend!

NO SHOPPING MAY: Preventing Me From Buying Pretty Things Since 2011

Raise your hand if you didn't see this post coming. If all you longtime readers aren't raising your hands I am quite frankly shocked. You're telling me you DIDN'T think I would do at least one post during NO SHOPPING MAY about the items I am currently DYING TO BUY?!

Psh. Of course there would be a post like that. And here it is. I've been bookmarking and pinning and drooling over these items for 23 days now and you better believe I'll be buying some of them next weekend! 

So, without further ado:

ONE: So simple and yet so chic! These Kenneth Jay Lane earrings would seriously go with anything.

TWO: Isn't this necklace gorgeous? I love the contrast between the tortoiseshell and the sparkly pendant. 

THREE: I currently have this brand new Essie color on my nails and I AM OBSESSED. It's called Boom Boom Room, it's a light bright hot pink (basically my favorite color), and I'm ordering it on June 1st I love it so much!

FOUR: Obsessed with these sandals. So sparkly and under $100? NEED.

FIVE: I'm in the  market for a new bathing suit... the combination of J.Crew + pink + stripes is calling my name.

SIX: I have been eyeing these Kate Spade wedges for a looong time and now they're on sale! How could I not?!

SEVEN: Such a beautiful dress. I love the way DKNY fits me and this dress would be perfect for work or play!

EIGHT: My beloved Elizabeth & James sunglasses which I wear every single day are now available in PINK! 

NINE: Sheer, polka dotted, black and white, peplum-ish... Yes, also coming home to live with me. #whydoIevenbotherwithashoppingban 

Looking at this list I can tell you exactly what I'm wanting more of this summer... black & white, sparkly anything, and lots of pink. So basically nothing's new.

I DO have a confession that I cannot keep from everyone - I broke NO SHOPPING MAY for a hot sec while in Santa Barbara! While waiting for R to finish the ceremony rehearsal I had to kill an hour by myself... and lo and behold the only place I could find was an Old Navy. I bought a pair of work pants and a denim shirtdress that I am literally wearing as I type this. I felt guilty the entire time so I had to confess. Hope yall can forgive me - I'm back on the wagon, like it or not!!!

Summer Wedding Season Has Begun!

Summer wedding season has officially begun! This past weekend, we headed up to Santa Barbara to celebrate Rami’s best friend Frank’s marriage to Rachel and a grand old time was had by all :)

We arrived in SB on Friday afternoon, checked into our hotel, and reunited with all of Ram’s friends from Columbia who had traveled in for the wedding. That night we headed out to their wedding mass – Rachel wore an AMAZING feather in her hair and that marked the first time of many times that weekend I cried.

After the ceremony, which was awesome AND only my second time in a church (I was full of questions about the wafer and the sacrament and the Virgin Mary), Frank’s parents hosted a cocktail hour on the roof of an absolutely gorgeous hotel. I made Ram pose for a pic and it ended up being fabulous – total framer!!!

Ram and his bestie, the groom!

On Saturday I was on my own for a bit as Ram had groomsmanlike duties to attend to (including figuring out how to tie his bowtie, a process that I believe took upwards of two hours), so I lounged in the sun, ate some tacos with pals, and got my hair blown out before the big night. Then it was time to head over to the Santa Barbara Courthouse, where the wedding was held on the steps. It was an absolutely gorgeous venue and the ceremony was even more beautiful, especially with their personal vows! I cried through the whole thing... AGAIN.

The beautiful beaming bride coming down the aisle!

After the ceremony ended with some of R’s best gal pals:

My cute groomsman – more framers! #greatweekendforcouplesphotos

Then it was time to head on down the street so the party could get started! The reception was held in a dance hall where the venue is FAMOUS for having the bounciest dance floor in the country. I am not exaggerating when I say when everyone was dancing, I was flying up two feet in the air. It was crazy and awesome!

Also crazy and awesome? The fact that Ram was the MC for the wedding and HE KILLED IT. Couldn’t have been prouder. Everyone loved his jokes and comments and introductions, but nothing beat his own toast… after he spoke, HE PERFORMED A SONG IN SPANISH. A LANGUAGE HE DOES NOT SPEAK. HE LEARNED A SONG IN SPANISH FOR HIS FRIENDS.

Is he cute or what?! I love that man.

The bride loves this picture – the new husband and wife DJ team during the party!

But the fun wasn’t over yet! Sunday morning we woke up and before we headed home, I convinced Ram to bribe the bike shop lady to let us go on a spin around the block on a good ol’ fashioned Santa Barbara SURREY!

It was so fun. I demanded a photoshoot before I would get off the bike. I used to ride these all the time when I was little with the whole fam packed onto one surrey. Memories!

It was a beautiful weekend that I’ll never forget…. I can honestly say that Frank and Rachel are soulmates. I don’t know many people who have that kind of connection with their partner… but they are absolutely amazing together and I have no doubt in my mind they will be together forever. It’s kind of amazing to see. Mazel Tov you guys! So glad we got to celebrate with you!

Some May Shenanigans

Wow. WOW. I honestly did not mean to take a week's hiatus but life got in the way - in the best possible way!

First, so many people asked me how my reunion was. I really did not know what to expect but it was soooo fun! Everyone looked the exact same - with a little less hair on their heads and a little more hair on their faces :) To be perfectly honest, we had planned on "making an appearance" and staying for an hour or so, but we ended up having such a great time that we stayed the entire time!

A group of us met up at my friend Allison's apartment before the reunion for some wine and cheese - she lives literally a block away from the bar where it was being held so that was very convenient! Of course we had to take a little pic before we went - a good thing since it was a billion degrees outside and this was basically the best I looked all night. Ha!

This is the only other picture I took - I was so busy chatting with different folks that I forgot to take any pictures! I also was too busy to eat anything, which is highly unusual :) But after standing for more than a hour near the bar talking and laughing with everyone I needed to sit... luckily a whole table of my girlfriends was right across the way. It was so nice seeing the ones who were in from out of town, and catching up with the ones who I see often/live right around the corner! 

So that was last weekend. And the fun continued a few days later.... Last week there were two Jewish holidays in the middle of the week so my mama and I decided to hop on over to our favorite city for a little Vegas action!

We arrived late Tuesday night. We were staying at Aria so we decided just to eat dinner there rather than running all over the strip, so we went to Julian Serrano for some tapas. It was very good! If you go I recommend the patatas bravas and the goat cheese stuffed dates for sure.

We spent most of Wednesday laying by the pool - it was GORGEOUS, not too hot with a nice breeze. Isn't the Aria pool pretty? We got two chaise lounges right by the water fountains. I couldn't get over what a difference it was being there in the middle of the week, since usually we go for the weekend - so much less crowded! It was so nice!

Pretty mama before dinner at Cut! We decided to change it up a bit and went to Wolfgang Puck's steakhouse Cut in the Palazzo rather than our favorite go-to, Craftsteak. I can write more on this if anyone is interested but it was delicious - probably one of the best steaks I've ever had. I'm happy we finally tried it!

Beautiful butterflies on the ceiling in Aria:

We spent Thursday in the mall - I tried to remain strong during NO SHOPPING MAY and thankfully my wonderfully supportive mother bought me an adorable leopard skirt that I would have been terribly sad to leave behind :)

We got home from Vegas on Thursday night - just in time for me to unpack my bag and REPACK it... because the next morning R and I headed up to Santa Barbara for his best friend's wedding! #somanytrips #ilovetraveling #readytojustlayonthecouch

I'll be back tomorrow with a FULL recap on that, cuz it was awesome. In the meantime I'll just mention that Ram was the MC for the wedding and PERFORMED A SONG IN SPANISH TO THE DELIGHT OF EVERYONE GATHERED. Get excited for all the details tomorrow :)

Ten Years Already?!

I feel like the oldest person in the world. My ten year high school reunion is tomorrow!

Ten years! I almost can't believe it. Ten years is a long, long time and yet, it seems to have passed ridiculously fast. 

My senior year of high school, I was just beginning to discover the person I wanted to be. I knew then that I never wanted to be "normal" - normal was boring! Senior year was when I started finding confidence in myself and all the quirky little things that made me ME. I owned a little Razor Scooter and decorated it with a pink feather boa and a little bell, and scooted through the halls between classes. (I can't believe I had friends.)

Those of you who have known me for years may find it hard to believe that I wasn't always the outspoken, kinda crazy, never-take-no-for-an-answer person that I am now, but that part of me didn't truly surface until college. It wasn't until I was living on my own in another state, hundreds of miles away from home, that I really began to figure out who I was and who I ultimately wanted to become - someone involved, someone hands-on, someone who takes pride in knowing everyone and having everyone know me :) 

I can still remember so many things about who I was at age 17 in vivid detail. I laugh now at the things that used to stress me out - am I going to pass Chemistry!? What if I wear the same dress as someone else to prom?! I remember performing in the schoolwide Purim skit and the day my friends surprised me with "Jordan Day" on a random Tuesday, bringing cartons of ice cream in a little cooler to school so everyone could have some in my honor - it wasn't even my birthday! I remember where I sat at lunch and what I used to bring to eat - a baked potato. So weird that I remember that!

 I even remember the pants I was wearing in the picture above (I'm the one in the black shirt) - turquoise linen Juicy Couture pants! And to think that they were my favorite pants!

Also - you might not be able to tell in that picture.... but in high school I had BLOND HAIR!!! Look at this picture below. I was on Yearbook Committee and Prom Committee and people who were involved got to take a special "Contributors" picture. Can you find me? I'm the blonde in the middle with her head tilted to the side :) (Also you can't tell but I am wearing an Arizona sweatshirt, I had just decided to go there! BEAR DOWN.)

Writing this is making me excited for the reunion tomorrow. I think that a combination of living in the same city as I grew up in and Facebook have made it a little more anticlimactic than the way it's depicted in movies - I pretty much know what lots of people have been doing with their lives for the past ten years. On the other hand I know I've changed in ways that can't be seen or shown through a computer screen, so who knows what surprises I'm in for tomorrow night?

Either way, I know I'm lucky because I'll be surrounded by many, many friends. Not only am I still in touch with most of my high school pals, but I consider some of them to be my very best friends to this day - we see each other regularly and have grown up and changed alongside each other. Ten years is a long time, that's true, but I know that ten years is just the beginning of a lifetime of memories.

So wish me luck as I head back to high school for a night :) I'll be back next week with a recap, I'm sure! 

Sassy Summer Style

Well, one week of NO SHOPPING MAY is officially down. WOO!

Three weeks to go. Of course, as it always is, the moment the clock strikes midnight on May 1st I come across one billion things I want to buy.

I'm holding strong so far but there's a whole bunch of AMAZING statement necklaces that I'm dying to get my hands on. They're not exactly cheap, so I started thinking about the different ways I could wear them. Casual, with cute boyfriend jeans or black skinny pants, of course. But what about if I've got to wear something fancy?

I can't think of much else cuter than an LBD with a great pair of nude or gold wedges and a bright, gorgeous, detailed necklace. That's a killer combo - you can dress it up, you can dress it down, it'll look good with pretty much any type of black dress - strapless, sleeveless, long sleeved, you name it. I think we have a winner!

Left to right: J.Crew / Kate Spade / Spring Street / Kate Spade

Left to right: Jenny Yoo / J.Crew / Hatch / Free People

Left to right: Aerosoles / Pour La Victoire / Michael Kors / Pour La Victoire

My personal favorites from above would have to be the J.Crew necklace - cannot stop staring at it online - paired with that Hatch dress - looks so comfy and effortless! - and the Pour La Victoire wedges, which I bought last summer for a wedding and have worn a million times since.

Sexy, colorful, interesting - a win win outfit! You'll probably see me in a variation real soon!

Fun "Firsts!"

My friend M over at In The Fashion Lane put up this cute post a little while ago and of course, meme lover that I am, I had to steal it for my blog too. I swear I love nothing more than answering questions about myself. I really missed my calling as a celeb, US Weekly would have had a field day with me. I'm an open book!

FIRST thing I do in the morning...
I definitely hit snooze a couple times. After that, I check email on my phone before I get out of bed... and my first destination is the thermostat in the den, to turn the air conditioning off - after running all night, it is FREEZING in our apartment!

This could be Rami in the morning, no joke.

FIRST thing I do when I get home from work...
Hmmm... I drop my purse and keys off in the kitchen and go kiss Ram hello. He usually beats me home!

My FIRST kiss...
I was 12. It was in his vegetable garden in his backyard. He "wanted to show me something" so we headed outside - he said "Look, an onion!", I turned my head, and he laid one on me! I was so excited afterwards I made my best friend sleep over so we could talk about it all night. Ha!

My FIRST home...
From the time my parents brought me home from the hospital til age 12 we lived in the hills of Sherman Oaks in a little house on a cul-de-sac. My main memories of that house include how my sister and I used to cut all the hair off of our Barbies and how every Saturday night when my parents went out to dinner, we would watch All That on Nickelodeon and eat macaroni and cheese. 

  
My FIRST car...
I learned to drive on a white Land Rover and drove that for about six months while I was still "getting the hang of it." My first NEW car was a gorgeous Infiniti QX4 that I loved so much - I cried when I traded it in!

FIRST song that comes to mind...
All day I have been singing the new Pink song - Just Give Me A Reason. I love it.

FIRST major purchase...
I used a ton of graduation money from my grandparents to buy my beloved Chanel bag. I remember feeling SO ANXIOUS when I wrote the check to the Neiman Marcus salesgirl... but it has been worth every penny and more!


FIRST choice restaurant...
I mean... my first choice is ALWAYS sushi. So I guess it's a tie between all the places I love - Kushiyu and Ichiban Kan in the valley, Hide Sushi on Sawtelle, Izakaya on 3rd. Those are my favorites!

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My beloved spicy tuna crispy rice... I bet your mouth is watering!


FIRST "big girl" job...
My very first job out of college was for The Jewish Federation in Public Relations. I was a baby! I still can't believe they hired me... thank god they did, it launched my career!

FIRST time I flew...
Apparently I flew to New York when I was only FIVE WEEKS OLD to visit my family for Rosh Hashanah. Mom. Dad. What were you thinking?! Of course, I was an ANGEL baby so I didn't cry at all.... but I much prefer the story of how, when I first learned to talk, I stood up in my seat facing the people behind me and talked to them for five hours straight in my little baby voice. I'm shocked they didn't scream at my parents :)

Well that was fun! Leave me a comment if you decide to do it too!

Had To Have It: New Summer Sandals

Yes, it’s ironic that I’m posting a “Had To Have It” post the day after I announce the start of NO SHOPPING MAY. I promise I am not lying when I tell you I bought these sandals last week, well before the ban began!

I’ve been on the lookout for some new cute summer sandals for a while, ever since my go-to sandals from a few years ago literally broke ON my feet a couple of months ago. It was a sad day. Options have been limited until recently, but I’m excited that now lots of stores have tons of styles in - that’s what nice weather will do for you, everyone is excited to buy a pair of sandals and show off their new pedicures (and get started on tanning their legs)! 

RF and I were in Nordstrom last week - their shoe department is the best - and I was determined to leave with a new pair of shoes. I ran around trying a bunch on and in the end, these were the winners!

I like these Franco Sarto sandals because they’re super basic - just plain leather - with a little extra embellishment - the metallic strap in back. They’re very comfortable - I’ve worn them a few times already and haven’t experienced any rubbing or blisters. 

I cannot tell a lie... I like them so much, I bought them in two colors - black AND camel brown! They also come in a pretty platinum color and pink so if you need a new pair of summer sandals, you’ve got a whole bunch of options :)

NO SHOPPING MAY: Round Three, Here We Go

Ugh, it's that time again.

NO SHOPPING MAY is back and I am not pleased. 

You longtime readers will know this is the third year in a row I'm attempting this - see the first year's announcement here and last year's here - and one of my "27 in 27" things to accomplish this year was another successful NO SHOPPING MAY. I managed to do it two years in a row, so can the third year really be that bad?

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But actually, I have a feeling the third time is not going to be the charm - in fact, why do I have a feeling it's actually going to be the hardest? I've got a lot of stuff/updates/changes going on right now and I could totally see myself using shopping as a pleasant distraction... major bummer.

As a reminder, I'm posting the general rules...

1. No shopping. None. No buying things from malls, online, from catalogues - nada.

2. There is an exception to the rule - gift cards! I HOARD gift cards for some reason - maybe subconsciously prepping for this month - and allow myself to shop using a gift card, since that means I'm not spending any money. However - the entire cost must be covered by the gift card. Not a single dollar can go towards the purchase.

3. Gifts are allowed (hell, and welcomed!) But it's not okay to ask someone to buy you something and promise to pay them back. Nope.

I love how I take these rules so seriously, when I'm the one who invented them/did this to myself! Haha. But I am adding one addendum...

This year, if I absolutely must, I can buy one thing. I have a feeling I'll probably use that little "emergency clause" because we have a billion weddings and showers coming up and I've been on the hunt for a new dress. I'm not saying I DEFINITELY will buy something during NSM, just saying that I'm allowing myself the option if need be. 

Anyway... that's that. Blah. Hmph. Leave me a note of encouragement in the comments... or join me! Strength in numbers, right?!