Sour But Sweet

I used to have a co-worker that enjoyed eating lemons. I cringed every time she did this. My mouth would pucker for her. As sweet as she was, I couldn't understand how she or anyone could eat a pure lemon by choice. I was reminded about this situation recently as I was viewing images for a project including jewelry made with yellow diamonds.

Have you ever seen diamonds so yellow they look sour, but so yummy and bright? I recently had the privilege of seeing the stunning piece of craftsmanship worth 2.5 million dollars that Kate Winslet wore to the Oscars this year. I saw it in person and touched it! EEEEK! I didn't get to adorn this magnificent piece of jewelry, but just seeing it was phenomenal.

Fancy yellow diamonds are a trend in the jewelry industry right now and Tiffany & Co. carries the most stunning creations made with them. I am a bit biased, but I know that they are genuine stones. Before working at Tiffany, I didn't realize that jewelers can actually inject stones with a dye to make them appear brighter or a different color than they inherently are. Word to the wise, this does not make the stone more valuable. Tiffany does not do this with their yellow diamonds. They are all natural and extremely rare. Only about one in 10,000 diamonds is a fancy color meeting the Tiffany standards.

Just another day on the job. I am a lucky girl. These diamonds could be my best friend.

Celebrate!

What a great weekend...well, it was a pretty darn good weekend. My Hero had to work most of it, but we got off to a decent start Friday evening. He was in the mood for steak and we hadn't officially celebrated the start of his new job so we headed to Ruth's Chris. YUM! I am not a huge fan of red meat, but if I am going to eat it, I will definitely eat it from Ruth's Chris. The meat is so juicy and tender, you can nearly cut it with a spoon. They also have the most delicious sweet potato casserole that is out of this world. My Hero doesn't even like sweet potato casserole, but he will eat the entire bowl all by himself if I don't scrape a couple spoonfuls as soon as it comes to the table. Just so you know, Ruth's Chris has a $39.95 special at most of their locations which includes a salad, entree, one side dish and a dessert. It's enough food for a small army. I finished nearly every last bite and had to roll home. P.S. We saw Justin Timberlake on our way home - he was filming a movie in Rockefeller Center.

Since My Hero was working most of Saturday, I rested, cleaned the apartment and took Rocky for a walk before heading out into the blistering heat to Tiffany to pick up a birthday gift for a girl friend, also a former Webster girl, Freckles. It was nice to walk through the doors as a pseudo-customer for the day. Aside from entering through the employee entrance, it was almost like I was a real customer. I even took time to peruse the beautiful bobbles on the first floor before leaving.

My Hero had to work again on Sunday, so I headed out to Essex Restaurant located in the lower east side of the city to celebrate Freckles' birthday. The place was packed and I was nearly melting by the time I got there. My grandmother has told me on numerous occasions that pigs sweat and women glow. HA! Nope. I SWEAT! EWE! The food was great and the company was even better.

After brunch, we walked around a bit and I snagged a picture of what looks like a melting-multi-color-bike. It was really a crochet bike cover. Hmmm...didn't know that bikes got cold.

I visited My Hero at work for a bit before heading home in the torrential downpour. Yep, guess who forgot her umbrella? Yep, that would be me. DOH! (Note to self: ALWAYS carry an umbrella)

We spent some quality time together Sunday night and My Hero thought it would be funny to snap this picture of me "cooking." Ummm, I was making tea. Move over Paula Deen!

Rocky comforted me from My Hero's harsh words and we watched an episode of My Boys together to end the evening on a good note.

House Guest

A relative of this famous mouse has moved into our apartment. I am NOT happy. My Hero has promised to take care of this IMMEDIATELY.

We hope the relative is really this mouse (see below) and will disappear ASAP!

Diamond of a Day

Have you ever felt like putting on your best jewels and just going about your day. Well, I do. I am inspired everyday to wear nice jewelry going to work. Dang! Everyone has nice jewelry where I work. At least it's one place where jewelry is appreciated and valued and everyone notices if you get something new.

I recently had an opportunity to "model" a stunning collection of sparkly rocks that was worth more than I would ever know what to do with. As it so happened, the necklace was to be worn in a photo shoot for our fall ad campaign and the model selected for the shoot was unavailable for the test shoot. Soooo, I was asked to be her stand-in since we were about the same height. HA! That may be the closest I come to being a real model. I'll take it!

After being escorted into a conference room on an extremely secure floor in my office building, I was asked to sit in a chair as the necklace was draped over my head and shoulders. It really was a surreal moment. The necklace is absolutely stunning in photos and even more spectacular in person.

Description: It took more than one year to procure 84 carats of diamonds for this exquisite piece. Over 300 glittering stones were hand cut and set for this necklace with pear-shaped and round brilliant diamonds in platinum. 16" long. The detachable diamond drop is 30.31 carats, D color and internally flawless worth $12 million alone. The entire necklace is worth $13,650,000!!! It was an amazing moment in my life. Can you imagine how truly phenomenal heaven will be if this was an amazing moment in my life???

(P.S. Don't look at the hair...it's grown out WAY more now and I finally gave in to dye...again

It's brown again. Thank goodness)

Confessions...

I have a problem...

I am an infomercial junkie. Phew. I feel better stating that. My secret indulgence is watching informative commercials about the latest and greatest food processors, make-up, facial cleansers, and various life altering products that one can purchase for "two easy payments of not $99.99...not $69.99...but $39.99!!! BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE! I can also get EXPRESS SHIPPING if I order within the next 14 and a half minutes!" HAHAHA! I realize how ridiculous this sounds, but I get sucked in nearly EVERY TIME! I swear to you I have seen the same Turbo Jam infomercial at least 8 times. I have a problem.

At the end of the day, it turns out that my favorite informercials are those pertaining to exercise and fitness. I must have been a nutritionist in another life because I absorb health and fitness information like a sponge. I also have to admit that I have ordered several products that I have seen on infomercials. Now, being my mother's daughter, you know that I would NEVER pay full price for these products. Ebay and Craigslist have come to my aid on several occassions so that I too can become the proud owner of the latest workout craze. You would also think that I would be thin as a rail and possibly blow away come the next big breeze, but that's truly not the case. You see, I love to eat as much as I love to workout. Thank goodness My Hero loves to workout as much as I do and eat as much as I do. He also loves to see the thrill on my face as I begin a new workout.

Here is a countdown of my favorite workout videos:

5) Yogalosophy - I am not a fan of yoga, but Many Ingber is pretty funny and makes the time fly. This video is definitely good on rest days when you don't need to get too intense, but need to move.

4) Minna Lessig's Emergency Workout - This was the workout video that got my craze started over 7 years ago. All it took was 6 short weeks and I was hooked. Her bubbly personality and stellar looks got me thinking that I would be the prettiest bride to ever walk down the isle.

3) Tony Horton's 10 Minute Trainer - These workouts are fabulous for days when you are short on time. They were designed to be stacked with one another so that you do at least 30 minute total sessions, but you can do them in 10 minutes increments. I am not a fan of Tony's bipolar personality as an instructor so this is the perfect amount of time for me to endure him without completely muting his direction.

2) ChaLEAN EXTREME - I am a huge fan of Chalene Johnson. I would love to have half her energy on my best day! I am only 8 days into this workout, but I can tell you that I really like it so far. I might love it by the time I am finished. We'll see. As best that I can tell, this is the female version of Tony Horton's P90X.

1) Turbo Jam - I HEART TURBO JAM! I have been doing this workout for several years now and I never tire of it. Once again, Chalene Johnson is the magic behind this money maker! Her funky enthusiasm and true white-girl personality are adorable! I feel like a million bucks after sweating along with her.

BONUS) This is My Hero's pick - Tony Horton's P90X. I am not a huge fan just because I feel that the workouts were better designed for a man's body to create more bulk. There is even a version to obtain lean bulk. I know that doesn't make much sense, but I didn't really care for the curves I lost doing this workout. You may love it. I wasn't a fan, but my very athletic and competitive husband really enjoys this workout.

Grand Central

One of my most absolute favorite places in Manhattan is Grand Central Station. Not only is it a structural marvel given today's standards of cheap-and-quick designs, but there is so much history inside. Also, despite the consistent flow of people and chatter inside, I find it to be one of the most relaxing places to be. This is largely due to the fact that I am a people watcher. I love to sit and watch people and try to figure out where everyone always seems to be in a hurry. Where is the fire that no one seems to be able to put out?

The next time you are in the city, take the time to visit this captivating place. Look up at Sky Ceiling in the main concourse. You will see one black brick that was intentionally left this way to remind visitors how filthy and dilapidated the structure was before Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis fought to have the building saved from the wrecking ball and restored to it's 1913 grandeur in the 1970s.

Also, take a second to stop by Junior's in the Dining Concourse. Junior's is mainly known for their cheesecake, but they also sell the most delicious black and white cookies. YUM!

Blessings

Have you ever had moments when you feel just absolutely, truly, entirely blessed? While I sit on the sofa with My Hero, I realized how blessed I am. My Hero and I took a huge leap of faith by moving to New York for my career when he didn't have a job at all. The leap was huge especially given that the economy is still in shambles.

QUESTION: So why did we do this?

ANSWER: Faith.

We felt that we were called to do something different with our lives outside of Charlotte. We didn't know what. We don't know what. I think it all started with my desire for something bigger with my job. Long story short, I landed a job in NYC, packed up my stuff, My Hero rented out our condo in Charlotte, we sold lots of stuff, he finally moved up here with the dog after 4 months of being apart from one another, we found a super-cute apartment in Manhattan, and now My Hero has LANDED A JOB! WHAHOOOO!!!!

Ask and you shall receive. Believe and it will happen. Ask for His blessing and it will come. Ask the SUN TO STAND STILL! We totally dreamed big dreams and we give the glory to Him. None of this was our doing. It was all God. Period. It hasn't been easy, but the journey so far has all been worth it. I am blessed.

THE Sandwich...

Today I was supposed to have a protein-packed peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread. YUM! Just add a few streaks of honey and it would be otherwise be considered dessert. Alas, a co-worker, Frenchie, twisted my arm (hardly) and told me about today's special at the latest hot spot in the city, Macaron Cafe.

WEDNESDAY'S SPECIAL: FRESH CRAB, FRESH MANGO, AVOCADO, BALSAMIC VINEGAR, LETTUCE, FRENCH MAYO - $9.00

It was a tough call to forgo the peanut butter (HAHAHA!) to partake in this deliciousness, but someone had to do it. I simply couldn't let Frenchie dine by herself. Dang! I wish I had taken a picture of this slice of heaven. This was no sandwich for the snacker. It was fully loaded! This was no sandwich for the light-paletted or faint-of-stomach. We are talking full-on-delicious, People!

In the end, I checked out with 2 macarons as well. See below. Thank goodness this is day 3 of ChaLEAN Extreme. I am going to need it to tame my waistline.

Exhibit (A) Dark Chocolate

Exhibit (B) Rose

I LOVE...(Jonathon's Top 20)

1) Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior

2) My Wife

3) Family

4) Church

5) Sports

6) Steak

7) Starbucks Coffee

8) Sunday Afternoon Naps

9) First Crisp Day of Fall

10) The Beach (sitting on the beach with my wife)

11) Vince Vaughn

12) SNL

13) Flag Football

14) Watching Movies with My Wife

15) Watching my wife Workout (I love the fact she is dedicated to staying in shape)

16) Weekends

17) Opening Day -Baseball and Football

18) A Date Night with Belle

19) Having my Wife Tell me She's Happy

20) Laughing with My Wife

I LOVE...(Belle's Top 20)

1) Jesus

2) My Hero

3) My family

4) The color PINK

5) Shopping

6) Pictures

7) Food

8) TURBO JAM!

9) The beach

10) Rocky (the movie...the original...the first one)

11) Visiting new places

12) Valentine's Day

13) Magazines (there's just something so amazing about actual paper)

14) Nearly anything Monogrammed

15) New Workout Clothes

16) Weddings

17) Little Kids

18) Swedish Fish

19) Holding My Hero's hand

20) Swimming

Brooklyn, Dooney & Fireworks

We took our first adventure outside the city this past weekend. It was time for a trip to Target. I was going through major withdrawals. An added plus was the Marshalls located nearby, which I happened to neglect to tell My Hero. During previous years of our marriage, we would end up in near divorce every time we ventured to The Promised Land (a.k.a. Marshalls). My Hero finally got wise and came up with a compromise = we had a time limit in this particular store when we were together. I finally got wiser and stopped taking trips with him to The Promise Land. HA!

We woke up early, hit Starbucks for a treat to enjoy on the train and we were on our way to Brooklyn. We founds everything we were looking for at Target, but Marshalls was a bit of a let down. Since I wasn't quite ready to head back to the city just yet, I convinced My Hero to have a bite to eat at a wings place...which just so happened to have numerous, large screen TVs that played nothing but sports! Oh, yes, Friends, I have gotten smart after 7 years of marriage. Wings+Sports=More Shopping Later! YAY!

After a quick bite and a rest for our feet, we headed out to the Brooklyn Flea Market. I didn't have anything in mind, but just love the thrill of the hunt. The day was quite warm so we made our way through the rows of garb quite quickly. I made it out of there with a vintage Dooney & Bourke bag! WHAHOOOO!!! Unfortunately, I had to put down a stunning Coach bag. Somewhere Dave Ramsey was smiling upon me. Dang you, BUDGET and RESPONSIBILITY!

We concluded the weekend with fireworks on the Hudson River. They were a little less than stellar, but my outfit totally made up for it. I sported yet another original creation from Hems & Hers and posed with some of New York's finest firefighters! Hope you had a happy 4th of July.

(My Hero & Hulk Hogan at the Flea Market)

(Picking out my D&B bag)

(H&H and D&B and Starbucks)