con't Birthday Wishes.....Time to make a wish!

So I spent most of my actual birthday with my roommate Ryan. He’s such a sweetie. I swear I am the luckiest craigslist roommate finder everJ. Anyway, first we took a little trip to IKEA. I know you are probably thinking who wants to go to IKEA on their birthday but I was excited. I hadn’t really been to IKEA since I moved to New York at least not one nearby. I heard it was so far on the train so I didn’t even try to find it. Ry rented a zip car (which is one of the best things invented) for a few hours and we took a drive to Jersey. It was such a beautiful day and only took 30 mins in heavy traffic. On our way there Ry mentioned how excited he was about the getting a hot dog…lol. I couldn’t help but laugh. We found what we needed for the kitchen right away and headed straight for the IKEA Café. Hot Dogs were our motivation to finish our trip early. We enjoyed hot dogs, split a cinnabun and had sierra mist and lingonberry juice (it was delish). Happy Birthday to me I thought.

I didn’t really know what was planned for the evening except going to dinner in the city, which was kind of exciting and annoying at the same time…lol. When we got back to the house Ryan quickly changed to go teach a spinning class (he’s an amazing instructor) and I got dressed. He told me to meet him at the corner of 14^th Street and 9^th Ave. I’m kinda familiar with that area from my many visits to the Inglot Store in the Chelsea Market. I sat and waited for him in this really cute little park area in front of the apple store where there was a street piano. I love to people watch so I was quite interested to see what was in store. I was pleasantly surprised to see several people sit down and play. They were all really good and I was hoping they wouldn’t stop.

My roomie showed up and we immediately headed to where ever, I still had no idea.

We went about a block away and he said "We're here!!" La Bottega Restaurant in the Maritime Hotel.

I have always walked past this building and wondered what was inside.

It was so freakin cute. Again to excited I forgot to take pictures, but here are a few I got off the internet.

It has the cutest little inside/outside spot in the middle of the restaurant.

As soon as we ordered I got to open my gift J

He always takes such care in wrapping packages. I have a minor obsession with purple that my roomie remembered.

It was the cutes little journal to keep all my thoughts and dreams for my next amazing year in New York!

Dinner was great. Then we headed home for cake!! But first we made a stop at the Duane Reade for some ice cream and milk.

Saw this strange sight….lol. Who wheres dress shoes and shorts anymore...lol

Look at how cute my cake was! My roommates friends have adopted me and they got me a cake. They affectionately call me Townesy :) (mispelled on the cake)

     

Its all about presentation :) A cute little party for two.

My roomie sang to me (I wish I could have recorded it, it was beautiful)

Then I finally got to make my wish!!!

What a great day!!! What a great birthday...and its still not over ;)



con't Birthday Festivties!!!

A last minute gathering on a saturday night at Fontana's with a few close friends!!

My hair was still wet and it was so hot in my house I was super shiny but I still felt birthday festive :)

We had CUPCAKES!!!! :)

Not sure why he was trying to give me his drink...lol

Awww look at me and my little brother Orlando, it was his birthday celebration too.

One of my few NY confidants!

Cupcake toast!!

The dynamic duo!!

Working hard as always!!

Fun times....................con't....

Birthday Festivities!!!

So it seems like I've been poppin bottles for my birthday for weeks now but it really hasn’t. Since this was my first birthday in New York I figured I should do something exciting but really wasn’t motivated at all (a low budget can do that to you sometimes). Since the actual day fell in the middle of the week I kinda figured most people would be quite busy. The weekend after is a holiday weekend which can be tough to plan anything around so I picked the weekend before. Well I should actually admit that it kinda chose itself. My friend Francisco called to hangout on Friday night and I was in the bed....lol. At 5 o'clock in the evening...lol. After a little work convincing me to get up I finally got dressed and we met at the Red Rooster in Harlem.

(I wish I had actually taken a picture because they have really cute outdoor seating this time of year)

I didn’t think we would get a seat so last minute without reservations but we did. I’ve never sat at a community table before and thought it would be weird but it was quite cozy. Our neighbors overheard us tell the waiter it was my birthday so they extended very kind well wishes also. They also shared their thoughts on the food they ordered. Since I was so close to where the food was coming out I got to see everything that was on the menu and almost wanted to change my order a few times…lol. I would have taken a picture of it all but I thought that might look a little odd plus.

We toasted with a bottle of Rose` to many more fabulous time in New York and crazy New York adventures together.

The food was all amazing. We didn’t leave a thing on the plate. I don’t know exact names of anything but these little tacos were surprisingly amazing. Francisco had the catfish and I had the salmon, both were cooked perfectly. We then ordered a side of green to share and they were quite flavorful.

We then had dessert!!! My favorite part! I cant believe I didn’t take pictures but I was so excited to eat it I forgot. I had strawberry rhubarb pie with a meringue cream on the side and Francisco had sweet potato donuts with an amazing vanilla cream. So dinner was perfect. We were the only ones left at the table but we were still engrossed in conversation when the waiter said he knew it was my birthday and didn’t want to interrupt our wonderful evening but he needed the table for a large party that had been waiting for a while. I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about it but we were about to leave anyway so it really wasn’t a big deal. The waiter then offered us free drinks and a seat in the lounge downstairs. We gladly took him up on that offer.

( I dont know if you actally see the crushed grapes in the bottom of the glass but the were an amazing little treat)

I believe the names of the drinks were the Savoy. It was delicious!! And the lounge is super cute with a great DJ. I was impressed with the space. I didn’t realize it was so big. There is more dining area downstairs too. All in all it was a great unexpected birthday surprise thanks to a good friend, good food, and good conversation.

 To Be Continued….



Birthday Wishes!!!

Birthdays are such a momentous time of the year that can evoke such a wide range of emotion. From happy to sad, exciting to depressing, or even outrageous to uneventful. As the true Cancer that I am, I have experienced all of those and then some during my birthday life. But I am happy to say that this birthday brought a whole new group of emotions and thought process.

Thoughtful, Grateful, and Thankful!!

When I think back from my last birthday until now, my life has gone through such a drastic change. Last year this time I had stable and secure income, amazing health and financial benefits, a new car, a decent savings account, vacation days, and a large 2 bedroom apartment with a garage, elevator, pool, and central air condition,  but yet with all those things I was still unhappy. I was still searching for my purpose in life. I was pretty sure I had found it but had no idea if I was right or if it was even possible. I am so grateful for the people that believed in me and continued to support and even push me to do what I needed to. I am even grateful for those that doubted me and intern gave me the desire and motivation to prove them wrong. I am so thankful for the opportunities that presented themselves and the courage I had to take them.

It’s funny to think that I can just barely managing my bills, I have no benefits, no savings, no paid vacation days, a weekly metro card for transportation, and live in a room on the 3^rd floor of a brownstone in Harlem with no elevator and no ac but I’m the happiest I’ve been in a long time. I truly feel like I’m living my Dream!! No one ever said living a dream was easy. If it was easy everyone would be doing it, right? So as I blew out my candle this year I remembered what I wished for last year and realized that Birthday wishes really do come true. And I made an even better wish this year.