Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Trust that an End is Followed by a Beginning

Free People Blog
I love new beginnings, fresh starts, new seasons, resets, a new chapter, turning a new page...whatever you like to call them, these times in our lives are filled with excitement and anticipation of the unknown. Personally, I am love with the beginning of a new season, more specifically Fall and Spring. They are great seasons that aren't unbearably hot or bitterly cold. They produce new color in the world and are monumental changes for those who change their closets over like I do. Who doesn't like walking through the leaves in new boots and a great sweater while sipping a great pumpkin spice latte, or running outside in fresh air with a sweatshirt and shorts first time in months? Oh, these are my favorite times of the year. I detest the cold, bitter Winter (excluding Christmas of course) and the hot, humid unbearable heat of Summer (unless I am on a beach with my toes in the sand). If only it could be Fall and Spring year-round.


Boston Common - September 2014
But then these seasons wouldn't be season. I honestly do not know if I would look forward to them like I do now if there wasn't a change in season. So let's think about beginnings carefully... Why do we really like them so much? They're a change, a shift of energy. It's typically something ngeative to something positive. Sorry to get all scientific on you, but this is an example of the world's equilibrium, balancing negative energy with positive experiences.

I mean, really. Think about it. Has there ever been a time when a beginning isn't preceded by something life-changing? This happened to me this past month. A co-worker and dear friend of mine decided that she needed a fresh start. After much consideration, she decided to move to a new city thousands of miles away; life-changing decision for her, professionally and personally. And a life-changing for me, her friend. I will now have to get used to not seeing her every day and possibly not even talking to her every day. A bittersweet ending...

Boston Calling - September 2014

Literally, the day she left was the beginning of Fall, which we have already established is my favorite season. Mix of emotions, but a new beginning. This past Monday may have been her last day in Boston, but it was the first day of Fall... My equilibrium was not affected. Yes, my life is still adjusting to life without my friend in the same city that I reside, but my favorite season is here and so are the pumpkin spice lattes.

So though life brings changes, and yes some can be life-altering, know and trust that an end is always followed by a beginning.

xoxo~ Sarah


Monday, September 8, 2014

Gone to Carolina in My Mind


I may still mentally be there amoungst the colorful buildings, breathing the thick humid air, soaking up the southern hospitality. Over Labor Day weekend, my two best friends from college decided to head to the low country of Charleston, SC. What an amazing long weekend full of exploration, amazing architecture and a mix of history and modern fixings. Needless to say, the highlight of our trip was the food, oh the food! I cannot remember eating so much and feeling so good about it. So this post is all about the places we went to and some of the meals I ate... Watch out, you may gain 5 pounds just reading this...

The Francis Marion Hotel
We arrived on a "cool" Thursday morning, all of 85 degrees with minor humidity. We checked into our fabulous hotel, The Francis Marion Hotel right on King Street, one of the two main drags of Charleston. We were greeted by beautiful chandeliers dripping from the lobby ceilings and comfortable Victorian-inspired furniture populating the lobby. We hopped into the golden antique elevator that barely crawled its way up and down the 12 floors inhabited by tourists each day. Our room was adorned with two plush beds and was just big enough for three girls. The view was worth it. Churches, parks, bridges and oceans. What more could we want in a place an afternoon siesta in air conditioning?
View from our room
Once we unpacked a bit, our buffet began. For lunch we started at Mellow Mushroom, just a stone's throw from our hotel. What a pizza! The Magical Mystery Tour was so surprising. The pesto based pizza started out like a typical mushroom pizza with soft, oozing mozzarella and crispy spinach. But what made this pizza memorable were the jalapenos. That's right, jalapenos kicked this pizza up a notch in more ways than one! A must try!

For dinner we wandered over to Fleet Landing, a local sea food joint that far surpassed our expectations. We were able to sit right on the water, and I mean literally on the water.

The dock at Fleet Landing
Their dock seating was a great way to welcome us to our meal, pulled fresh from the water. I ordered the Low-Bearing Seafood Pasta paired with a Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka Lemonade (I love a good half and half so a spiked one was just what the doctor ordered on our first sweaty night in the city). I have to admit, this may be a biased opinion as I hadn't had seafood this summer until this trip. But my friends assured me that it was some of the best seafood they ever had. My fettuccini was topped with a mix of succulent shrimp, scallops, crawfish, mussels, and andouille sausage. Crisp asparagus and roasted cherry tomatoes were also a great addition to the dish. And the sauce. I swear, if they were to bottle and sell this stuff, they would make millions. The Creole butter sauce was out of this world. It was the perfect mix of creamy, sweet, and spicy. I couldn't help but dunk the biscuits into this concoction with the goal of sapping up every last bit. But my stomach overwhelmed me. If I could eat this meal every day for the rest of my life, I swear, it still would not be enough.
Fleet Landing
Friday was full of sand and the sun, but also AMAZING burgers. Poe's Tavern, on Sullivan Island is a small burger joint right on Middle Street. This restaurant was created to preserve the spirit of Edgar Allan himself. You can immediately see his influence in the caricature portraits adorning the walls and when you glance at the menu; some of the burgers are named after his poetic masterpieces. These burgers are artistic works all on their own. How they seasoned their burgers are beyond me, but I'm telling you, after a day at the beach, these burgers will hit the spot. I ordered the Pit and the Pendulum (a bacon cheeseburger), with a side of the bacon-bleu cheese coleslaw with a local Palmetto Pale Ale. Juicy, flavorful, and the perfect portion. Make this a destination while in town!

Poe's Tavern on Sullivan's Island
Saturday was a whirlwind of a day. We drove out to Boone Hall Plantation (where they filmed Nicholas Sparks’ classic movie adaptation of The Notebook), and spent some time walking around the beautiful grounds while learning some of the history of the Civil War. After a day in the heat, we were in need of some snacks and some cold beers. The Bay Street Beirgarten was featured in one of our Charleston travel books so we decided to check it out!

Bay Street Beirgarten
What a great atmosphere. A formal seating area stretched along the perimeter of the building with a bar seating area in the middle. Long high tops were fixed with individual taps for personal pouring while the bar seats were comfy and casual. We sat down and ordered some of their freaky taters (tater tots with a smoked southern cheese sauce and a red wine demi glaze). They were so delicious, my mouth is watering just thinking about them! I washed them back with a Lagunitas and water.

Jerk Chicken Sandwich
Fuel's Patio
By Sunday, we wanted to experience some outdoor dining. We decided to hit up a local favorite called Fuel. A converted old gas station, the garage doors welcome you in to the hostess station. She then seats you on their patio which was complete with string lights, bocce and a fire pit. I ordered the Grilled Jerk Chicken Sandwich with fries and a Holy City Seasonal Pilsner. Great flavor for a hot and steamy night. We spent hours here playing Bocce and Trivia and didn’t do that bad for a team from New England!

Monday I decided to relish in some good ol’ fashion southern delicacies. Grits, creamed corn, baked mac and cheese and collard greens. Virginia’s on King hit southern home-cooking dead on the head. I topped it off with a bubbly Prosecco and headed off to a nighttime tour called “The Dark Side of Charleston.” This R-Rated tour was one of the most interesting, informative and hilarious tours I have ever taken as a tourist. Such a fun experience.

Southern Heaven - Virginia's on King
Tuesday I had a later flight than my friends and decided to check out a little café outside of downtown called The Park Café. What an amazing menu with some of the freshest foods around, it’s literally growing on their walls! If you are up for a walk outside of the city, this was one of my favorites! Their cheese platter with their homemade pita chips, I mean really?

The Park Cafe 

The "Special" Cobb Salad
and Cheese Plate
When it was finally time for me to leave, I wish I had just one more day to try a few more restaurants. All that really means is that I will be going back to eat to my heart’s delight!
Below is a list of all of the establishments we ate at while we were in the Holy City. All of them were amazing get my approval:

Kudu - Breakfast
Mellow Mushroom - Lunch
Poe's Tavern - Lunch
The Park Café - Lunch
Bay Street Beirgarten - Bar Bites
Fleet Landing - Dinner
Santi's - Dinner
Fuel - Dinner
Virginia's on King - Dinner
High Cotton - Dinner
Closed for Business - Dinner
Warehouse - Dinner
Boone Hall Plantation
The Dark Side of Charelston Tour

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Reconnecting at "The Home of the World's Worst Weather"

This past weekend I went to NoCo. For those of you who don't know, NoCo is short for North Conway, a small town in northern New Hampshire of about 2,500 people. This area is known for it's ski resorts in the winter (Cranmore is a favorite of my family), but also offers great outdoor activities in the warm summer months. The great Mount Washington, "the home of the world's worst weather", boarders this town on one side. Mourt Washington is the largest mountain east of the Mississippi. Some of the fastest winds in the Northern Hemisphere were recorded on this peak. From far away in the winter seasons, this peak is snow capped and daunting. In the summer, the peak is green and lush.



On the other side of town, the Saco River twists and turns under covered bridges and through succulent plant life. Leaves covering some of the tallest pines to be seen in New England, ferns blanketing the ground and the mountains rising majestically toward the blue skies creates the most peaceful landscape for a float down its cool, calm waters.



What this weekend was really about was memorable times with great friends. Friday night was filled with Cards Against Humanity and pumpkin beer while floaties, moose statues, and crazy dance moves entertained all attendees from early Saturday afternoon until the wee hours of Sunday morning. Yes, this area is beautiful and relaxing, but what NoCo is really about it connecting with people. Sitting down around a table without the glow of phones while laughing, talking and really looking and listening to each other is a refreshing experience. Connecting in person rather than communicating through screens is invigorating and something that I truly cherish nowadays. Human connection...and some great hangover food from Boston Brother's Pizzeria.



Until next year NoCo, until next year!


Sunday, August 17, 2014

The Best Things Come to Those Who Wait

It has been almost a full year since I last posted to this blog… How sad! I guess I was just too busy adapting to the new life I was building behind my new red door. Needless to say, my life has been chaotic. Yes, there are the normal excuses like work and social activities, but I love writing! Why did I give it up?! The world may never know…But the only thing that matters now is that I’m back. I have experienced many things and even checked off a few things from my bucket list (rode a horse on the beach in Cabo san Lucas, watched the fourth of July fireworks over the Charles River in Boston, attended a Red Sox World Series Parade, visited the good old ATL, saw my girl Beyoncé and Jay-Z at Gillette Stadium and attended a music festival, even if it was in my own backyard.). But my life is still growing, still changing. In fact, I just had a realization that this little lady will be turning 25 this fall… That’s right; a quarter of my life will be gone. On top of that, I will be attending my first wedding of a dear friend… Am I that old, to be attending weddings of friends, colleagues, people other than family? I have no idea where the time went, but I am beyond excited to see what the future holds. I’m back and at it, so join me… as I continue on this twisting and turning, weaving and winding, road called life… 

Cabo san Luca
Charles River fireworks
Red Sox Championship Parade

HOT-lanta
BEY



Two of my favs at Boston Calling, May 2014


Tuesday, September 3, 2013

From One Red Door to Another

If you’re a renter, a college student or live in a college town, more than likely you noticed an influx of people this weekend. Yup, it was that time of year again, moving time. And this year more than any other year, I felt like part of the majority. Luckily I have a great new landlord. He let me and my roommate move in early. For those of you who have not had to move on the busiest move-in day of the year, this was a HUGE help. I was settled in before the Tufts students even packed their cars. Needless to say, I was able to enjoy the end of my Labor Day weekend while others were still laboriously lugging furniture and boxes.

It was during this arduous process that I noticed a fun, but interesting coincidence about my new and old apartments. Our first apartment was the bottom floor of a house. It was spacious for three people. We loved the character that it has, great hard wood floors and original doors. The only downside was the plaster walls. They made it very difficult to hang anything of substance on the walls. The new apartment is about a mile away from our cute little three bedroom. It is a two bedroom (got to LOVE downsizing!) in an apartment complex. It has a small balcony, not nearly as much character, but has good walls that can hold anything. The one thing that these two “homes” have in common is a red door…

Old diggs...
New diggs...
I know what you’re thinking. Who cares about the color of a door? It doesn’t matter; it’s something that you walk through, that keeps unwanted “guests” out. That is true. But let me explain... I love color. I feel like it's one of the best forms of self-expression. For those of you who follow color theory, red is a warm color associated with positivity, strength, and a will to survive. According to the website empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com, the color red is “energizing…excites the emotions and motivates us to take action.” In other words, it is a strong color emitting confidence and a passion for life.


To me this means something. As a person who has officially been a college graduate for over a year and living on my own for almost a year, it makes me feel like I am on the right path. Let me back up. I don’t think it’s a coincidence, but a sign from God that I am doing the right things for me at this moment. I may be young and living a hectic life, but for right now, I think this is the path that I am supposed to be on. I am making the right choices passionately, whole-heartedly. I am trying to figure out who I am, why I am here, my purpose in life, all the while motivated to live every second of life, good and bad. And as stupid as it sounds (at least I have the confidence to admit it) the color of my door gives me hope, strength. I am still chugging, still pushing through, thriving. I am still here, living, wanting, needing, learning, growing. And for now, that’s all I need. Be young, but mature. Love with your whole heart. Take risks, open up with the energy and determination that others around me have shown their entire life. Laugh with every ounce of your being. Live with the warmth that you would want from others. And above all embody the color red.

Friday, August 23, 2013

Still Here... Adapting....

If you live near the East Coast, you’ve either been seeing huge rain drops pelting your street or feeling what may be the last official heat wave of the summer. Needless to say, with my complete disdain for heat AND humidity in the same place at the same time, I was lucky enough to experience 90 degree temperatures with dew points reaching into the high 60s. Lovely.  Walking from the Park Street T stop in Boston to office on Boylston Street is usually light and fun. This week it left me feeling like I needed a shower, a trenta iced coffee, and a nap. But for me, that isn’t what I hated most about the heat. It’s trying to sleep in it without AC.

This may be one of the last times I have to do so as the new apartment that I am moving into has a wall unit (SCORE!), but it did not change the fact that I was utterly uncomfortable laying in my bed wearing as little clothing as possible. All I wanted was that cool spot on the pillow, that one section of mattress that was still untouched by my heat-radiating body. Alas, I always ended-up throwing my blanket off in the middle of the night, just so that my fan could blow a breeze DIRECTLY onto my body. So comfortable…

tumblr.com
Yes, this sleeping pattern seemed all too familiar to me. Why do you ask? Because not only am I trying so hard to sleep comfortably by moving my foot around the bed, searching for the one thing that will give me releif, but I feel that I am doing the same in life. I want to live comfortably. I am trying so very hard to become comfortable with myself. Yet, no matter how hard I try, how hard I try a different approach, I feel like I’m still searching for that "cold spot in my bed." I’m coming up short, searching for that one thing that will finally yield a more content and comfortable person.

I know we’re not supposed to have it all figured out by the age of 24... I’m not delusional. But why is it so hard to get there? I am not so sure that I like the person I am or who I am becoming, which right now seems to be a workaholic, exercise/healthy eating fiend who has big dreams, but limited time to pursue them all…

Don’t get me wrong! It’s fun living on your own, making your own decisions, truly being independent. But it’s scary too. Part of me still felt like I was going back to my beloved alma mater this fall. That this last year was just a year-long internship and that I would move back into a dorm room with my best friends and have the world at my fingertips. But recently, I feel like these ideas are slipping away, just like the cool spots from my bed…

So alas, I turn BACK TO THIS BLOG. To share my feelings of adapting with you, whoever you may be. Maybe your having the same feelings, maybe you have "been there, done that." But bare with me as I figure it out myself. 

I will leave you on a happy note, with my new favorite song that gets me amped for another day! Enjoy!



Monday, April 15, 2013

#PrayForBoston


Today has been a crazy day for me. And yet, God’s Word, especially today has made me feel at peace. This morning as I trudged into work, crossing Arlington Street and continuing down Boylston, I was amazed at how festive the streets of Boston looked for the Boston Marathon. I was jealous of those being able to enjoy the festivities, while I had to work in my stuffy office just a stone’s throw from the finish line. What a tease! How I longed to be down there, experiencing all of the greatness that is the finish line of the Boston Marathon… Then tragedy stuck. My office shook with terror… A building of 27 floors shook with a terrible boom that made us all think it was a cannon or even an earthquake… I was wrong… How wrong I was.
Boylston, Street, Boston, MA: 8:30am
This morning on my way into town I was a little late leaving the house. I thought, “I really need to watch my stress level. I should just get up a little bit earlier to get just a little bit more work done while everyone else is out of the office.” How ironic that thought is now.
The events at the Boston Marathon completely filled my mind as I sit here tonight. Even still, I am able to find some peace. Psalm 107: 19...This verse hold great meaning to me. So many are ailing tonight. So many, including me, are frightened to be in their homes. Yet, I know one thing to be true above all. God with me and those that are in distress. He can hear our pain, Boston's pain. He knows that evil is out there, but when we ask for help, he hears us and comforts us.
 
Boylston Street, Boston, MA:  2:45pm, minutes before explosions.



I know one thing tonight… I am thankful for my family and friends, those that I love. And my heart and prayers go out the victims.… “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress…” Thank you to all of the police and firefighters for keeping us as safe as possible today. You are making me feel just that much better. I am proud to be a Bostonian, an American. #prayforBoston

Boston Common, Boston, MA:  4:45pm