Stirrup Lane Utility Cabinet

Hangin' in Harlem

Finally, finally after close to two years, Natalia and I finally reunited at her apartment in Harlem. It may have only been the second time we hung out in person, but it's like we are old friends. We had a fabulous lunch at The Edge followed by vegan-cheating at Patisserie des Ambassades for dessert. IIt was nice to wander around Harlem and bump into all of Natalia's friends, but just talking with Natalia was so damn good. She is an exuberant and vivacious lady who sets me right at ease and is just absolutely wonderful. I'll be going back to see her in July and help her and Brett pack up their belongings. Can't believe she's moving to Honolulu! I'm super excited for her though and hopefully I can save my pennies and visit her in a year or so. 

Sunday in The Heights

So after living in Jackson Heights for about a year, I finally scored an invite to visit with Marina and Mateo while Mario was in Colombia on Sunday. I was a bit stressed about driving to and in NY, but it all went swimmingly and Queens is awash with street parking. The best was when Marina and Mateo met me at my car and Teo immediately wished me a happy birthday and said, "we got you balloons and cake and cupcakes and a bouncy house." They actually got me none of those things, but apparently that was what Mateo wanted me to have. Hilarious! He was adorable and very excited to see me and show me his room. 

We kept things low-key and decided to take the 7 train to Flushing Meadows Park, which was huge and lovely and super relaxing. Then it was back to the apartment for homemade Colombian cuisine and Zootopia which was adorable in every possible way.

Sunday Sundae

Proof that I'm so easy to please. 

The Beet with Terri!

I met up with Terri at my favourite nearby eatery for a brief gab session and some super delish eats! Everything was utterly divine, especially the blueberry cupcake. Hidden inside was a melty chocolate center that was yummy beyond words. I bought the lil' bee for it's cuteness but it turned out to be a tasty little afternoon treat when I got home. My coconut BLT was fab, as always, and Terri's Quinoa Caesar salad may not photograph well, but she said it was good, so I may give that a whirl when I'm there next week. Oh, and the cashew cheese board was excellent. The cheeses were creamy and packed a wallop's worth of flavour with the berry jam' tartness serving as a perfect compliment to the cheese when smooshed together on the bread. Heart Beet Kitchen can be a tad pricey, but it's local, mostly organic, gluten free, vegan, and they are a small business that's involved with the community so I totes feel that my moolah is being put into a damn good company.

(dig terri's punk rock purple highlights!)

One down...

...thirteen to go. On April 20th I mailed a boatload of postcards from Edinburgh. They were all clearly addressed with international postage. I took them to the post office, checked with an employee who directed me to add an "air mail" sticker to each and then pointed out the slot that the letters would go in. A month goes by and no one had gotten a single one, not even Helen who lives in England and is a mere three hours from Edinburgh. Until a couple days ago I had given up hope...then Michel sent me this:

Whew! Her Majesty's Postal Service has slightly redeemed herself. Stay tuned to see if I get my postcard from Michel from his Madrid vacay!

My 6th Bday

Good old 1982 brought me one of my best birthdays. How cute was I? Freckle faced and blonde with flawless skin and crazy amounts of confidence that would soon disappear. It's kind of strange to look at these photos and realise that the girl at the party is actually me. Seems like someone else.

Dave and me for my breakfast time giftie!

Kari, Carrie, me, Elaine & Jenny

Tweety Bird cake! (with m'Da's belly in the background)

Check out my fab Godmommy rockin' out in a Jackie Stallone headband. Looks like this was the year I scored R2-D2 Underoos!!

It should come as no surprise that I still have this Smurfs All Star Band album.

Here's an utterly gorgeous Nana Irma letting me crash out on her lap. (Check out those Springtime bruises on my shins! Most likely injuries suffered from playing on my bike and the swing out back.)

Sir Walter Scott

Seen at The National Gallery in Edinburgh, Scotland - piece by The Studio of Sir Francis Chantrey - 1820.

Wildlife SOS

I'm getting my Animal Planet fix by watching this fabulous show on Netflix. I absolutely love it. The badgers are so freakin' cute I seriously can't stand it.

(photo of Simon Cowell with a badger kidnapped from pinterest)

One Month Ago Today...

Bella and I were at Wicklow Park and Malahide Castle having a freakin' fantastic time!