The power of pictures...

a moment in (summer) time.

This morning on my walk to the subway, I made peace with the fact that my most favorite season of the year is behind us. Though I'm still holding out hope for some "Indian Summer" weather (gimme just a few more hot, sunny Saturday/Sundays please!), this morning the air felt crisp and refreshing and I allowed myself to daydream about the new outfits I'll be sporting with my recent "for fall" purchases (utility jacket and ankle booties anyone!? Fall fashion post coming soon...!) But more than the lovely morning stroll and elaborate mental conversation I was having with myself about my wardrobe, I think I'm ready to accept the end of summer because of the little photo viewing sesh I enjoyed last night. Last night I went on Facebook and viewed the albums I'd created over the course of the summer. Reviewing late May, June, July and August in succession, I realized that though the season seemed to go to fast (doesn't it always?) and the weather felt generally grey and uncooperative (it often was), I had a pretty awesome, friend-filled, action packed summer. 

Do you ever look back on photos to lift your mood? I find that pulling an album off the shelf, clicking through images on the computer or scrolling through old iPhone snaps can be an amazing mood booster because the pictures we take are all moments we thought were worth capturing and saving. When I looked back, I realized I'd forgotten about so much - the amazing Saturday Dr. H and I spent biking through Brooklyn and all the different people we carved out special time to be with... I felt content when I realized that this summer was 100% a good, freakin time.

So next time your mood needs a boost, look at some pictures you haven't seen in a while... because revisiting how wonderful life has been in the past can make you even more appreciative of your place in the present.

A(nother) tribute.

I just drooled on my keyboard.

Friends. The time has come... It's CANDY CORN SEASON!!! As you may recall, I once waxed poetic about the amazingness that is "seasonal candy" (refresh your memory HERE). Well, Friday night when I made a 10pm run to CVS for microwave popcorn and paper towels (it was a wild and crazy night) THIS happened:

Excuse the grey background, CVS
carpeting isn't the sexiest.

The orange aisle called to me and my first impulse purchase of the season was made (the autumn mix was opened and sampled for the duration of my walk home). Then of course there was the pit stop I had to make at Walgreens on my way to work this morning:

I cannot control myself.

Pretty much any time I walk into a convenience store for the next 4 weeks, I will walk out with an orange Brachs product in my hand. And here's why: Candy Corn and Candy Pumpkins are AMAZING. Sugary deliciousness, limited availability, two sizes/consistencies (corn = little nibble of sweetness; pumpkin = big burst of sugar), how can anyone claim that this stuff isn't just the bees knees!?!?! Annnnd unless you have some sort of superhuman stomach lining and a tolerance for sugar which exceeds that of us mere mortals, there's no way you can have more than a handful of these sweet treats at a time. You have a few bites and then stop for fear of a terrible tummy ache. I mean, what other candy has such an effective built in "do not over eat" mechanism!?! Even stand-alone delicious products like M&Ms and Oreos want to get in on the seasonal goodness:

Where!? Where do I find these!?

This "holiday season" be sure to take a moment to stop and taste the sugar... Just don't forget to brush your teeth afterwards! (<--- Spoken like a true daughter/sister of a dentist ha!)

Autumn in New York...

I'm fall-ing for you NYC.

And just like that, seemingly overnight, it feels like fall. As much as I begrudge mother nature for steeling away my beloved summer, as I sat last night with a cool breeze pouring into my apartment, window-shopped a season of new beautiful leather boots over the weekend and strolled sweat-free through the subway station this morning, I realized, as I do every year, that fall and I are going to get along just fine. There's something hopelessly romantic about Manhattan in autumn (they write songs of its fabulousness), the smell of pumpkin spice is just divine (Starbucks sucked you in yet!?), and my FAVORITE holiday of them all is JUST around the corner (you just wait until I get to talking about Halloween) so this week on Seektobemerry we'll fall head first into the new season (hehe). Recipes, fashion, fun things to do, and stunning fall foliage adventures are all coming your way so join me as we say 'so long to summer and hello fabulous fall.

Note: Lots 'o links in that paragraph - click the purple text to enjoy!

The end is near.

See you later alligator. 

(Note: I DO have a gator float & I WILL be laying on it this weekend)

I saw something tragic yesterday… I’m innocently walking down 6^th Avenue when there it was - a window display for Gap’s new “back to school/fall line”.  Fall. As in shorter days, good bye flip flops and hello outfits that involve more than 1 article of clothing. *Grooooooan* Even though I actually find fall to be a beautiful season, I don’t like thinking about it. I am a warm, sunshiney kind of gal.  So to combat the inevitable end of summer blues, I thought I would compile a “to do list” for the rest of the GREATEST SEASON of them ALL (does this count as plans?). Whether you’re an NYC’er like me or far across the country, be inspired to soak up the sunshine! Happy Weekend!!

1. Swim in the ocean. This is just about the warmest it’s going to get all summer. Time to stop wading and dive in.

2. Visit Coney Island. No more “I really want to go to Coney this summer”
3. Be barefoot. As much as possible.
4. Learn to use my soft serve ice cream maker (or at the very least, eat more soft serve ice cream)
5. Shop the end of season sales. No better way to end the summer than sporting all the trends (for half the price!)
6. Picnic in the park.
7. Kayak (it must be the Olympics, I’m feeling inspired)

8. Eat more lobster (and corn on the cob and watermelon)
9. Make my own Sangria (because those pinterest recipes aren’t going to make themselves!)
10. Stargaze. Lay in the grass and stare at the sky while the crickets serenade you.
11. (One more for good luck) Do a running jump into a pool, lake or other large body of water (because it's FUN!)

Summa summa summa tiiiime...

Beachy beauty

... time to sit back and unwind! Even though the summer solstice is still a few weeks away (I know these things, I took latin) anyone with a love of sand between their toes and white pants considers Memorial Day the official start of summer, and as I've mentioned before, I think summer is just the bees knees! You've got warmth, sunshine, beaches, sun dresses, flip flops, the smell of sunscreen... I could go on forever. To celebrate the pending arrival of my favorite season, this week on SeektobeMerry we're going to talk about all things summer - what the cool kids are wearing, what to pack for a day in the sun, where to escape to and of course, the tastiest things to eat. So queue up the Beach Boys on your iPod (or any of THESE quintessential summer jams) and get ready for a week of sunshine-y goodness!

Note: Lots 'o links in that paragraph - click the purple text to enjoy!

A tribute.

Get in my belly!

I would like to dedicate this blog post to one of my favorite things on planet earth: seasonal candy. Specifically, I’m giving a shout out to my true loves, Candy Corn and Cadbury Eggs  (how on earth am I the daughter of a dentist!?). There is no match for the sheer joy I feel when I’m in the checkout line at Duane Reade and there, perfectly situated for impulse-purchase suckers like myself, is the Easter season’s first bucket of goop-filled chocolate egg deliciousness (I lied, this feeling is matched by that aisle of orange and black which pops up sometime late-September).

Seasonal candy rocks for a ton of reasons, the most obvious being that it’s freaking delicious, but the less obvious being that its presence is fleeting. M&Ms may be my favorite candy, but I can get an M&M any time of day, any day of the year. The “egg and corn” seasons however, are short: that delicious creme center thickens over time and corn hardens beyond chew-ability by spring (not that I’ve ever attempted to stockpile and last the whole year or anything...) You have to enjoy your seasonal candy while it's fresh and then wait until its corresponding holiday rolls around again the following year. In my opinion, this makes every sugary bite that much more fantastic. So cheers to you seasonal candy; may you never lose your magic by having manufacturers realize that there's totally a market for selling you 365 days a year!

Photo credit and Cadbury awesomeness HERE.