spring is here!

I can feel the city humming with the crazy energy of summer already. While I think its still a little premature to break out your white jeans and sandals, I love how people are visibly ready to rip off all their clothes and embrace the warmth :) Add in the sunshine and endless supply of fun events and I'm constantly reminded of how much I love this place. A little bit of studying here and there doesn't sound so bad anymore...especially if I can do it in the park pretty soon!

Jenn and I went to Barnes and Noble in Union Square to see the Pioneer Woman. She was there promoting her new cookbook. 

Remember when I saw her last year? Well, now I actually own her book and Jenn grabbed a bunch for friends, so we stuck around to get them personally signed.

That was no small feat with about 300 fans in the audience! After a cute little thirty minute presentation by Ree (which included a musical devotion to her basset hound) we waited around a couple hours to have our books signed. If you ever go to a book signing, be sure to sit in the front! Thanks for sticking with us, P-Dub!

I probably don't even need to mention our recent gorgeous weather again but it's been glorious. It sure makes my walk to work in the morning more enjoyable.

You know what else makes life more fun? When temporary coworkers bring their cute little dogs to the office! Basel here is a mini dachshund and wiggled around our office one day last week. While he was adorable and I find dachshunds one of the few small dogs I like, he was a little frail. I've decided I need a pup that can rough house a tad more :)

In other work news, we took a client to see a project that our office did years ago and had a particular stair detail we wanted to highlight. Of course we poked around the rest of the townhouse! I loved this kids room which was kind of space age-y. The light fixture was awesome and there was a real Saarinen table and tulip chairs (not the Ikea version I would be more than happy to own). Plus, those walls?! Incredible wallpaper! I was blown away. (I have a feeling it might be from Black Crow Studios but I can't be sure.) My only complaint? Who doesn't make their kids make the bed in the morning?! The house was pretty immaculate, so I guess they need to leave something for the maid to do...

And my final work comment: we took an entire masonry wall down at our Upper West Side townhouse! Gone! It was crumbling beforehand and had a lousy foundation, so our contractor and structural engineer decided that taking it down and rebuilding the foundation was the most cost effective route. We once thought all that steel shoring was a little overkill but now its seems teeny to hold up the other walls! All in the name of progress :)

Jenn and I attended a happy hour event at the Lillian August showroom hosted by Tilton Fenwick and the newly launched New York Cottages and Gardens magazine. Lots of prosecco. Lots of fun!

I was #1 in our March Madness for a brief second!! During my reign at the top, poor Kurt was down at the bottom. The tables have definitely turned by now, but I am going to bask in my period of greatness a little longer :)

Friday night, we observed the birthdays of Will and Pilar. Sadly, I only got some photos at the new Park Slope Beauty Bar (and their glitter walls!) at the end of the night. Before that, we hit Pacifico, Boat Bar, and Camp. Talk about marathon! Happy (late) birthdays, guys!

Other than my 5k a couple weeks ago, I took my inaugural outdoor run of the year this weekend. This photo of Prospect Park looks pretty bleak but it was actually fairly sunny and the park was crawling with kids, animals, and soccer games. Yay for spring!

I usually like the post my weekly recaps on Mondays but figured I would make an exception this week because I took my first Architecture Registration Exam today!!!! I had been studying for the Construction Documents portion for a while and decided enough was enough and finally scheduled the test. I think/hope it went pretty well. Hopefully I can let you know in a couple weeks (although I might be too embarrassed to share if I fail!). After my morning exam I took the day off work and enjoyed a nice leisurely Monday in Brooklyn. I treated myself to a nice sidewalk lunch (and brownie) at Tazza in Brooklyn Heights before heading home to do my taxes :) Let's hear it for refunds!

After all those employed people got off work, this guy took me out for a drink and pizza at Bar Tano.

Yum! Thanks, Kurt! Hopefully one down and six more to go!

This is pretty out of order but, speaking of pizza, a couple weeks ago Kurt was preparing intensely for his LARE exams (I'm not the only studious one around here!) and I offered to make him dinner so he didn't have to worry about food for a couple evenings. I tried my version of Mellow Mushroom's Kosmic Karma pizza and made a fun animated GIF about it! Ingredients: premade pizza crust, pizza sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, shredded mozzarella cheese, Roma tomatoes, pesto, feta cheese, and fresh spinach. Bake and voila! If you are interested in making an animated GIF (first of all center your photos better than mine...this one makes me dizzy...sorry!) I highly suggest the tutorial on Say Yes to Hoboken. She makes it so simple.

Have a great week!