When My Life Was Actual Gilmore Girls

Most of my days spent in Connecticut are just days spent in Connecticut. Today, though, my day in Connecticut was actually 100% straight from an episode of Gilmore Girls, I SWEAR TO YOU.

So a friend at our church invited us to come this "traditional New England parade". A drum group played drums and then we all followed them and marched to a cemetery where they read off a list of names of veterans who had been buried there. It was really cool and interactive! 

It was a really fun and respectful thing to on Memorial Day. History is a really big thing over here! It's the only part about Gilmore Girls that I think is accurate haha. I kept thinking of all the town celebrations they have in Gilmore Girls. The town we live in doesn't ever have any, so it was neat to go somewhere that did. If you want a very traditional New England/Connecticut/Gilmore Girls experience, go to Stony Creek!

Hope you all had a great Memorial Day!

XOXO

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Stay-Cation Day 1: Connecticut

So I had a one week break from school... two weeks ago?? I am back in it now and it's SUPER busy, so I never have time to post here lol. So, these pictures are maybe like 3 weeks old. It's ok though, because I'm doing really good at school and that matters more to me than blogging haha.

So! My mom flew in to visit during this break and we did alllllllll the things. She got in on a Saturday and the next day was Mother's Day. We were originally going to go into New York, but it looked rainy so we decided to stay in Connecticut and instead go to New Haven/Yale.

I gave her her Mother's Day present before we left. She likes these sweatshirts that have colleges her kids go to/like on them haha. So I got on to match. I am kinda bummed because I got her a size too small and when we went to exchange it they didn't have any more! (Probably because it was the best one there, no doubt.) So now it's on of those things you have to remember not to dry, which is an actual challenge! Before I graduate I am going to load up on NYU ish, so I'll have to grab another. 

We started with breakfast at Atticus. It's such a cute place. My mom got this hot chocolate and of course "couldn't drink it all" and "needed help" lol. It was really good! I love when they do latte art.

My mom and I always laugh at eating the same food. Like I will order something and she'll be like, "I'll have the same thing, actually." Or she'll order and I'll be like, "Oh, can I have that too?" So, naturally we both got the avocado toast. It was really good! They put honey and cream cheese and now that I am writing this I think I know what I am eating today for breakfast! (Blogging at 7:30 in the a.m. because it's Sunday and I never sleep in lol.)

J got a breakfast sandwich which I want to try next time! Anything on a croissant, ya know?

Then we hopped over the street to the Yale Art Museum! It's such a neat-o place and FREE! Go go go if you are in the area. They have originals from famous artists like Picasso and Rothko. 

The only pictures we have of us together are when people come to visit hahahaha. This is the stairwell you can take after the first floor. It's so haunting and pretty.

Basquiat in the flesh!! He is my favorite artist! I remember when I first discovered him I was being a weirdo introvert at a party and flipping through a book about Sheperd Fairey. They had a picture of Basquiat's painting "Riding With Death" and it was so intricate and crazy I just stared at it for like 5 minutes. That was the moment I fell in love!

He recently broke a world record for having a painting sell for a record $10.5 million at auction. Way to go little bb! 

Why does J's new phone take such good photos? We will never know.

Slidin' into first... and installation art piece ;)

Like I swear his phone does something to the color and contrast that is just A+? Also this is Yale. Go there. It's very pretty. 

Here's a photo from my phone? Considerable less good?

After the museum we went to the beach! Tried to take a cute picture while it was windy and got this.

My mom was like, obsessing over how many seashells there were. The beach actually opens up to the Long Island Sound, so maybe that's what it is? But do you see all that stuff in the bottom right corner? That's all seashells.

As much as I love the mountains, it's so nice to live by water! In Utah, my favorite mountain places were the lakes. I hope we can always have some sort of body of water near where we live. It's so calming!

Cute right.

My camera always takes three photos when I put it on self-item and I always run out of things to do hahahaha.

Ok so my mom is actually a product model?? Like this shirt company could use this for sure on their page?

OK. So we went to Frank Pepe's Pizzeria. J and I have been there before and had the cheese pizza and it is GOOD. When we were looking it up online, everyone said to get the clam pizza. We were like, "DO WE DO IT OR NOT?!?!" So finally we decided to just do it, since it was supposedly the top 10 pizza in America. 

Well, sadly, we are not clam people. And this clam pizza was not for us. Also, they were super busy so we decided not to stay longer to order another pizza. I'm sad my mom's only experience with them is the clam pizza, because the cheese was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Ah well. 

We got Frappuchino's to hold ourselves over and went to the Apple store to see if they could fix my phone. Long story short: Earlier, it had stopped charging. We took it in (Sunday) and they couldn't get it to charge. They encouraged me to get a new phone, but I am really stubborn. I still own my phone outright because they were still doing the $200 2 year contract thing when I got it. I REALLY don't want to do the payment plan, because I think it's the dumbest thing in the world and ends up costing A LOT more than if you can just buy it for $200 in the beginning. PLUS if you don't have insurance on it, you have to pay like so much if you break it. So, basically phone payment plans = not for me.

So, I let it be dead for a few days. We took it in again on Wednesday hoping they could replace the battery. The guy put it on a charger and it started to charge? I was like, "We are not crazy!! It really wasn't charging a few days ago!" Another employee took it to the back and came back to say, "It charged sometimes and sometimes it didn't. I can't replace the battery since I can't tell if that's what it is."

So I took it home and experimented. I figured out that if I turned it off, plugged it in, and then turned it on it would read the charge. I did that for two days and then it started working just as normal! To think they wanted me to pay $300 for a new phone. Pshhhhh.

Anyway, back to Sunday. We had dinner at this place called Prime 16 (which you may remember from this post). They accidentally brought my mom the wrong burger and were so so nice about it when she told them! I love that.

I wanted to try the veggie burger this time and YOU GUYS. Best. Veggie. Burger. I've. Ever. Had. At. A. Restaurant. The patty is quinoa, which I prefer x 1,000 to black bean. Also it had chips on it which is something I used to do all the time on my burgers as a wee babe.

J's burg! He likes everything he eats, I swear. The other day, he made some cinnamon rolls and then left them out without Saran Wrap for 3 days. On the third day, my mom was sitting on the couch and he plopped down next to her, eating a 3 day old cinnamon roll that had been sitting out without any Saran Wrap, and was like, "Whatcha watching??" She lol-ed so hard haha. I am v thankful to have a husband who will eat literally anything.

All in all, it was a good day! I feel like living in Connecticut is so random sometimes, so it was fun to show someone around our lil' place!

XOXO

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E

Weekend Links: 03

This article is so inspirational! And also has a good implications for mental health :)

Idk why I am so obsessed with comparing working moms vs stay-at-home moms vs working full time without kids. This article was really interesting to me, though!

On the mom note, I super love this birth story! I really like the vibes they had going on and have always imagined myself doing similar. It was neat-o to see someone else doing the same thing!

THIS IS SO PURE!!

Adding all these movies to my list.

I love this idea regarding hair stylists! Sometimes we can make such a difference and not even know it.

Last, here are my fave finds for under $25!

I hope everyone is having a good weekend! Three days yi yi!!!

XOXO
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E

P.S. If you live in New York, RUN to Dō Cookie Dough Cafe! There is no longer a huge line!

Dat Weekend Tho

Weekends in grad school are usually spent reading or procrastinating reading. NOT THIS WEEKEND THO. I'm on a break from school this week!!! I did have one paper to finish up on Friday and after that we LIVED OUR LIVES. It was wonderful.

This is J being a gentleman and getting my USB cord from the apartment so we could listen to music again in the car. (My last USB cord broke.) He is a GEM. 

Don't worry though, because on Sunday my phone broke. Like I didn't drop it or get water in it or anything. It just actually stopped charging and working all together. Those final moments trying to upload all my photos and notes to iCloud when it was at 3% were INTENSE!! Lucky for us, I just got insurance on my phone WEEKS ago, so a replacement is on its way.

We went to Smashburger for the first time in a while and it was interesting? It took probably 30 minutes to get our food, and they gave us a small, regular fry instead of a large, rosemary fry. It was really good though. This salad had goat cheese and I AM A FAN.

My mom is here visiting. She sleeps in late because we are two hours ahead of her lol. Well, when I say late I mean like 9:00. Anyway, I'll be posting those pics soon!

XOXO

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E

TIS THE SEASON

This shop/post has been compensated by Collective Bias, INC. and The Coca-Cola Company, all opinions are mine alone. #PlayPauseRefresh #CollectiveBias

TIS THE SEASON FOR THE BEST T.V. SHOWS. I swear to you, there are SO many good movies and shows out right now. Our weekends are basically spent catching up on our favorite shows with some treats. With how crazy school is right now, I'm definitely not complaining about the chill nights!

vitaminwater is my go to Coca-Cola product. I always get the orange flavor because it's just so. dang. good. Just yesterday I discovered there is a strawberry lemonade flavor and it is AMAZING.  

Enter the Coca-Cola sweepstakes here! You just need to:

1. Grab your fave Coca-Cola beverage and schedule your T.V. night.

2. Take a photo of how you enjoy Coca-Cola during T.V. night. (Make sure the program you are watching stays on your TV, but out of your photo.)

3. Share your photo on Twitter or Instagram with both #programyournight and #sweepstakes for a chance to win cool prizes!

Anyway, here's a lil' recipe for your next T.V. night! Buttered ranch popcorn (I may have munched on this while my camera charged because it was too good to wait for, so that's why it looks slightly depleted in the picture lol.)

Step 1: Pop some popcorn and grab a packet of ranch. 

Step 2: Melt 4 tbsp of butter and pour it over your popcorn. Sprinkle the ranch and mix well.

Step 3: Enjoy!

It's super easy to make, but way better than regular popcorn! At least I think so :).

V good opportunity to use my macro lens filters lol. Look at that buttery ranch popcorn goodness.

THE TRUE HEROES. I get a vitaminwater every Tuesday for the train home from school. They just have such a good flavor that doesn't leave me feeling too heavy? I don't know how to explain it, but I am a fan. 

If you have any good T.V. show recommendations, plz let me know!

XOXO

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E

Weekend Links: 02

This is a really good article about why we feel empty.

I don't believe in essential oils, but I do think they smell good! And this is toooo cute.

Seriously considering buying this house after graduation. I'm obsessed!

CAN'T BELIEVE THIS COUPLE IS HAVING A BABY!!!!!

I don't know if you guys follow this Utah model on Instagram, but her blog is 10x better than her gram. I was crackin' up and getting mega inspired for life!

If you guys haven't read the conspiracy theory about the daycare in downtown SLC, you must! Read it here!

We are prepping to move in the next few months, and I'm obsessed with alllllll the house stuff. Here are my fave finds below $25!

Weekend Links

The new frappuccino from Starbuck's is so good. If you don't drink coffee just ask for a "mint mocha frappuccino with a cream base". SO GOOD.

I am loving the photography in this post.

Really want to go to Tennessee after reading this.

Not a parent, but I love this advice.

I know this has been viral for a while, but I still love it.

This post has got me wanting to go to England, like STAT.

Are you even kidding me with this townhouse?? NEED.

Oh, and also seriously considering buying this when we make our next move.

Just finished this podcast, and it was pretty interesting. Different than I thought it would be, but still good insight.

And since I can't shop right now, here are all my favorite finds under $25 for your enjoyment.

XOXO
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A Happy List: 159

Ok so J is growing his hair out right? Well, the other night I took it upon myself to curl it. It was the best experience. 

Also, I got him these glasses for Christmas, but I estimated the PD because I didn't think it mattered that much, but it does. So he doesn't wear them but HOW CUTE IS THIS GLASSES CURLY HAIR COMBO!!

Ok so also J had a mass in his eyelid. It got really big, actually. It got to be like the size of a marble, so he had to go and get it removed. They had to cut it open and give him stitches and everything! I had to drive him home and it was so sad haha. 

Now, onto the happy list!

1. / The geek's facial expressions in Freaks and Geeks. Also pretty sure Lindsey is like, the most beautiful woman. J and I talk about it every time we watch it lol.

2. / My niece rode a unicorn lol and my sister took a picture and posted it. In the picture the unicorn's mouth is open and it looks like it's smiling hahaha. 

3. / J braids my hair pretty often. Last night he braided it and a few hours later I realized he added a little bun at the end lol. 

4. / I forget how much I like the roads in Connecticut, scenic wise. They are all lined with trees, and some have trees dividing the lanes going opposite ways. It makes the commute a lot easier!

5. / J learning how to double French braid! He was all, "I don't know, this is going to be really bad." And then he braided BEAUTIFULLY on like the second one lol.

6. / Discovering north Seattle exists. I for some reason was thinking Seattle didn't have like, houses and neighborhoods, but it turns out it does! We are seriously looking at the Green Lake area, but will have to see where jobs take us when I graduate.

7. / We were coming home from church and about to pull into our apartment garage, and saw a guy walking into the building with a box of Little Ceasar's pizza. Literally I was like, "LET'S GO TO LITTLE CEASAR'S RIGHT NOW." And J flipped the car so fast lol and

8. / I was on the train and there was this guy doing the loudest, grossest cough EVER. Right before I got off, a woman got on and sat behind me. After the guy coughed a few times, she was like, "Oh my gosh!!! Cover your damn mouth!!" Hahahaha.

9. / I am nearing the end of my first semester of grad school and it feels GOOD! So far my grades are good and I'm not feeling too burnt out. Mostly just really anxious to get a dog lol.

10. / I have rainbow nails this week and I love them so much! I try to paint my nails every Sunday as a little self-care thing, and I always forget how much I love doing it.

XOXO

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E

Instagram Ice Cream AF

I'm pretty sure people just go here for the gram... jk but not really lol. This ice cream place is called Milkcraft and is SO CUTE! Here's the thing, Utah's food places have great atmosphere. Like, they're so cute. In Connecticut, that doesn't happen a whole ton. Needless, to say, it was fun to go somewhere that had mega vibes.

From time to time I get really angsty and all "What am I doing with my life?!" I sometimes feel like everyone around me is having babies or buying houses or traveling. I don't feel like there are too many people on my social media who are still in the "poor college student phase" and sometimes I get really bothered by that. I know that it will end soon (1 year, woot!). I know that it will be worth it when we're both working, and that we'll be able to travel all we want. It's just that doesn't always make things better right now, do you know what I mean? 

Anyway. So I was complaining about all of this. I was also complaining about how we don't have any de-stressors (friends, a dog, cute food places) and how that just makes everything harder. A few hours after that, I was just like, "WE ARE GOING TO MILKCRAFT!!!!!" It was like 9:00pm on a Sunday, but when those moments hit you gotta do what you gotta do. And sure enough, after we got ice cream at a cute, new food place I felt so much better hahahaha. 

The cones were actually the texture of waffles and SO GOOD. I am going to go back when my mom comes to visit and get the fruity pebbles ice cream. I liked the caramel corn, but it was a little unique for my taste. Look how cute the inside is, though!!!

Anyway, the moral of the story is that cute food places can cure even the angsty-est of angst lololololol. Add this to your things to do in Connecticut list, too!

XOXO

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E

Burgs

So, I'm eating meat now, right? So far, I think it's been ok, but I still feel like I can get my fill from fake meats. Also, I feel like vegetarian food has more flavor? I don't know, it's weird. I have been wanting to keep trying meats, though. Just because there aren't a lot of places in this area that are veg friend. 

So last week we went to Prime 16 in Orange, Connecticut. (Lol that there is a town named Orange.) Their beef is certified humane which makes my animal loving hear v happy. Also, atmosphere AF at this place, you guys. I should have taken a photo of the bar, but it looked like a vampires lounge hahaha. It was amazing.

Also I got this camera for a sponsored post, but I am actually obsessed with it. It's film, but digital which is the *BeSt Of BoTh WoRlDs*. So basically you can take pictures and see what they look life BEFORE you print them. You can add filters and crop and add stickers too. I'm not sponsored to post it here haha, I just genuinely love the product. I pretty much love anything film related, lets be honest.

This is the first burger I have had from a restaurant! (Does Shake Shack count as a restaurant?) It had bacon on the inside and then bacon on the top. I lol at how much meat eaters love bacon. Also it was HUGE!! My hand is twisted so weird in this picture, but you get the idea. 

Living somewhere new that no one you know has lived before is kind of hard as far as knowing where to eat goes. We are like, exploring all on our own from stage 1. So, if you are ever in Connecticut for whatever reason (Gilmore Girls tour or going to Yale), definitely add this place to your list! 

XOXO

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E

A Happy List: 158

I love that the sun sets on my train ride home. <3 <3 <3

Guys, this was so funny. We were at Target and I looked over and saw this. It was later at night, so I thought they were unboxing new product and it just so happened that the plastic dog inside looked like this. I was like, "J! Look how cute that accident is!" But then upon closer examination of my photo realized it was intentionally set to look like that hahaha. 

These were my infamous fish tacos from the other night! I learned the other day that American's don't eat fish often, but it's like one of the better meats (health wise). So I want to start making it more!

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Updating my photography website. Check it out and let me know if I should change anything!

People singing Lean On Me on the subway... such a stereotypical New York moment lol.

I made the BEST fish tacos on Wednesday. Here's the recipe if you're interested.

Seeing a garbage truck with men, instead of an electronic arm.

The feeling of perfectly smooth legs rubbing together.

My friend's cute subscription box company

Seeing a school bus full of kids.

J's new obsession with R&B

A's discover weekly

Film cameras

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Funny things people said this week:

I found an empty, plastic storage box in our closet and decided to use it to store some Easter stuff we got. However, it was only a few plastic eggs, but I figured I would add more as the years went on. J came by a few hours later and said, so confused, "So did you just want to use this bucket to put eggs in?? Did you want to put some other stuff??"

I guess this isn't a funny things someone said, but I did feel like an idiot. So this week I was like, "I'll drive myself to the train station!" So, I arrive 10 minutes early, just in case. But, I couldn't find the daily parking lot, so I had to call J and he gave me directions. Once I got there I had to park way at the bottom, and walk up to the booth to pay the guy. However, he was cash only, so I had to run back to my car, dig up $4 of cash, and come back. He was super nice and took it. Then I walked up the platform with a few minutes to spare and called J. There weren't many people on the platform, but it didn't register to me at the time. So, I was just walking along, chatting to J, and then I looked across the tracks and saw all these people on the OTHER SIDE OF THE PLATFORM. (The side that goes to New York.) The train was scheduled to arrive in two minutes, so I booked it down the stairs, up the parking lot, across the street, and got to the other platform a minute before the train left hahaha. I felt so dumb.

J: "Em, I KNOW my burger had garlic... but I don't remember eating it!!!!"

XOXO
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E

New York I Love You, But You're Bringing Me Down

Wow. Am I the worst blogger or what?? I literally have all these photos, but never post them. I need to just take like an hour on Sundays and plan out all my posts for the week. I always do this when I am in a busy stage of life, and then I try to look back on it and have 0 things to look back on. SO ONWARD!!

These pictures were taken the other week on my commute to New York. I honestly love the Metro North so, so much. It's so calming with the white noise and windows. New York was rainy too, and so beautiful. I will miss it when we move!

Isn't this street art neat? It's something to promote reading for kids, I think. Is there a walking tour of all the street art in New York City? Cause I could get on that real quick. 

That feeling when your class is canceled, but you still have class after that, so you have to kill 3 1/2 hours in New York City, but also it's raining so you can't sit outside. 

Pro-tip: At Grand Central there are so many yummy food places in the basement level! (Lower level, whatever it's called.) They have a magnolia bakery!! I got this bread pudding to eat on the way home, but there was a business man next to me and I was nervous lol. There are a lot of like, unspoken rules on the Metro North, and I have broken some of them at times and people are not happy. (Remember the guy who threw my jacket sleeve into my lap?? Or the guy who got up and waited by the door until I moved to a seat not directly next to him?? Yikes.) Anyway, so when I got home we ate it in bed while watching T.V. I always have high hopes for Fear The Walking Dead, but it's just not my favorite.... pretty much ever.

Ok also, I have to tell you guys what happened two weeks ago in New York because intuition 10/10.

So, this was our first week with our second car. J thought I was going to drive myself to the station, but I thought he was driving me. So I slept in later than I would have needed to, and after realizing our mistake, I was like, "Just let me stay home! I'll be late anyway!!" J was like, "Um. No." And listed very valid reasons why I should go. So I was like, "K fine." and off we went. I ended up getting there in time after all, and all was well. UNTIL!! My last class ends at 6:35 right?? Well, I miss the 6:53 train by MINUTES! And I end up having to take the 7:12, which gets in like 30-ish minutes later than the 6:53 (which is weird, but whatever). So, at the end of class we had time to meet with our groups, and I was like, "Oh, I'm going to leave 5 minutes early and be clever and make the 6:53 train."

So, I leave my five minutes early. However, my metro card is out of money, so I go to the little kiosk at the subway station and try to reload it. Doesn't reload. Try to reload it again. Doesn't reload. I realize I'm using my old zip code and feel like an idiot. Try to reload it with correct zip code. Doesn't reload. Try it again. Doesn't reload.

Luckily J always makes me carry at least $5, so I reload it with cash and get on my merry way, knowing that I have missed the 7:53, but knowing I can make my usual 7:12. So, I get on the train and it just sits there. For like, minutes. Then this guy comes on the speaker saying, "Due to an investigation, we are experiencing delays." I was like, "Ok?" So after sitting at the first station for a few minutes, we finally move on to the second station... but then we sit there for five minutes too before moving on to the next station. At this point I'm like, totally missing the 7:12, but there is still hope I can make the 7:34. This stop and go pattern goes on until we reach 33rd street, at which point the whole train goes out of service and we have to get off. I wait at the station thinking another 6 train will be coming shortly. Well, actually two 6 trains came... but also went. Without stopping. Or picking up anyone at all fro the 33rd street station.

At this point I have missed the 7:34 train. And the next to leave is at 8:07, which gets into my station at 9:44 PM. The one after that gets in at 10:20, and if you guys don't already know, I like start my bedtime routine at 10. So, I was like, "10:20 WILL NOT HAPPEN." I run out of the 33rd street station and walk 9 blocks to 42nd street and catch the train, AT LAST.

So let's recap. 

What normally happens: Leave class at 6:35, catch the 7:12 train, get home at 8:56.

What actually happened two weeks ago: Left class at 6:30, caught the 8:07 train, got home at 9:44.

LIKE NO THANK YOU.

Don't get me wrong, I love how close and accessible New York is, but sometimes that public transportation gets to you hahaha. 

And that's all for today, folks!!

XOXO

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E

A Happy List: 157

The name Felicia.

The slang in Awkward.

Getting back into running.

Coming home to a clean apartment.

Washington Square park in the spring.

The rosemary and currant scone from Oren's.

Finding cheesecake at Aldi (my least favorite place ever).

I spilled eucalyptus essential oil in my car and it smells so good now. 

Listening to the radio for the first time in literal years and "Lose Yourself" by Eminem came on. 

Complained about having to wake up early to fill my car up with gas and J went out that night and filled it up.

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J: "I technically ate paintballs all the time."

J ran up the stairs while making a whooshing sound. Then he said, "Em, sometimes I have to verbally express how fast I'm going."

I told J about this app where you set a timer so you can focus better. If you don't exit out of the app before the time runs out, it will grow a tree for you. Once you have so many trees you can exchange them for a real tree to be planted. It's really cool. It's called Forest. Anyway, he downloaded it while he was studying and then came down and said, "Em! Look!! My tree growed!"

XOXO

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E