At the Ballet!

This weekend... I'm crossing off a BIG to-do from my bucket list, New York City must-do list and things to do with Jose list. Yeah, lots of lists but it's so true! We are about to share a dreamy day in the city at Christmastime [my favorite time in Manhattan!] and all while one of my biggest dreams is coming true...

We are seeing the Nutcracker at the New York City Ballet!!

For as long as I can remember, I have loved the Nutcracker. My mom and aunt brought me to a performance of it in a local theatre when I was maybe 5 or 6 and since than I have been in love with it. I listen to the music all year long but even MORE at Christmas and have always dreamed of seeing a professional performance! What is more professional than The New York City Ballet?? At the gorgeous Lincoln Center [which I visited earlier in the summer to see the Philharmonic!] No matter what - when you visit NYC, put a visit to the Lincoln Center on your list of must-dos! And see a performance! I'm all about the Arts so I love it there :)

me in front of the opera house earlier this summer :)

Not only that - but just enjoying New York at Christmas time is the greatest. I'll be making a few trips to NYC in December and in all different parts of the city too! This weekend I'll be checking out Uptown Manhattan at Christmas :)

I'll be sharing more of our day next week! [but follow me on Instagram for LOTS of pics the day of!] WHOO!!

Have a fabulous weekend!! :) 

Holiday Gift Guide: For the Host!

I LOVE this gift guide, mostly because I love home accessories just as much as girly accessories. Most likely you'll be attending a Holiday Party or Get-Together this Holiday season and why not thank your host or hostess with a sweet thoughtful gift! It's something the host never expects and is an easy way to gift and say "Thanks!" - and they are all under $100! 

Shop the Gifts Below:

And though I couldn't find a good link for the champagne - it's made by Pommery Champagne and you should be able to find it at any local liquor store ;)

Holiday Gift Guide: Sparkle & Shine!

Ladies - you may want to pull your boys into the room to carefully look at this blog post. This is made for YOU! The girly girls who love to a little sparkle, glitter and bling every once in a while. On your nails, your feet or in your jewelry - there are so many ways to make a statement and rock it through the New Year. I'm absolutely in LOVE with this gift guide. This is for the girls who like to sparkle and shine! :) 

Shop the Gift Guide below [with an extra sparkle at the end!]

::coughcough:: gosh Jose is that the CUTEST watch ever or what?? :P 

Wonderful Thanksgiving!

Can NOT believe Thanksgiving has come and gone and it is officially the holiday season! Time goes by when you're having fun! Our thanksgiving was so nice & I hope you all had a great one as well! We spent the morning in our pjs watching the Macy's Thanksgiving parade, the afternoon with my family having a traditional Thanksgiving meal and the night with Jose's family... it was a great day! And now the house is all set for Christmas! These are the last few months we'll be living with my mom before going off to live on our own again and we are enjoying and not taking for granted being so close to family this Christmas :) Here are some photos from our Thanksgiving...

us in our pjs [yes the dogs too!] in a scanned polaroid we tookk

what a trooper!

it was amazingly delicious

did i mention my husband is crazy talented and creative? made that out of pipe cleaner!

so happy... and soooooo tired

jose and his mom, who is home from puerto rico :)

How was YOUR thanksgiving?? 

Holiday Gift Guide: For the Desk!

Today's gift guide is "For the Desk". It's safe to say with how technology is A LOT of us spend lots of time at our desks - whether working in an office or running your own business at home, these gifts can come in handy for most people! And what I love about it is it's simple things with a twist - like the gorgeous le pens or the fun poppin tape dispenser! :)

Jonathan Adler iPhone dock / Tory Burch desktop calendar / Poppin tape dispenser / J Crew Pocket Datebook / Kate Spade paper weight / Pop phone handset / Le Pen from Design Darling / Kate Spade headphones

I am in love with this Gift Guide! and think it's safe to say I'm asking for all of the above this Christmas :) 

Holiday Gift Guide: Beauty Obsessed!

It's officially the Christmas season! Time to start getting in the Christmas mood here on the blog! :) 

This year I've decided to do some Holiday Gift Guide's here on the blog, with a bit of a twist! Instead of doing "For her" or "For him", I'll be doing gift guides targeted towards one certain type of person. Because we all know people just like that! Today's is for the Beauty Obsessed! 

Buy your Holiday Gifts right here!:

Any of these are sure to please any type of beauty girl and are well within our "Christmas Budgets" Have fun trying not to buy yourself one too! :) 

Be Thankful!

I think it's safe to say after so many posts saying the same thing this year that I'm SO thankful for a lot of things. This statement rings very true this year! 

I'm SO thankful for everything we have! Our crazy supportive friends and family, our growing business and the opportunities that have come with it, our pets for being here keeping us sane and happy every day, my husband for being the best husband and friends in so many ways... I'm SO thankful for my blog! This year has been rough for my poor blog, I've put her on the backburner a bit but I'm glad I pull through and still get comments on it! There seem to be a LOT of exciting things happening for my baby [this blog] this year and next year so stay tuned!! It's going to be hard to balance my actual job, our photography business AND this blog but I'm up for the challenge for as long as I can!

And to everyone who reads and comments on this blog I am THANKFUL FOR YOU!! Thank you for letting me know you're interested :) I may not be a big blog but I appreciate any and all love I get!! 

HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING!! :D

Birthday Polaroids!

This year I vowed to take A LOT more polaroids and I'm happy to say I've done so - especially on my birthday! This isn't all the polaroids I took! It's so great to have a real photo in your hands and it's so fun to take photos like this! Everyone seems way more up to taking pictures when a Polaroid is around :) 

Birthday Instagrams!

When it comes to my birthday - I suck at taking photos. [you'd think Jose - my photography "business partner" -  would think to take photos? no!] Thank god for Instagram or I wouldn't have shit from the day! Tomorrow night we are going out and REALLY celebrating my birthday and I WILL take pictures but my actually birthday was fantastic :) I loved every minute of the day and felt truly blessed to have spent it with my awesome co-workers and my loving fantastic family :) 

blowing out my candle at dinner!

my cake at work - the yummiest cake EVER!!

my moms gifts to me - the kate spade planner i wanted & tickets to finally!!!! see the nutcracker!! only my close CLOSE family understands the extent of my absolute obsession with the nutcracker - now finally seeing it again after YEARS! :) 

my own personal champagne bottle at dinner :) 

me... 27 years ago or so with my 27 year old teddy bear [Happy Birthday to Pooh Pooh too!!] 

make a wish!

Yay to a fabulous birthday and a fun night out tonight!!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND! :)

Shopping for Holiday Dresses!

We are hosting a holiday party this year and though it's more of a dessert party - it still has me itching to dress up. I almost wanted to make it mandatory for everyone to come dressed up but decided to chill. But since I'm playing hostess I miiiight just splurge and buy myself a fancy holiday dress :) I immediately gravitate to ModCloth for their holiday dresses because they UNDERSTAND the curvy girl. With a huge variety of a-line dresses and flattering silhouettes and the most gorgeous colors, it's no wonder I love them! Here's a peek at some of my favorites!

Shop the dresses below:

Aren't you DYING over my favorites?? Seriously, they are too gorgeous and perfect for the holiday season! Somebody throw a Christmas cocktail party cos I will be there sparkling! 

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! :D

It's my birthday!!

Today I am 27!! I've never been one to hate my birthdays and I don't think I ever will - I LOVE birthdays, especially my own :) So today, even if I'm stuck at work half the day, I'll be celebrating with cake at work - followed by dinner and drinks with my family and real celebrations this weekend. 

This year has been AMAZING!! I'm so thankful for all the good fortune and opportunities we've had with our photography business starting and blossoming. I wish for nothing but continued happiness in the next year! :D I have a few more wishes too... to get closer to old friends and make more new ones, learn and challenge myself as much as I can in our business and do more of what makes me happy! :D

Nothing but good vibes over here today!! :D

Holiday Party Time!

It's that time! Time to start thinking and planning out the Holiday Season! This year we opted out of the Halloween Party but I wouldn't let my friends get away that easy - instead I decided to host a Holiday Dessert Party! [yup! all my friends reading this prepare yourselves now!] I'm so excited but this time I am going all out! I'm asking all our guests to bring a homemade dessert and we sample them all and vote for the favorite! This is extensive because I'm not gonna put my guests in a sugar coma so I'll have hors d'oeuvres and cocktails as well as coffee and hot chocolate to wash them sweets down. YES this is a lot to handle - but I'm always up for a challenge :) And I just love parties and a reason to get everyone together, ESPECIALLY for the holidays! 

Below is my little inspiration board I made! The colors I'm sticking with are red and green [we go traditional around here] and as you can see, lots and lots of yummy treats and drinks. 

It'll be on December 15th, a month away, so there is lots of time to plan and get things sorted - and lots to report back to here :) Stay tuned!!

Who else is throwing a Holiday Party this year? I'd love some tips! 

Tina's Birthday Wishlist!!

It's that time of year - my birthday!! I will always be excited it's my birthday [I am not one of those haters that doesn't like birthdays] because why not celebrate a fresh new year of life? WHOO! I am about to turn 27 next week and am pretty darn excited! Sooooooo time to share my wishlist!!

Bliss Products! steep clean mask . fabulips . triple oxygen mask / kate spade planner / hunter boots / friends on bluray / steve madden boots / vinylmation / kate spade iPhone case / butter nail polish trio

Now this is no lie - I legit want each and every thing on this list. Some I REALLY need [like new facial products, new boots and a new planner] and some I REALLY REALLY want! It's always fun to wish for some cute "things" on your birthday :) 

If you could have anything off my birthday list [one for me, one for you!] - which would be your pick? :) 

The aftermath of Sandy...

Last Monday night Hurricane Sandy - hitting New Jersey & New York fiercely. We lost power Monday night at 10pm and after almost an entire week with no heat or power [the longest week of my life] - yesterday night at 6:30pm we finally got it back. I luckily had written a whole week of blog posts so though it doesn't seem like I've been absent I was and it was terrible. It became even worse when we heard of the devastation of two of our most beloved spots - the Jersey Shore & Hoboken. 

Jose is from Hoboken and so much of our relationship started, began and blossomed in Hoboken so it almost has felt like a second home to me as well. We have friends and family in Hoboken that lost their cars and a lot of their own personal property and have been without power. This storm has hit us hard - it's hard to think the entire town of Seaside Heights down the shore has been wiped, including the boardwalk. My prom memories, memories in college... gone! It's so heartbreaking. Not just for Jersey of course but New York as well. This has been a long week of reflection, feeling grateful for what we have and for each other. A lot of bonding and feeling closer with my family, a lot of appreciation for those who were concerned. I haven't worked in a week either... so to finally be able to go back to a normal life, minus the gas shortage situation, is a huge relief. 

I appreciate you girls reaching out to me and checking up on me [you know who you are! i wanna send you christmas cards this year i love you so much!] to everyone from New Jersey and New York, this is just another test to prove we are strong and will get through this. We got this!

Just wanted to give a brief update on our life :) my birthday is in a week from tomorrow! time to start planning and celebrating life being oh so good!! 

Jewel-Tone Drop Earrings!

I've never been one to wear earrings... ever. But I still love to look at them :) With the holidays upon us, drop earrings are such a gorgeous way to dress up your look. Especially in these beautiful jewel tones! And at such affordable prices, it's best to buy great pieces you can wear again and again this season. 

Shop these gorgeous Earrings below!

What's your favorite piece of jewelry to wear? I don't know if you know this but I'm more of a necklace girl :)

It's November!!!

IT'S NOVEMBER!!!!

Oh it's just the greatest month ever. Come on, let's be honest. Thanksgiving is the greatest holiday ever [the official kick off to the holiday season AND the best eating day EVER!]. Not only that but it's my BIRTHDAY MONTH!!! Yesssss November is seriously special in my book for that reason. There's a lot to be thankful for as I turn another year older and suddenly can not WAIT to be 27! 26 was an awesome growing year and it can only get better. I have A LOT of goals for 27 and hope to keep it good :D

So expect to see a few birthday wish lists, lots of personal photos from celebrating and lots of getting souped for CHRISTMAS!!! Though I'll try really hard not to get ahead of myself until Thanksgiving [which is bullshit. If I wanna play Christmas music now, than FUCK YOU I'm gonna.]

Any November babies out there with me??

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU TOO! :D