My Favorite Things

It is here, my birthday week! And I am going to start off with a list of My Favorite things A to Z. Let me preface how this list, and my longest post to date (I did a word count, it is true) came to be though.

The responses when I wrote my All About Me, From A to Z post in March was overwhelmingly positive and I loved sharing things about my readers did not know. Then just before my blog’s first birthday in August I shared a recap of my first ever post, a self-portrait list of my favorite things.  I was surprised, again, at the reaction to that list and the interest of readers who mentioned I should re-do the list that is now two and a half years old.  I decided to take this suggestion but do it in a different way – here are 26 of my favorite things:

Asparagus: Doctors and health professionals are always say eat your fruits and vegetables and my mother abided by this very fastidiously when I was growing up, my brother and I always had broccoli and peas with dinner.   Now that I prepare my own meals I still listen to this advice but chances are you will find asparagus on the plate now.  I did a post about my favorite vegetable and the best ways to prepare it but my favorite is still steamed with sea salt!

Bouncy Castles:  Who does not love bouncy castles?  Every year in college the university I went to would set up a bouncy castle on the front lawn in celebration of the end of spring term and every year it would be my first stop on this day.  They remind me of the trampoline I had in my backyard growing up but with less predictability of the direction you will go in once you jump.

Chocolate: I am sorry, who does not like chocolate.  Chocolate makes anything better and is always my go-to for desert.  If I am eating plain I prefer dark chocolate, sometimes with almonds but really, I will take it almost any way it comes, especially hot cocoa in the winter!

Dailies: Daily contacts make my life better. I originally got them when I was swimming everyday to protect my eyes from all of that chlorine exposure but I still use the and my eyes thank me everyday. This will probably be the only time I will admit it on the blog but NYC is a dirty place and there is tons of pollution that sticks to you and one place I really do not need it is in my eyes!

Earbuds: You all know I am obsessed with my book tapes (here and here) and one of the ways I am able to listen to so many is while on the go. I am rarely without my noise canceling earbuds and they are powerful enough to drown out the noise of an approaching subway train so I do not have to rewind. I also use them at the gym to avoid all of those football games by jamming away to some Helene approved music.

Friday:  This is my favorite day of the week and I would believe the majority of Americans agree with me! Is there really more to write about why Friday is great… it just is? Weekends are usually the highlight of the week and Friday’s are the jump off.

Georgetown:  It is amazing how many posts I have seen recently about people repping their college football apparel and cheering for their teams.  Yeah…. I will never one of be one of those people but when we get to college basketball season I am ALL over it!  As a varsity athlete for four years, a tour guide, a photographer for the paper, and overall a very involved student I am still very attached to Georgetown. I even will be spending my birthday this weekend down at school.

Honey Boo Boo: Beginning last summer Alana Thompson’s thirty minute reality program became my favorite summer show because there was never more than a minute between laughs from the  pint size (well pint-plus-sized) beauty queen and her family. I was so excited in January when the Honey Boo Boo holiday specials aired and I even dressed up for her for Halloween.

Instagram: Insta is by far my favorite social media channel, mainly because I am obsessed with photography but also because you do not need to have anything serious or earth shattering to take a photo of and people will still like it (for the most part)! On average, I post two pictures a day to my Instagram account and many treat it as an extension of my blog – what are you waiting for? Follow me!

Jack Rogers: These shoes make me happy. I am slowly thinking about packing them away as the weather turns cold but it is hard to do. They are my default flat shoes when I do not know what to wear and I wear my metallic gold and metallic silver Navajo sandals so much I usually have to get a new pair every year.  In the next few weeks I plan on getting my first pair of non-sandal Jack Rogers, a pair of their waverly flats in dark ruby / oxblood.

Kate Spade:  As of last week Kate Spade was the brand I talked about and tagged the most in my blog. Between their handbags, clothing, shoes, jewelry and accessory it is a brand that is suitable for all day, everyday.  Now only if I could just have one of everything! According to UPS tracking the two birthday presents I ordered myself from the surprise Kate Spade sales (75% off, hello!) are coming this afternoon and I am so excited!

Lipstick:  I must admit, lipstick is something new in my life.  I have only learned how to properly wear lipstick in the last six months – hello, lip liner – and now I am obsessed.  I am a fan of a very bold red lip for a Saturday night out but have fallen in love with NARS pure, creamy lipstick in Dolce Vita, a sheer dusty rose color.

MacBook:  When I went to college the first thing I wanted was a MacBook, I got one and loved it but found there were some limitations with the software compatibility in my Finance major so reluctantly switched to a PC halfway through college.  It was not until March, after six months of blogging, that I made the splurge  investment of a 15″ 2.4GHz with Retina display and I am in love.  Deeply, madly in love.

New York City: I am in a love affair with my city. I have lived here for 16 months and am still learning new things about it every day. It could definitely be a full time blog to explore different things; museums, parks, restaurants, and performances and write about them. Instead it a fascet of this blog so any time I do something very New York I label it as such (you can find all my NYC posts here) and from the navigation bar!

Olympics: I love the Olympics, the marvels of athleticism and how the whole world rallies around their count, their favorite sports, and how once every four years people care about swimming.  Event though swimming is a summer sport I love both seasons –  one every other year my TiVo fills up at the drop of a hat and I am glued to the TV. In case you were wondering there are only 136 days until the start of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia!

Photography: One of my first few posts when I started this blog was about photography, a hobby of mine since I learned how to develop film in a dark room. Pictures are one of the things in life that I am the most passionate about. you can usually find me with a camera always in my bag, no matter how large or small, snapping away at anything and everything I find interesting. I love being able to share images daily on Instagram and then higher resolution ones here on the blog.

Queen: Growing up I always dreamed of being a princess and while this might not be a reality I still look up to them.  Then, it was about the age of seven when I realized a queen was more important than a princess, and thus, that was my new goal.  There are many beautiful reigning queens such as  Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan and one of my favorite aspects is their tiaras! Disney does a great job of portraying them but the real ones, especially those in the Tower of London!

RomComs: I love, love LOVE romcoms. By definition are comedies in film based around the romantic relationships of the characters, [rom(antic) + com(edy) and did a post about them last month and about my favorite films in that genre including Pretty Woman, The Holiday, and Bridget Jones.

Sephora:  I confessed my love for the store as one of my first ever Sparkles and Shoes posts and was even lucky enough to help them celebrate their 15th Birthday in June. It is crazy to say, but I am well on my way to becoming a VIP Rogue and I can not wait to obtain this status and get all of the perks that come with it! (Oh, and I know it would have made more sense to go with Sparkles or Shoes as the s option but as you already know those are my favorite things I wanted to be different!)

Twizzlers: Simply put, they remind me of childhood. Growing up Twizzlers were the only real “candy” we had in the house and they were reserved for family movie night when my mom would have the bag and pass one out every ten minutes, yum! I have them very rarely now but when I pass the candy isle in the drug store I always check to make sure they have them!

Urban Decay: Dear Urban Decay, Your primer, foundation, eyeshadow, liner, and setting spray make me very happy. I am very thankful to a good friend who introduced me to your wonderful products in high school and I am still a loyal fan.  Please do not stop what you are doing or ever discontinue your YDK eyeshadow because I have decided it is my signature shade. Love, Kelly.

Vacation: With quite an extravagant travel bucket list featuring destinations all of the world to visit it is only normal that many of them are quite chilly.  While, in my lifetime, my goal is to visit all of these places I prefer warm destinations.  There is nothing quite like a beach chair, a good book, sand under your toes, and the waves crashing only a few feet in front of you. Oh, and the fact you don’t have to check your Blackberry!

Wine: I have said before and I will say it again, I am not a beer girl, but wine on the other hand? Yes please! I am huge fan of a light, crisp white wine, preferably Pinot Grigio but I am agreeable to all different kinds.  Drinking wine still makes me feel like the classy women I looked up to in RomComs when I was growing up.

Xrays: It is a cliche in that it is one of the only words that begin with x but I am thankful for xrays. Thankful you ask?  This is because due to this technology and about a dozen photos I was able to find out that I needed massive knee surgery and then subsequent xrays have told me that I am doing better!

Yogurt: I love all types of yogurt – at my parents house there is always fruity Dannon options but my preference is towards Greek it is tangier, less sweet, as well as creamier.  As I mentioned in my Greek Yogurt post last year, I love how it has more protein which makes you feel full and lends it self to the addition of fresh fruit.  But still, I like all types of yogurt, including froyo.

Zoo: I grew up going to the gorgeous 40-acre Bronx Zoo, according to my mom, sometimes as often as once week.  I have been to tons of zoos, the San Diego is gorgeous and I loved Smithsonian’s National Zoo while I was in school in D.C. but the Bronx Zoo is still my favorite and as of last week I am now a member! My favorite animals to see at the zoo are polar bears, tigers, gorillas, snow leopards, giraffes, and red pandas!