Newburyport, MA.

Newburyport, MA wins hands-down for the award for cutest town around. The entire downtown was decorated with pumpkins, flowers, scarecrows, bales of hay, and banners in preparation for October 31st festivities. I felt like I was in the middle of the 1998 Disney Channel movie, "Halloweentown". We stayed at the Essex Inn, a charming, historic Inn nestled on a tree-lined street in the heart of downtown where we could walk to various little shops and restaurants along High Street. Unfortunately due to all the wedding activities planned for us, we went from event to event with little free time in-between. Z and I had a couple hours or so to explore the town before a cocktail event and we managed to find a little shop with the tastiest bagels ever! Zane got a breakfast sandwich and I ordered a Lox bagel. We are definitely missing out on good bagels here in San Francisco. After breakfast, we wandered down over to the Merrimack River and took in the sights. (I kept humming the Dawson's creek theme...Sorry Z!) I'd love to come back and visit again and make time to visit the near-by Plum Island--known for its wild beach-plum shrubs growing on its dunes. Here's to that great New England charm!

Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny & Girly

 Have you ever decided to watch a movie based on a font? I have. And that movie was Girly aka Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny & Girly. A MOUTHFUL, I KNOW. No wonder they shortened it! Take a look at that flowery pink font and try and say it’s not a siren call to my girlish instincts. I’ve seen this movie around peripherally, as Netflix loves to recommend to me movies about evil girls in pretty dresses (aside from strong black woman movies or demented foreign flicks.)

 Girly is a 1970 British horror film about a murderous family, focused on the pretty blonde Faux-lita known as Girly. With her Lisbon sister-esque locks, Girly only looks innocent, but don’t be fooled by that angelic face, this bitch is MAJOR TROUBLE! YA BETTA RUN!

 Girly and her brother, Sonny, like to pretend they are schoolchildren and play pranks on unsuspecting older men. The men are lured back home where they are expected to “play The Game.” If they choose not to partake in whatever activity Girly and her family have planned for them, the menz will soon meet an UNKIND CONSEQUENCE.

 Naturally, Girly’s Peter Pan-collared dresses, knee socks and frilly button-ups speak to my style. I’m really into her color combinations, especially the brown and I ALMOST NEVA fux wit no dookie brown (I would look naked since it matches my skin tone). I especially love the navy and brown combo you can see in the photo below. Does anyone get Rachel Antonoff and Dear Creature vibes here?

 I need this skirt and white blouse! Complete with axe of course.

 The real diva is of the house is Mumsy. Dressed up all fancy just to knit a scarf in her rocking chair! Now that is a true style icon right there.

 Here’s a photo for the all the girls who like dudes in bowties. I’m with you, but then again, I love all men in everything.

 

The Ultimate Lurker: Nanny!

And while on the hunt for more dresses to add to my exploding closet, despite putting myself in a self-declared internet shopping ban, I came across this PERFECT Girly pinafore on ASOS. So cute!

Pug Wednesday

Pug Portrait Day!  To help get over the Wednesday-midweek blues, here are some photos of a certain spoiled pug looking extremely sleepy and exhausted after eating his dinner with food crumbs still covering his entire face. An apathetic pug, you say? Yes. A pug sunbathing in the morning light, wishing his owner would stop photographing him, so that he can go back doing one of the most important things in life--sleeping.

Free Beer For All!

Last week, Z and I took the red-eye flight out to Boston, Massachusetts for his cousin's wedding. Most of Z's family lives on the East Coast, so it was lovely to see everyone since the last time I saw them all was a couple of years ago.  We arrived at around 7:45am and then we headed towards Jamaica Plain--a historic neighborhood in Boston founded by Puritans seeking farmland to the South. This area is rich in history (like all parts of Massachusetts, of course) and I fell in love with a myriad of old brick buildings and trees dripping in fall foliage.  After not getting much sleep earlier in the week due to midterm season at school, we thought that we might as well stay up as to adjust to the time difference sooner. We decided to check out the Samuel Adams Brewery. We are not huge fans of the beer and will not usually order the beer in a bar setting, but hey! The brewery was down the street, walkable, offered free brewery tours, and beers at the end. You can't really complain about that!

I am completely fascinated with the brewing process--one of my favorite experiments in Organic Chemistry during my undergrad was brewing beer that we were able to taste test at home. I learned some good facts to use in case of Trivia Pursuit/Jeopardy need regarding the differences between manufacturing different beer types, and then was able to sample the different seasonal beers on tap.  Now for the touristy photos of Z being awkward in front of various beer-tour props and signage that serve as evidence of our adventure:

After drinking beers in the early morning/afternoon, we then drove down to the little town of Newburyport to get ready for the wedding rehearsal dinner and cocktail hour. This vacation was definitely a whirlwind of non-stop activities. Stay tuned for more!