Lately 1/21

Isn't Mac sooooooo cute?!

Wearing: It has been SO cold and snowy lately. You can find me with my giant puffer coat, cashmere sweaters, leggings and (embarrassingly) my Uggs. Is it spring yet?

Drinking: La Croix Pina Fraise. It's very lightly flavored and not too sweet, which I love! If you like La Croix, I definitely recommend this flavor!

Pittsburgh-ing: An Ace Hotel just opened in Pittsburgh's East Liberty Neighborhood (this article in the Wall Street Journal is a great read and written by a woman from my high school!). It's a really exciting thing for Pittsburgh since there are only 8 others in the world! The building used to be an old YMCA and the hotel couldn't be cooler! It has a very trendy/eclectic vibe-- kind of hipster but in a charming way! I met some girlfriends for dinner at the Whitfield, which is the restaurant in the lobby and it was absolutely delicious. The restaurant is by Brent Young who is a Pittsburgher and known for Brooklyn's, The Meat Hook. We started off with a bottle of prosecco and the beef tartare. The beef tartare was the best I've ever had (and that's saying something because I order it wherever they have it!). Then I had the smoked chicken which was cooked to perfection. I'll definitely be back because they have a wedge salad and french onion soup on the menu which are two of my favorite things-- and we didn't have desert. I also want to go back just for drinks because the lounge/bar area is so fun and cozy!

Listening: I don't mean to pat myself on the back or anything, but my January playlist is one of my best yet! It has such a great variety! The 1975 is a band that I absolutely love and they have a new album coming out in February but have released two songs. Their song The Sound is so much fun! I play it all the time and it totally makes you want to dance!!

Eating: I've been holding off on letting the internet world know to be sure I could keep up with it, but I've ben on a no-carb (or really extremely low carb) diet for the past 21 days! I had been feeling sluggish after the holidays, so I really wanted to do something to kick-start my year. It's been surprisingly very easy for me to stay pretty much carb-free. It's not something I plan on doing long-term, but I already feel 10 times better! I am pretty strict with the no-carb thing, but I do let myself drink alcohol on the weekends and I'm also eating fresh fruit. I pretty much just stay away from all bread/pasta/grains/etc. I eat a lot of turkey, chicken, and fish. The best part of this 'diet' is that it is really forcing me to learn how to cook, which is one of my 2016 resolutions. I'd really like to get more comfortable in the kitchen and this has helped so much! The hardest thing for me has been skipping out on sushi and pad thai, which I usually eat weekly (Dear Little Tokyo and Pho Kim, I miss you!!!!!!). I've also been pleasantly surprised that it's really easy to eat low carb when eating out, and most restaurants are very accommodating! It's definitely not for everyone, and I'm probably not doing it in the healthiest way possible, but I really feel great!

Smelling: I finally burned through my holiday candle (RIP :( ), so it was about time I get a new one. I rotate Figuier in and out of my candle rotation and I hadn't burned one in a while, so I figured why not. This is hands down my favorite candle ever. In college, before diptyque was a 'thing', I burned L'occitaine's feuille de figuier, but it has since been discontinued. Figuier is as close as I can get to my old scent! If your not so keen on the price tag (which I'm not either) I actually found an almost identical scent via Target! The only difference is that the fragrance is not as pungent and it burns down pretty quickly... but it's about 1/5 of the price! I also got a whiff of the Rosaviola limited edition candle the other day and I have to say I really like it! It would make a really nice Valentine's gift for your girlfriends (guys, giving a girl you like/love a candle for Valentine's day is kind of lame...just saying...).

Loving: The women of Delta Gamma at Ohio University. They created a Facebook album   (make sure you are logged-in to FB to view) which features some of the women in their chapter and illustrates how society stereotypes 'sorority girls' and how sorority women are actually valuable members of society! I was a Zeta Tau Alpha at James Madison University (big shout out to Gamma Kappa!!!) and although the Greek system in the US has a bad rep because of various news stories, Greek men and women do some pretty amazing things. I am so proud to have been in a sorority and have made lifelong friends because of Zeta! Way to go DG's at OU!

Watching: Age of Adaline. This was recommended to me by a friend, and seriously, YOU MUST WATCH IT. It has to be atop my 'favorite movies ever' list. It stars Blake Lively and Harrison Ford and it has somewhat of a Tuck Everlasting/Bicentennial Man storyline. What makes it even better is the way it is filmed. The cinematography is incredibly beautiful as well as the costuming and set designs. It's definitely a love story, but I think everyone can relate to the storyline of aging. I also love all of the scores in the film. If you are into film scores, they're definitely worth a listen!

Wanting: This is such a random assortment but these are the things I have had my eye on lately! How amazing are those lamps? A nice price, too!

Quoting: 'I remember riding in a taxi one afternoon between very tall buildings under a mauve and rosy sky; I began to bawl because I had everything I wanted and knew I would never be so happy again.' - F. Scott Fitzgerald