A Summer Shower

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Recently, the matrons of honor along with the bridesmaids (myself included) and close family threw a beautiful wedding shower for our dear friend Teri that was all about the details.  Starting with the “guestbook” above made out of a Jenga game, the delicious mimosa bar with fresh fruit, customized “Rome” (her future new last name) gift bags for the guests, handcrafted custom made gifts, and carefully designed centerpieces, this shower definitely showed both creativity and care in every aspect of the event.  All of the bridesmaids are currently married, and Teri was involved with each one of our weddings.  This was truly our chance to give back to her and show her how much we appreciate having her in our lives.  A custom slide show was designed with photos of her and her fiancé and their loved ones, and we also played a little game where we interviewed her fiancé, Charlie, on camera to see how many questions they could answer the same.  It was a great time, and we hope that Teri enjoyed being showered with love on her special day.  The countdown to the wedding in October is getting close, and I am definitely getting excited to see these two tie the knot!

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This was one of my favorite gifts that she was given, handcrafted by a guest on canvas.

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This cool handcrafted water container was first personalized with puffy paint, and then painted over with chalkboard paint, so you can actually write on the outside! So great!

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Hope you enjoyed the photos from the shower!

The weather has been beautiful in NY so far this week.  I have been super busy both with work and life.  Just trying to find a moment to breathe…

Enjoy your Wednesday!

XO,

Gina

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Beach Bum

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The hubby and I spent my birthday weekend with a beautiful little day on the beach.  The weather was gorgeous, not too hot, with a lovely breeze, and the water was the perfect temperature for swimming.  It was such a relaxing day to get a little sun and some reading done.  Seeing as we went to Brighton, we decided to embark on some Russian cuisine at the casual Ocean View Cafe for dinner, which was very delicious and definitely recommended.  After our beach day, we showered up, and went to sing a little karaoke at Mr. Biggs in Hells Kitchen with friends.  It was a perfect day!

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Dress: Gifted – similar / Medallion: (old) – similar / Hat: P. Luca for Barami / Tote: Obaz / Flops: Old Navy / Shades: Street Vendor – similar / Nails: Essie Rock the Boat

The tribal tote pictured above was a b-day gift from my awesome hubby, and the fedora was a little something I picked up at a boutique near my office last week.

Besides celebrating my 29th birthday this weekend (we also had dinner at the amazing Vitae), we were also able to get some errands done, and start on “Project Nursery.”  While we still have a ton of work to do, it was nice to get started with a big dent of progress.  Today marks 34 weeks; time is inching close and closer until the day we will meet our little man.

Hope you all are having a great week so far.

XO,

Gina

Twenty Eight: A Reflection

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My Aunt Marie, My sister on the left, and that’s me on the right – My sister and I are two years and three days apart, and we’ve been celebrating our birthdays together our whole lives. Love you little sis!

twenty eight: a reflection

twenty eight

you’ve been great

so much has happened

from the past year to date

it started with

a new camera to shoot

a photography class

to give this blog a boost

went to the obx

on family vacay

relaxed on the beach

all worries kept at bay

katie’s oc bach

was a ton of fun

laughing and dancing

til up came the sun

summer days at ft. tilden

with erin and rai

summer nights in dewey

to celebrate labor day

this year brought us very

many weddings galore

most of them being

near baltimore

there was one in boston

during a crazy manhunt

another in montauk

on the gorgeous waterfront

a ten year reunion

for my high school class

can’t believe

how much time has passed

a trip to a.c.

for a bachelorette

dinner and dancing

complete with roulette

brunches and bar crawls

in the n-y-c

pollard potluck had

their 5th anniversary

nights in new york

during santa con

thanksgiving and christmas

had lots of family to bond

we went through some struggle

went through some strife

when we lost our little peanut

it cut like a knife

we tried to stay strong

and looked up above

for some courage and guidance

and we got through with love

next came a photo shoot

with blue balloons

a new baby coming

for us all to swoon

we call him little monkey

our pride and joy

we can’t wait to meet

our sweet little boy

my fav blondes came to visit

new york in the spring

we walked on the high line

and of course went shopping

arizona adventures

brought me to tucson

hung out with my pen pal

hiked in phoenix at dawn

prescott, sedona,

and the grand canyon too

are all the great places

that we got to view

after over ten years

our huge fam got together

with over one hundred kin

and some beautiful weather

a father’s day feast

with the notes clan one day

gathered instruments together

and a concert we played

the fourth of july

brought us to maine

the lake house was awesome

and the lobster insane

this year has been wonderful

twenty eight has been sweet

but this year is now over

and we cannot repeat

twenty nine is stepping in

so let’s have some cake

celebrate, cheer, and sing

for the new memories we’ll make!

Can’t believe another whole year has passed by, and boom I’m in my last year of my twenties.  Time really does fly by.  Twenty eight was awesome, and I am really looking forward to embarking on so many more of life’s adventures in year twenty nine.  Thank you so much for all of the wonderful wishes I have received thus far!

I would also like to say a special early “Happy Birthday” to my little sis, Angela, who is also celebrating her birthday this weekend.  We are lucky to have our birthdays so close, and we have always been able to celebrate together from either near or far.  Love you Pooks!

Hope you all have a wonderful Friday and a fabulous weekend ahead!

XO,

Gina

Florida Style in Maine

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For some reason, this dress reminds me of something I would find in a Florida boutique.  Maybe it’s the soft colors, the silky feel, or the floral print.  I found it on sale at Francesca’s (non-maternity score again!), and had to have it for my summer trip to Maine.  I wore this on our last night out to dinner in Elsworth (at 30 weeks pregnant), added the belt, and some gold accessories to complete the look.  I am still reminiscing about the amazing view we had from our lake house.

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Photos by: Zack Notes / Edited by: Myself

Dress: Francesca’s / Shoes: Dolce Vita (on sale!) / Belt: ? / Necklace: Family Heirloom / Watch: Michael Kors / Bracelet: Henri Bendel / Earrings: gifted / Nails: Essie Forever Yummy / Toes: Essie In the Cabana / Lip: MAC Snob

It’s overcast and cooler today in NYC, and I have to say I’m actually grateful!  It’s been brutally hot for my prego body, and today’s cooler temperatures made my walk to the subway this morning a bit easier.  Today I hit the 33 week mark!  One month away from being full term.  Holy crap.  We were able to get rid of our guest bed last night, so we have some space to work with in trying to get the nursery together.  I also managed to schedule our pediatrician consults, so hoping to make a decision on that in the near future.

I’ve got a busy day at the office today with a few meetings and lots of resume reviewing.

Happy Tuesday!

XO,

Gina

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Acadia and Bar Harbor Adventures

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Happy Monday everyone!  Just wanted to share some more photos from our Maine adventures.  The first is from a hike we did in Acadia, followed by photos from Sand Beach, the top of Cadillac Mountain, and 4th of July fireworks in downtown Bar Harbor.  It was such an amazing trip, and I cannot wait to go back there again sometime.

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This past weekend we had an awesome trip to Maryland celebrating my bff, Teri’s bridal shower, taking maternity photos with Misa*Me Photography (hope to have those to share soon!), and celebrating the pending arrival of our Little Monkey!  It was amazing, and I am completely exhausted!  We are now back in NY, and it’s go-time for getting this nursery put together.  I am so grateful to my family and friends for making the event so wonderful, especially to my Mom, Sister, and Aunt for putting so much time, work, and effort into making everything so great.  Little Monkey is a lucky little guy!  And he is either going to LOVE or HATE monkeys when he gets here.  Haha.

Hope you all are off to a great start this week!

XO,

Gina

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Finley Friday: Vote for My Nephew Pup!

You may remember my adorable little nephew pup, Finley, from our photo shoot together in late November.  We were just getting to know each other then as he was a new addition to the family.  By now, Finley has been making us laugh and smile for months, and I think he is seriously one of the cutest pups I have ever seen (I’m not biased at all).  Half maltese, half poodle, this fluffy brown haired stud makes me melt, especially with his little white paw.  I’m obsessed!

My sister (Finley’s mom) has just entered him in a little contest that Louis at 14th is hosting for the “Dog Days of Summer.”

All you have to do is click on this link, and click “Like” on Finley’s photo for your vote to count.  If you are so inclined, a Facebook share to your friends would also be appreciated!

I mean come on…how can you say no to this face?

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After work today, I’m off to Maryland, and hopefully will get to see this little guy too!

Hope you all have a Happy Friday and an awesome weekend!

XO,

Gina

Sunrise on Branch Lake

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It’s 4:13am and I am awoken in the middle of the night due to pregnancy and my inability to control my bladder from the urgency to relieve itself these days.  So, I hop out of bed to make my way downstairs to the restroom in the lake house, when I look out the bedroom window.  Holy sky.  This is amazing.  We had thought about waking up early to watch the sunrise, and had set our alarms for 4:55am since the sun was supposed to come up at 5:00am, but we weren’t really sure if we would be able to force ourselves out of bed at that hour.  After waking up and taking care of business, I quickly grabbed my camera and took a few shots across the lake and into the colorful sky.  It was eerily quiet, peaceful and serene.  Just me and the lake and the brightly colored sky.  I wrestled with the idea of whether or not to wake the rest of the gang this early, and ultimately decided that they needed to see what I was seeing at that moment.  It would just be too selfish to exclude them from this view, and by 4:55am, they may have missed all of this.  So I woke up Zack and our friends, Erin and Rai.  They weren’t too pleased at first, grumbling and groaning, but when I showed them a photo I had taken of the sky, they knew they too needed to jump up before they missed this magical moment.  Zack and Erin got so excited in fact, that they broke out the kayaks and enjoyed the sunrise from atop the water.  Rai and I stayed behind taking in the moment from the lake house dock and capturing photos.  I know photos can’t really do justice, but my memories and these photos are all I’ve got.  Hope you enjoy.

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If you were still unsure about whether or not you should visit Maine, then these photos probably did the trick.  We were lucky enough to wake up to this view every morning, even though it might have been a bit earlier than we were used to!

Hope everyone is having a good Thursday.  I am looking forward to a little girl’s night.  My friend Jess is moving to New Jersey at the end of the month, so this will be the last one she hosts in her NYC apartment.  I then have to go home to pack for our trip to Maryland this weekend for both my friend Teri’s bridal shower and my baby shower for the Little Monkey.  We are trying to get the guest bedroom cleared out, and after this weekend it’s go time on that nursery!

XOXO,

Gina

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Grecian Gown

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I was able to snag this Ella Moss beauty on sale via Gilt, and I couldn’t be happier (again, not maternity)!  I wore this gown on a beautiful night out to dinner in Maine.  I love the ease and flow of this dress as I walk, and the jersey material makes it super comfortable as well.  In these photos, I am 30 weeks pregnant, and this week, I just hit 32.  Little Monkey will be here before I can blink.

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Photos by: Zack Notes / Edited by: Myself

Gown: Ella Moss via Gilt / Bag: Rebecca Minkoff / Shoes: ALDO – similar / Earrings: ALDO / Watch: Michael Kors / Bracelets: ASOS, Gorjana, c/o Guilty Jean, Henri Bendel / Toes: Essie In the Cabana / Nails: Essie Forever Yummy and Set in Stone

Oh, how I miss this little lake house already!  Wishing I had the lake to jump into and cool off this week; it’s been brutal!  Trying to stay hydrated and enjoy the AC indoors.

Stay cool ya’ll!

XO,

Gina

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{13} Lately…

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Lately I’ve been…

reading  Just finished What Remains by Carole Radziwill.  She is one of the more recent additions to the New York City Housewife cast, although she wrote this book long before.  Carole was a reporter for many years, a princess, and related to the Kennedy’s.  This memoir is about friendship, love, and loss.  It’s extremely sad, but very real, and Radziwill is an excellent writer.  I just started Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks as I heard it was decent and was looking for a light summer beach read (even though I’m not at the beach).

writing  Contracts.  I’m no lawyer, and I can’t exactly say much yet, but it’s exciting, and I’m drafting, drafting.

listening  I’ve always been an Avicii fan, but I’m really loving his new single Wake Me Up.  It starts out with a folk/country guitar style, and breaks into the typical dance/house style of Avicii that we know and love.

thinking  That all I wanted was summertime, and now I got my wish…but it’s so hot, I don’t know how this prego body is going to make it through August.

smelling  Breakfast food…my favorite!

watching  Holy Bachelorette!  Some intense home visits and a sad goodbye.  Go figure they are all in love with her, except the one she is in love with.  I still can’t believe I got into this show this season…those to blame, you know who you are…

wishing  That I could fly out to San Fran to celebrate my friend’s Trey and Suzette’s big day this weekend!  I know it will be amazing, and I’m sad to miss it.  But excited instead to celebrate my bestie Teri’s bridal shower and a baby shower for my Little Monkey.

hoping  For good weather this weekend.  We have a maternity photo session scheduled with Misa*Me Photography, and I’m hoping the weather will cooperate!

wearing  Gray and blue striped cotton jersey dress that was handed down to me by Danielle, my college roomie and cutest little mama!

loving  The new Up the Amp MAC lipstick that I got for free by turning in my 6 empties to recycle.  Also loving the new Benefit They’re Real Mascara I got for my birthday from Sephora.

laughing  At this awesome maid of honor speech I discovered on Zigi’s blog.  I died laughing, and it totally made me think of my bestie Teri.  Let’s just say this girl does a sick Eminem.

wanting  To jump in a pool for my birthday (next weekend)…anyone know a place in the city that could throw a good pool party?

needing  Air conditioning.  Been blasting it lately!  I’m dreading the electric bill.

feeling  Incredibly lucky for my amazing family and friends.  Everyone has been so generous, and we have already started getting lots of packages and gifts to the house for our little man, and I haven’t even had my shower yet!  I cannot wait to get everything in order!  Thank you everyone, I really appreciate it.

craving  Chocolate and fruit.  I have been wanting a little bit almost every day lately.

clicking  Photography inspiration ideas for our shoot this Saturday.

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What have you been up to lately?

Happy Tuesday!

Love,

Gina

***I was inspired by Tina of Like Ordinary Life to create this post, and she was inspired by Lauren of siddathornton, who started The Sunday Currently.

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Lake House

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Happy Monday everyone!  Just wanted to share some photos from our lake house that we stayed in at Branch Lake in Elsworth, Maine.  The location could not be beat, and it was a dream come true.  I took these on our first full day when we played on the lake all day.  If you’ve never been to Maine, I would definitely suggest you check it out.  Thanks to the Shaw family for opening up their cottage to us as the first renters ever!

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Hope you all had a great weekend!

The hubby went away with his brother for a guy’s weekend, so my sister-in-law came to visit me in Brooklyn.  We did girly/mom things like prenatal massages, high tea, hung out with college girlfriends, dinner, and brunches.  The massage was phenomenal and extremely relaxing.  Just what the doctor ordered.  We went to Massage Williamsburg on recommendation, and it sure was a treat!  Our delicious dinner was Korean BBQ at Dokebi, and we had brunch in my hood at Costello Plan.  It was a lot of fun bumping both of our prego bellies together (me at 31.5 weeks and her at 29 weeks!),  talking about baby things, catching up on life, and being girly.  Looking forward to both my little one and my little nephew who will be arriving so closely together.  It’s a really exciting time for the Notes Family!

XO,

Gina

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