Belvedere Sparkle

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Dress: Vijiv via Amazon Fashion (I know. I can’t believe it either. Amazing, right? Just wait ’til you see the price!) / Shoes: Nina / Bracelet and Earrings: Gifted / Sunglasses: Vintage / Lip: MAC Up the Amp / Bag: Old, cheap, and don’t remember! Oops! – But LOVE this one here

TGIF!!! Every Friday deserves a little SPARKLE!

Can you believe I seriously found this dress on Amazon? Like PRIME, 2-day shipping Amazon. With 3 weddings in June, I needed some fancy dresses quick, and I was happy to say that Amazon did NOT disappoint! As surprised as I was to find this gorgeous number, I am actually obsessed with this dress, and wish I had a million more occasions that I could wear it to!

This occasion in particular was the beautiful wedding of a fantastic couple and long-time friend. It was held at the classy establishment The Belvedere in Baltimore, Maryland. This classic, fancy, old-style venue seemed like the perfect opportunity for a flapper dress.

That being said…we rocked out the night to a Bruce Springsteen cover band (who was amazing) all night long! I think it was the busiest dance floor in that I’ve seen in my wedding guest history (and I have been to a lot of weddings!) The energy was plentiful and the dance floor was PACKED the whole night through.

Honestly?!?!?!?! I think the venue had some trouble getting us out of the building!!! It was as if we were at a real-live concert and the lights came on to kick us out, but everyone just screamed ENCORE!!! Pretty cool if you ask me.

SUCH a fun night, and I’m looking forward to posting more photos from their wedding soon!

Tomorrow, we are having a joint birthday party for both Nico + Luca!! Their birthdays aren’t until the end of the month, but we will be on vacation, so we wanted to do something at home with our friends in the neighborhood and any family that could come to town. We are doing a LEGO theme this year and we have been busy building over here this morning! I seriously cannot believe Nico will be 3 and Luca will be 1 already. It’s like I snapped my fingers and 3 years have gone by. They always tell you it will happen that way, but it’s hard to imagine when you are living it! The days are slow but the years are too quick!

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!!

XO,

Gina

Family Maternity Shoot With Misa*Me

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I am absolutely incredibly lucky and grateful to have a first cousin and bestie who is an impeccable photographer! Marisa Crider of Misa*Me Photography snapped these photos of my little growing family during our larger family reunion back in the month of June when I was 30 weeks pregnant. It was a hot summer day, and somehow she was able to capture some great shots even with a cranky toddler. It started to rain a bit during the shoot, and then all of the sudden, the sun peeked out. I’m telling you, she is a miracle worker! I love the way she is able to capture the light. She took so many more fabulous photos for us, and it’s going to be a tough decision as to which ones end up on the walls of our home! These were some of my favorites that captured all (almost) four of us. Now, here, at 38 weeks, I cannot even believe that we are about to meet our little guy here soon!

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Wearing – Dress: Betsey Johnson (borrowed from a friend – found a Size 4 for sale on Etsy!) / Heels: Cynthia Vincent / Necklace: Vintage via Etsy / Watch: Betsey Johnson / Bracelet: Stella & Dot

On Nico – Dress Shirt: Carters Just One You / Shorts: Old Navy (similar)

On Zack – Dress Shirt: H&M / Pants: GAP

Thanks again to Marisa for taking these wonderful photos! We will cherish them forever in our home. If you missed our last maternity shoot with Misa*Me, or want to take a trip back down memory lane from two years ago, you can view those photos here.

Heading to the doc as we speak for two appointments today. A little nervous about what they are going to say! Bags are packed just in case we don’t come back, but hoping they let baby come on his own when he is ready 😉

Hope you all have a great day!

XO,

Gina

{33} Lately…

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Lately I’ve been…

reading  The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson. I have been reading a lot of personal development non-fiction lately. As an entrepreneur, I think it’s extremely beneficial to help keep myself on track with my goals for my life and my business.  It’s a practice that I have picked up since becoming a coach with Beachbody, and I think it has really made a difference overall in helping to improve my business as well as my life. The particular book talks about how a few simple daily disciplines can really turn into a massive change in terms of success and happiness.

writing  A workout routine for my new upcoming Bikini Boot Camp Challenge that will focus on the core using crunch-less ab exercises. The challenge will kick off next week right before Memorial Day Weekend, so let me know if you want in!

listening  Loving this new jam by Martin Solveig – Intoxicated

thinking  That I am a very lucky lady. I had a wonderful Mother’s Day Weekend spent with my boys. We had a playdate with friends on Saturday, a date night Saturday, and spent Sunday getting pampered with breakfast and gifts, hiking, and having an early dinner on the water.  I am so very lucky to have incredible moms in my life to call my own (mom, mother-in-law, grandmothers, godmother, aunts, friends, family friends, etc), and I am lucky to be a mom myself to my amazing little boy and babe on the way. I am also super lucky to have such an incredible partner in my journey through life. We are going to be celebrating 4 married years together (and 10.5 together) this Thursday, and I just feel so blessed for the relationship that we have built and will continue to build.

smelling  The fabulous chai that I am consuming at this very moment. Mmm.

watching  Was lucky enough to get a date night with the hubby courtesy of our fabulous parent’s group in our hood. We decided to catch a movie and saw, The Age of Adaline. Starring Blake Lively, this period piece was interesting and although unbelievable at times, if you vow to just be purely entertained and not focus so much on how it can be a little ridiculous…it was a really good movie. It’s almost as if she is time traveling because she is able to live through so many different time periods. And I just love her classic style throughout the film. Would definitely recommend! Even the hubs enjoyed it.

wishing  If I tell you this wish…it might not come true…so I’m going to stay mum for now. 😉

hoping  To finish up the planning this week for my BFF’s Bachelorette Weekend coming up! We already have some fun ideas in store, but putting together the final touches with my fellow Matron of Honor this week. Cannot wait for this little gal’s getaway!  Thanks for getting married, bestie, so we have an excuse to all get together! Hehe.

wearing  Plaid button down, ripped casual jeans, and flip flops! Yes, flip flops!  Cheers to warm weather!

loving  My new pregnancy pillow and the prenatal massage that I have booked for June. Spoiled mama!

wanting  Baby to move up a little bit in my belly! Apparently my placenta is lying a little low and so I am feeling all kinds of movements very low as well…feels kinda weird! But good news is, he is moving a lot!! Always kicking around in there. We go to the doc again on Wednesday for a growth check, so keeping fingers crossed that baby is getting bigger! (I am getting bigger, so I am hopeful!) Today marks 24 weeks!

needing  More sleep! I am so bad at going to bed early as I feel I need to stay up and complete so many more things on my to-do list each night! I really need to start forcing myself to hit the sack just a little bit earlier each night and tell myself that things can wait until tomorrow.

feeling  Tired! Like I said above…I need to get more sleep! I also did the PiYo Drench workout this morning and whew! Talk about sweating up a storm. They were not kidding about the whole “drench” thing. Felt good to get back to PiYo though after taking the weekend off. Never miss a Monday!

craving  Sweets. My pregnancy sweet tooth is starting to come back in full force! Nothing new really though, pregnant or not. I need to start eating more fruit to nix those unhealthy cravings for sugar! Watermelon was my fruit of choice last pregnancy. I would be happy to return to that routine 🙂

clicking  Through the recently launched site Co11ective, where 11 ladies have come together to share stories of health,  nutrition, fitness, fashion, digital marketing, entrepreneurship and more. I am so happy to be included in this dynamic group of powerful and successful women.

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HAPPY MONDAY!

Hope all the mommies out there had a wonderful Mother’s Day Weekend!

What have you been up to lately?

XO,

Gina

P.S. I usually only share one photo in my “Lately” posts. However, we had such a fun day yesterday, that I wanted to share a little more:

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***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.

Blue & Yellow

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Took these photos back on Easter/Passover weekend when we were in Maryland visiting family. It was a GORGEOUS day outside allowing me to wear this sleeveless number without a jacket and fully enjoy the sunshine. Oh boy am I happy that spring is finally here!

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Dress: ModCloth (sold out, but similar here) / Boots: Target / Watch: Michael Kors – now on sale!

My little bump is starting to pop here in these photos at 19 weeks. I am now at 21 weeks today, and we will head to the doctor on Wednesday for our 2nd anatomy sonogram and to check in with my midwife to see how baby is progressing.  I always get so excited/nervous for these appointments!  I am feeling good and starting to feel baby’s movements so I’m hoping that this means we will be getting a good report!

We had a nice weekend and decided to enjoy the fabulous weather by taking a little family trip to the Bronx Zoo. Nico was in complete awe of the giant tigers and bears. We ended the day with a trip to Arthur Avenue for some delicious Italian fare. Nom nom nom.  Yesterday we headed to Long Island City in Queens for a 2nd birthday party, so I guess you could say we borough hopped around this weekend!

Today I got my PiYo Buns workout in this morning (buns are burning ya’ll!), and I am hunkered down working from home trying to stay out of the wind, cold, and rain. Hoping tomorrow will bring the sunshine back.  Happy Monday everyone! Let’s make it a great week!

XO,

Gina

A Very Vintage Holiday

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 Dress: Vintage (1970’s) / Shoes: Kimchi Blue via Poshmark / Polka Dot Tights: Madewell / Necklace: Guilty Jean / Lips: Lancome Fearless

I stumbled upon this dress at a vintage clothing shop in Tucson, Arizona, and I just had to make it mine.  It’s absolutely sweet and perfect for the holiday season, and I am looking forward to all the upcoming parties and occasions that I can possibly wear it.  People will probably get sick of looking at this dress before the holiday season is over, but I don’t care.  I’m all about it.  And let’s talk about these shoes for a minute.  They originally came from Urban Outfitters, but I scored them through an amazing seller on the Poshmark app.  A marketplace to both buy and sell, you can find some really great items through Posh.  I will definitely be wearing these shoes all holiday season as well.

Speaking of the holidays, we arrived in Maryland late last night with no traffic (hooray!).  We are getting ready for another annual get-together tonight with friends, and we are looking forward to celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday with lots of family.  We have much to be thankful for this year, and I want to also thank you all for continuing to come back here time and time again to support this little here blog of mine.

Happy (early) Thanksgiving!

XO,

Gina

San Fran Style

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Photos by: Zack Notes / Edited by: Myself

On me: Dress: Free People (old) / Blouse: Forever 21 (sold out) / Bow Tie: ASOS – similar / Sunglasses: ModCloth / Ankle Boots: H&M / Lip: MAC Heartless / Nails: Essie Sexy Divide

On Nico: Shirt & Bow Tie: Koala Baby via Babies “R” Us  / Jeans: Baby GAP (sold out) – also like these / Shoe Socks: Trumpette

The hubby had a conference/speaking engagement in San Francisco a few weeks ago, so Nico and I flew out to join him for a quick family trip across the country.  In retrospect, I am kind of asking myself what the hell was I thinking (re: A 3 hour time difference doesn’t mean anything to a baby, and 6 hours on a plane by myself? Why did I think this was a good idea?).  Waking up a 3am was a daily occurrence, and sitting in the hotel room at 5pm with the curtains drawn, trying to be quiet while eating take-out pho was a bit difficult as well.  However, at the end of the day, I kind of think it is hysterical, and I am really glad we made the trip.  I realized how much I can do on my own with a baby…I mean, I’m always up for a challenge right?  My current challenges have just migrated from Tough Mudder races to “what can this mom accomplish today” type challenges haha.  We were able to see a lot of friends and family, and we explored a bit in a much warmer climate for a few days, so I cannot complain!  On the day these photos were taken, we got dressed up for a lovely outdoor brunch with a wonderful group of people.  We followed it up with a beautiful walk on the water in Marina and in Ft. Mason Park.  I love seeing Nico’s face as he sees a new part of the world for the first time.  He just takes it all in, and I can tell he is going to enjoy traveling just like his parents.

We had a nice Brooklyn weekend here in the city.  The hubs got a new iPhone for his birthday.  We met our friend’s new 4 week old baby for the first time, who was absolutely adorable! (You forget how little they once were!)  We also hosted a little Babies & Bagel’s St. Paddy’s Day brunch with our local parent/baby group in our neighborhood.

To all my fellow Irish out there…and all of those celebrating…Happy St. Paddy’s Day, and have a wonderful week!

XO,

Gina

Retro Rainbow

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ModCloth had a sale recently, and I couldn’t help but snag a few retro-style items from their online store.  This rainbow frock totally brightens my day, and I’m in love with these new cat-eye sunnies.  I’m also excited that I was able to score another non-maternity dress to rock while prego.  That way, I can also wear it post-bump!  Little Man is getting bigger and bigger.  And Mom is too.  These photos were taken at 26 weeks, and today I hit week 27.  3rd trimester here we go!

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Photos by: Zack Notes / Edited by: Myself

Dress: ModCloth / Cat-Eye Sunnies: ModCloth / Shoes: Nordstrom Rack / Watch: Michael Kors / Bracelet: Henri Bendel – similar  / Earrings: ? (old) / Lip: MAC Candy Yum-Yum / Nails: The Balm Hella Yella (from LOFT)

After a beautiful weekend of sunshine, we have been getting some crazy storms up here!  I have to say, I’m glad it wasn’t the opposite.  We spent the weekend getting some errands done, picking up supplies for a small DIY house project, hanging out with friends for a birthday party and a cookout, playing some corn hole, and an impromptu trip to Brighton Beach/Coney Island.

Please send some love and prayers this way as my Uncle is currently having surgery today.  He’s been through a lot these past few months, and this surgery is extremely crucial to his health and well-being.  So any positive thoughts you can spare would be much appreciated!

Hope you all are having a good week so far!

XO,

Gina

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