Spring Shopping!

Yesterday morning was no nice and sunny here in NYC that it made me excited for spring! That got me thinking about my spring wardrobe. I love all the bold colors for spring, especially the bright yellows and electric blues. I’ve been tagging so many pages in my huge spring magazines of looks that I like. Last night, I was perusing through my Bloomingdale’s catalog and there was a Tory Burch dress I loved, which then led me to browse Bloomingdale’s website. I found this fun Marc by Marc Jacobs dress. I’m obsessed and need it! -Candace

Dinosaur BBQ

I’m really excited for a long, relaxing, fun weekend! Tomorrow night a bunch of us are going to Dinosaur BBQ in Harlem to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday. The original restaurant is in Syracuse, NY and it’s one of our favorites. Oh, it reminds me of the good ole college days! The food is delicious and there’s such a cool, country vibe! I highly recommend it to those BBQ fans out there… -Candace

Tarte Holiday Party!

Last night was the tarte holiday party! We did something a little different—we actually made our own delicious dinner at Rustico Cooking! We enjoyed some wine and then got down to business. We were split up and some of us made the appetizers and dessert, while others cooked the main course and side dishes. If I don’t say so myself, I helped create by far the best sausage, broccoli rabe & cheese (I’m definitely forgetting some of the ingredients) crepe ever! Additionally, we dined on chicken, squash, gnocchi and a mini cheesecake. Everything was so yummy! We also did our holiday gift exchange—Alison got me the best gift: Voluspa candles. They smell so divine and last forever!! Thanks again Alison!! -Candace

Crave: Ibex Izzi Pants

I’m always on the hunt for the perfect pair of black workout pants. I’m pretty particular--they can’t be too tight so that you see every muscle (hee hee, yea right) or too lose that they’re falling down. And they need to be stylish (hey, pants that make me feel skinny are the best). I’ve seriously found a pair that I’m absolutely in love with—these Ibex Izzi Pants. They’re perfect for yoga, running errands or even just watching movies on a rainy day. They also have some great outdoor gear—I like to check out their buzz page to see all the latest goods. It’s official: I’m hooked. -Candace

Birthday Gifts

09/24/07

~Last week was my birthday and I got some really great gifts!! Greg gave me this grey Tod’s bag that I’ve been obsessing about for the past 2 months. And the wonderful girls here at tarte got me a gift certificate to my favorite place: Pottery Barn!! I’ve had my eye on this big, red trunk that can also double as a coffee table. I can’t wait to get it!! -candace

Florida Feelings

08/23/07

~The countdown is on…for my mini vacation that is! Greg & I are heading to Naples, Florida on Friday morning! I really can’t wait to do absolutely nothing but sunbathe (with SPF protection, of course), read all of the delicious fall fashion magazines and run on the beach. We’re going on a sunset cruise in the Gulf of Mexico which will be beautiful. Then when we get back from our trip we’re back to unpacking, painting and decorating our new apartment. -candace

Moving Preparations

07/24/07

~Greg & I are preparing for our move! And that means there’s a lot of shopping to be done. You name it we need it! The main priorities: a queen sized bed and a sectional couch with a sofa bed. We’ve been on the hunt for this type of couch—we plan on having a lot of visitors! In addition to furniture, we need an entertainment system—Greg has his eye on a 52 inch Sony Bravia XBR LCD TV and several other amenities, including Wii or PlayStation. Oh, I can’t wait to move in and decorate. Just writing about it makes me excited! -candace

The Great Apartment Hunt

06/25/07

~Apartment hunting in NYC during the hot summer is no fun—Greg & I have been all over the city in search of our home! I do believe we might’ve found a place—it’s a great size with a large living room and brand new bathroom. I can already see a fun bar and big screen TV. We both loved it (believe me it’s hard to please both of us). I thought we were never going to find a place. Fingers crossed--we should know by Friday if we can get it! -candace

GREAT News!

06/01/07

~I have great news—Greg got a job in NY!! After 5 ½ years of living apart and many cities/states of separation, we’re finally going to be together again! So, the next few weekends will be filled with apartment hunting in Manhattan. Oh, the joy—I can’t wait (the tears are still flowing!). -candace

Dance Recital

05/14/07


~This past weekend Greg & I took the journey home to Boston to visit my mom and grandma for Mother’s Day. In addition to hanging out with the folks, we attended my little and older cousins’ dance recital. While this was Greg’s first recital it was my first time sitting in the audience and not dancing or teaching. In fact, when the opening routine started I actually had a tear in my eye—it was so very nostalgic! I really wasn’t expecting it. Nonetheless, it was a great show—my older cousin is the primary dance teacher & director, while her daughter who is 4 danced alongside of my 5-year-old twin cousins. They seriously stole the show in their cute costumes and hip-shaking moves, though my older cousins who are 10 and 16 were the true entertainers. Yes, dancing is definitely a family affair! -candace

april 2007

04/27/07

~All this gross rain is giving me a sinus headache and makes me want to hide under the covers all day. On the other hand, it’s also getting me that much more excited for my upcoming vacation to Mexico!! Words cannot express how much I’m looking forward to six days of doing absolutely nothing. I am also a big fan of the “eat whatever you want” vacation method, especially when it means mounds of quesadillas and salty margaritas. Which is why I look forward to having Levi kick my butt for the next 3 weeks…so I can prematurely undo the damage! -alexis

04/23/07

~As a continuation of my last blog, I have been looking into tennis lessons and actually bought a new racket over the weekend. I played at the outdoor courts near my house and have a very sore right arm, and slight tan, to show for it. My next task is to set up my first lesson so that I’m not hitting the ball like I would a baseball. I’m really not as uncoordinated as I looked! -heather r



04/20/07

~I am so excited because me and 12 of my sorority sisters from college are going to Atlantic City for the weekend! As I'm sure you know coordinating dinner for 4 friends can sometimes be impossible so the fact that 13 of us are going is practically a miracle. Nothing's better then a weekend of going out, gambling and Gamma Girls...now let's just hope some of us win! -maria

04/18/07

~So yesterday I celebrated my 24th Birthday! The tarte girls celebrated with me and we enjoyed a lovely dessert of fruit salad and whipped cream (yum!). I also received my coveted Tory Burch Ballet Flats that I've been craving!! They are lime green and SO CUTE. I can't wait for the weather to get a little nicer so I can wear them! Next year I'm craving a pony! :-) -erica

04/16/07

~Heather’s wedding was so much fun! First and foremost, the bride looked beautiful—a true Barbie. The weather turned out being perfect and the ceremony left a few of us tartelettes teary-eyed. All of the food was delicious. From the mini cheese raviolis and the beef medallions to the mini cream puffs, let’s not even discuss how much I devoured! After filling my belly, it was on to the dance floor where we tore it up (there may even exist a video of Alexis & me working our moves). What a great way to kick-off the wedding season for me—I have at least 1 a month now! -candace

04/13/07

~I can’t believe it’s finally time for Heather’s wedding (especially because it means mine was already 6 months ago!). Even though I got the privilege of seeing her in her dress already (at her fitting), I’m excited to see her walk down the aisle! Then I will be in withdrawal for 2 weeks while my officemate is in Hawaii. In the meantime, the rest of us tartelettes are scrambling to find cute little jackets and wraps to go over our dresses because no one was anticipating the 40-something degree weather. So much for my strapless dress & bare legs! -alexis

04/11/07

~Tomorrow will officially be one month before I leave for my 16 day expedition around Europe with my boyfriend. We’ll fly in to Rome, make our way towards Florence, then on to Venice. After a few relaxing days in Italy, the overnight train will take us to beautiful Paris where we will spend 2 lovely nights. After we’ve soaked up all that Paris has to offer, we’ll board another overnighter and head to Barcelona, and finally to Madrid where we will spend 3 nights relaxing before we fly back home. Yes, just thinking about it makes me feel more at ease. I think I can safely say that in all the vacations I have ever taken, I have never needed one more than I do now. -julia

04/09/07

~With spring upon us and summer fast approaching, it’s time for me to change my dark brown locks to a fun and flirty dark blonde. I won’t be going platinum or anything, although I have always wondered what it would be like…just some highlights and low lights to go with my new tan! The celebs hair that I’m going after is Drew Barrymore’s new ‘do, and I’ll have it just in time for Heather P’s wedding this weekend too! -heather r
04/06/07

~As you’re reading this I am at QVC preparing for our 1 hour show today, Friday April 6th, at 4 pm (EST). We all get so excited about the shows, but I’m especially excited about this one because we have a few special guests (you have to tune in to see!). Then we’ll be back on Saturday at 7 pm (EST) with a new kit that is a personal favorite of mine. Now I know why everyone loves watching QVC – the new items and the amazing values are something that just can’t be beat! -maria

04/04/07

~It been a week since I've come back from Miami and my sunkissed glow is fading fast! Luckily Maureen introduced to Comondynes self-tanning wipes form QVC awhile ago. Now I'm totally addicted to them! They really give me a natural tan that's not too orange or fake looking. I even asked my Mom for a new supply for my Birthday! -erica

04/02/07

~Any Season 6 American Idol fans out there? Me too! Seriously, what’s going on this season? Please, don’t vote for the worst anymore!! Every week I just wait for Sanjaya to get the boot. It’s painful to watch. My top 2 picks: Blake (I really want him to win!) and Melinda Dolittle (she never disappoints). I’m keeping my fingers crossed for my boy, Blake! -candace

march 2007

03/30/07

~I’m very excited that it’s almost Easter because that means this weekend is time for one of my favorite activities…egg dying! Usually we just go the more traditional route (this pic is of the eggs Phil and I did last year) but my sister just sent me this link that explains how to do these super fancy eggs…they almost look wooden, don’t they? I’m a little spastic, but that’s a perk of marrying a graphic designer…I know he would be totally into trying this! If we do and it comes out good, I’ll post the outcome. Stay tuned… -alexis


03/28/07

~So I went to the movies on Saturday and saw (let me be more specific- drooled over) 300. This is by far the absolute best movie I have seen in a long time. I don’t know what it is, but I loved it! Maybe it was the action packed fighting scenes, the great one-liners adding just the right amount of comedic relief, or maybe (and lets be honest- most likely) it was Gerard Butler’s (King Leonidis) amazing body- yes I think that’s it! If you don’t like action, adventure, gore, or mythology, go see it for the ridiculously cut Spartan bodies. Plus, Spartan men apparently always walked around in Speedos- I promise you will not be disappointed. -julia


03/27/07


~I just came back from the most amazing bachelorette weekend in Miami. If you can imagine it - there were 10 of us soaking up the sun and having a few drinks together. Ok, maybe we had more than a few drinks but who's counting?! ;) It was one of the best weekends I've ever had and I can't thank the girls enough for making it such a great experience!! -heather




03/19/07

~Happy belated St. Patrick’s Day! I was planning to head to home to South Boston for the parade, but the crazy, stormy weather left me here in NYC. My roommate and I decided to throw a little St. Patty’s celebration in our apartment. She made her mom’s homemade Irish soda bread, which was delish! Not to mention we had every other green food you could want: spinach dip, green frosted cupcakes and lime jello! We also made some delicious green bloody mary (food coloring makes all the difference!). To top it all off we had a fun dance party! There was even an Irish jig dance-off. You can’t beat that on a Saturday afternoon! -candace

03/12/07

~I had such a nice (albeit action-packed) weekend…we went to Phil’s brother’s engagement party on Friday night, which was awesome—two Italian families merging always makes for a good party (and the penne alla vodka was pretty good too). Sunday was our nephew’s christening, and we were the godparents! Antonio was the best baby in the church, he didn’t cry once (not even when the water was poured over his head). Of course, seeing us with the baby got everyone asking us when we’re planning on having kids……..but the answer is “not anytime soon,” since our new apartment is about the only “baby” we can handle at the moment! -alexis

03/05/07


~This weekend I went to the Syracuse v. Villanova basketball game in Philly. Despite all of my cheering and name-calling (yes, I tend to be pretty competitive when people get mean), we lost the game 78-75. After the game a bunch of us headed to Atlantic City to try our luck there! To start the night we did a little dancing at Mur Mur and then some gambling at the Borgata. I played the slots (specifically Wheel of Fortune) but ended up empty-handed. Greg, on the other hand, played Roulette and we ended up leaving with some winnings! All in all, it was great weekend, but I’m soooo tired!!! -candace

january 2007

~Brrrr…I just got back from Sundance! It was so much fun (and a lot of hard work!). We were part of a gifting suite (The Green House) and we met a lot of cool people (and of course, there were some celeb sightings). While Greg & I were walking down Main Street in our new, warm Moncler jackets we spotted: Anthony Hopkins, Christian Slater, Tara Reid, Nick Cannon, Kyra Sedgwick, Scott Speedman, Jamie Kennedy…..We also picked up some really cool shirts from The Secession. We didn’t get a chance to hit the slopes or catch some movies, but I did get a glimpse of Justin Timberlake! That counts for something! -candace

01/22/07

~So, even though I got back from my honeymoon not that long ago, it just kills me to not have a vacation to look forward to. I decided I had to plan something even if it was a while from now…so this morning I just booked a spontaneous trip to Mexico in May! I’ve heard so many good things about The Royal Hideaway Hotel and it’s an all-inclusive so now we don’t have to worry about anything—we can just show up and eat endless burritos & margaritas. This may be the highlight of Phil’s year since he loves Mexican food more than anything else. Four months to go until we’re luxuriating in the Riviera Maya…yay! -alexis

01/11/07

~While I'm craving a perfect dinner date I should follow that up with the perfect dessert! What could be better than going to NYC’s famed Serendipity for The Grand Opulence Sundae? I know. It sounds crazy $1,000 for an ice cream sundae? But, The Golden Opulence Sundae is the "World's most expensive sundae", and was created to celebrate Serendipity's 50th Anniversay last year. Made with 5 scoops of the richest Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream infused with Madagascar vanilla and covered in 23K edible gold leaf, the sundae is drizzled with the world's most expensive chocolate, Amedei Porceleana, and covered with chunks of rare Chuao chocolate. The masterpiece is suffused with exotic candied fruits from Paris, gold dragets, truffles and Marzipan Cherries. It is topped with a tiny glass bowl of Grand Passion Caviar, an exclusive dessert caviar that's sweetened and infused with fresh passion fruit, orange and Armagnac. The sundae is served in a Baccarat Harcourt crystal goblet with an 18K gold spoon!-jasen

01/08/07

~This weekend Greg and I decided to add a little culture to our lives…so, we headed to the MET!! The Cézanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde exhibit was amazing! It ended on Sunday, so we were just in time to check out all of the fun paintings! I’d have to say besides being obsessed with everything Egyptian (it dates back to a Mummy I saw in 4th grade at the Museum of Science), I really enjoyed the Nan Kempner: American Chic exhibit!! The clothes are just beautiful…there’s a reason she was the most renowned members of the Best-Dressed List’s Hall of Fame! There were so many Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino and Chanel pieces! If you’re a fashionista, I urge you to check it out!! -candace

december 2006

~On Wednesday night we had our annual tarte holiday party hosted by Maureen. It was an amazing time as always, this year we had a wine & cheese tasting theme with a cheese expert. Alexis (cheese-aholic) was in heaven and showed off all her amazing cheese knowledge and everyone else learned a lot and enjoyed themselves. Maureen and her husband Scott cooked an amazing dinner that everyone couldn't stop raving about, followed by desserts galore! We really need to make this party a monthly event instead of just once a year.-erica

12/07/06

~We’re celebrating here at tarte—seal the deal (our lip sealant & supergloss duo) won a Redbook MVP Beauty Award!! This morning Maureen and I attended the magazine’s Third Annual MVP Beauty Awards breakfast at the Bryant Park Grill in NYC. It was so pretty and festive (and the food was delish)! Not to mention, there were so many fun beauty, skincare and haircare companies that were honored! From Dr. Brandt to Oscar Blandi, there were a lot of beauty gurus in the house! If you check out the December issue of the mag you can see all of the winners!-candace

12/04/06

~This past Friday the tarte team had the amazing oppurtunity to be a part of a Habitat for Humanity build. Along with a donation we decided to actually go and help out. We joined the QVC beauty team up in Coatsville, PA where Habitat was is in the process of rebuilding a community and creating some amazing homes for very deserving families! There was a lot of painting, sanding, hammering and Maureen was even hanging drywall! We had a great day and hopefully we'll continue to be apart of this great cause. -erica

november 2006

11/29/06

~I am beyond excited—I just found out that I got into an intensive perfume workshop next week! This workshop is only held twice a year at one of the major perfume houses—a master perfumer comes over from Europe to teach intensive, full-day courses about the history of perfume, study of raw materials, study of synthetic materials, etc. It’s basically my dream come true. I am sort of a perpetual student-slash-geek at heart, so I’m already preparing to get a nice shiny new notebook & pen. Seriously cannot wait!! -alexis


11/13/06

~If you haven’t yet, I urge you to go see The Departed. This is seriously the best movie I’ve seen this year. I walked out of the movie theatre and all I could utter to my boyfriend was, “wow, this movie is seriously winning some awards…” I mean there are so many good reasons. First and foremost, it’s set in South Boston (wicked, cas, paking) with Boston-native actors (Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, etc) —it’s like Good Will Hunting all over again, but with a lot more blood and gory. The acting is phenomenal and the guys are pretty hot, too! It’s by far my favorite movie! -candace



~Lex is always telling me about this quaint bed & breakfast in Saratoga Springs so I decided to book a nice little getaway weekend for Rich & I. We’re going December 22nd for a 2 night stay and I have a couple of fun outings planned for us – snowmobiling, massages and horseback riding to name a few. I’m totally excited for horseback riding more then anything – the guide said the horses would be wearing bells for Christmas! hehe -maria



11/06/06

~Heather, Maria, and I had a fun Saturday night out on the Upper East Side. Heather's friends organized a bar crawl to a bunch of different bars around the area. Needless to say we all had a great time and maybe we'll do it again soon. I vote to stay in one place like the Brooklyn Brewery and taste all their beers, but then again it wouldn't really be much of a bar crawl! -erica

october 2006

10/30/06

~So after a week of being at work, the dust from the wedding & honeymoon is finally starting to settle. It’s a little tricky to catch up but so nice to have free time again! In any case, the wedding weekend and the following 2 weeks in Fiji were the best weeks of my entire life, hands down. I couldn’t have been happier with the way things went at the wedding—from the flowers to the music to the ceremony to the black & white photobooth (the biggest hit of the night) to the food (which I barely touched, but I heard about) everything was amazing. Actually the only snag was when my best friend and I got up to duet on a song and the backup CD started skipping—oops! I think we saved it by launching into an a cappella rendition, though. Fiji was incredible too—paradise on earth, with the warmest people and incredible food…plus, of course, the scenery! It’s tough to be back, but I’m happy to be with all my tartelettes and being Mrs. DiResta isn’t so shabby either. -alexis

10/23/06

~This weekend Maria & I FINALLY took the cooking class we'd been talking about forever! We went all the way up to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY for an all day "Baking at Home" class. It was so much fun and we made a ton of delicious delights like Buttermilk Biscuits, Lemon Bundt Cake, Cinnamon Raisin Bread, & an incredible Chocolate Devilsfood Cake! We were definitely the star students of the class and got a little competitive with the other students, I think next time we'll move up to an advanced class to really challenge ourselves. -erica

10/18/06

~I think once my boyfriend moves to NYC (Dec/Jan—fingers crossed he finds a job), I’m going to look into teaching gymnastics again on the weekend. Right now, I’m always traveling and don’t have time. When I lived in Boston I taught girls ages 4-13 every Saturday. It was such a blast! I haven’t done it in the past 2 years and I really miss it! That said I’m going to have to get into flipping shape again….that might be a problem! -candace



10/11/06

~Every year I say I’m going to dress up for Halloween and then I never do, but this year I decided I would dress Puppy Kisses up instead. I found the perfect costume for her – a pig! It’s perfect since pigs are my favorite animal, although I don’t think PK is quite sold on the idea yet, lol. -maria

september 2006

09/25/06

~Yesterday I watched a show on Animal Planet channel called ‘Growing up Gorilla’ which is obviously about gorillas. But it focuses on one gorilla sanctuary in Africa that rescues orphaned baby gorillas, nurses them back to health and teaches them the skills needed to survive in the wild. It reminded me of watching Sigourney Weaver in Gorillas in the Mist and how I wanted to do the same thing when I was younger. It fascinated me that the little babies took milk from a bottle and wore diapers just like human babies. After watching this show it’s my new mission to donate my time and money towards saving this endangered species. -heather r

09/18/06

~HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANDACE!! Since Candace is a big fan of muffins and a health nut I decided instead of making my usual celebratory cupcakes I would make her Low Fat Muffins! Low Fat Apple Streusel Muffins to be exact, they use applesauce instead of oil to cut the fat plus it makes them really moist! I can't wait for Candace to try one! -erica




09/06/06


~Today, I’m really craving some warm apple cider. YUM. Every fall my boyfriend and I go apple picking—it’s one of our favorite rituals! We usually go to Strawberry Acres and I end up picking wayyyy too many apples. Last year we made a delicious apple pie. This year I’m trying to time it right so we can go apple picking in the morning and then wine tasting in the afternoon & evening! That would be me idea of a perfect fall day!-candace


09/12/06

~Such a fun weekend, starting off with Maria’s and my modeling debuts on QVC…so funny! We were both completely nervous beforehand (you really can’t see yourself on the monitors at all so it’s impossible to tell if you’re making a stupid face or anything like that) but it ended up being fun. Maybe too much fun, since when you watch the tape you can actually see us talking to each other and laughing—oops! Anyway, Saturday night was my bachelorette slumber party which was SO fun (thanks, Dana!). Of course the tartelettes made it even more fun, especially with their contributions (candy bar cookies, almond brittle, twizzlers, sangria? These girls know who they’re dealing with). We had some real 8th grade-style sleepover fun, complete with pranks (suffice it to say, we have now all witnessed firsthand Erica’s fear of clowns). -alexis

august 2006

08/29/06

~Since this one-month-til-the-wedding mind racing has given me major insomnia lately, I’ve taken to reading books in bed. It helps me take my mind off whatever issue is bugging me at the moment and unlike TV, there’s no chance I’ll accidentally stumble onto something like “Bridezillas.” My book of the moment is Heat by Bill Buford. It’s about the author’s apprenticeship at Babbo with Mario Batali (among other things) and surprisingly, there are a lot of great cooking tips peppered throughout the book, even though it’s by no means a cookbook. Really engaging and definitely does the trick to keep me occupied with other things…worth checking out! -alexis

08/25/06

~Alexis is so good to me, as a thank you for helping her out with stuff for her wedding she got me the coolest nicola vruwink necklace! It's a silver scissor charm since I'm the resident Miss Fix-It and crafter.. I'm a real cut up! hehe -erica





~So last week was my niece’s birthday and I thought it would be fun to take her to the Bronx Zoo since, like me, she is a big animal lover…ok, so the idea was a little selfish since I haven’t been there in a while. Needless to say we both had an amazing time, and although I love going to the zoo anyway nothing beats seeing the joy and excitement on her face when we went through all the different exhibits and, of course, the children’s zoo. And because I am the best aunt ever I even agreed to let her get her face painted like a ladybug, fully knowing that she would fall asleep on the car ride home and get face paint all over my leather seats…but hey, some things are just more important then a clean car! -maria

08/17/06
~If it seems like the tarte girls haven’t been “musing” much lately, it’s because things have been pretty crazy around here, what with all the new babies & weddings going on! (I am especially freaking out myself…less than 2 months to go!). Anyway, last weekend was great because I had my lovely bridal shower (thanks Mom!) and got to spend a GORGEOUS day in East Hampton with my family, friends, and my tartelettes past & present. It was a great day, and I now have more cooking supplies than I could’ve ever dreamed. Expect me to write about my diet in the future…hahaha. -alexis


~Please tell me I’m not the only one who’s truly upset about the outcome of So You Think You Can Dance! I know my friend Darlie agrees! Seriously, I am obsessed with that show and even more obsessed with Travis! He was an unbelievable dancer—I mean his technical skills beat everyone else on that show. I’ll admit I even voted for him last week! In all honesty, I’m still mad about the results! I’m thinking I might get tix to the tour! Who’s with me?! -candace


08/16/06
~I’m so excited for the weekend! Heading to Boston and going to the Red Sox vs. Yankees game at Fenway!!!! My uncle Johnny rocks—at the last minute he was able to find 2 tickets!! And we’re not talking about any old seats—State Street Pavilion Box seats!!!!! The game is going to be so fun! I’m totally into the rivalry and then hitting up happy hour (if my boys win, of course)!! -candace



~I cannot wait, in two days I will be in sunny Miami! I haven't been on a real vacation in a year and the heat in NYC has just been oppressive this summer. So I'm excited to just sit on the beach or by the pool for 5 days straight with a fruity drink in one hand and a good book in the other! -erica