In Need of a Vacation

I am in desperate need of a vacation...

New York City

This week was Book Expo America in New York City. The drive down was dark, grey and rainy. I feared that our week in the city was going to be ruined. I mean seriously, does this look promising? However, I was interviewed by the lovely Tricia Romano for this Daily Beast piece during the beautiful ride.

But luckily we arrived in the city to beautifully clear skies and warm weather. We immediately gravitated towards Times Square which has really become my go-to first stop whenever I arrive in the city. We always eat at Tony’s DiNapoli because the food is delicious…although this time we were a little disappointed to find that they didn’t have Chicken Saltimbocca on the menu…but the fettucini alfredo was stellar!

One of the first celebrity sightings I had at the show was Kathie Lee Gifford…and she happened to be hugging Dr. Ruth! It was like a two-for-one! Dr. Ruth is tiny and Kathie Lee is gorgeous. Kathie Lee was there promoting her new children’s book The Legend of Messy M’Cheany.

After grabbing a copy of Elin Hilderbrand’s upcoming summer release SILVER GIRL, my sisterMegan and I were delighted to find they were handing out free Corona’s for all of the weary show goers. (Side note: Megan was there promoting her upcoming anthology, DEAR BULLY, for HarperTeen.)

And of course, you can’t go to New York without visiting a deli…and the Carnegie Deli is the most famous of them all! The portion sizes were enormous and the food was out of this world. Truly a New York institution and one that lives up to all the hype.

It was a fantastic trip and BEA was as eventful and entertaining as always. There are some great books coming out this fall and I will keep you posted on all of them.

Goodbye New York…and that sweater that I LOVED from Ann Taylor’s LOFT that I got a mustard stain on from dinner on our last night. I will miss you both.

Sunday Kind of Love

This weekend I watched AN EDUCATION and loved it. Wanted to share some of the music with you today.

Adam & Eve

I'm a little obsessed with this wedding video.

Adam & Eve from dolly on Vimeo.

{Thanks, Joanna}

Hearts

I am so in love with this ring. I think it is just so delicate and feminine and beautiful. It's from a New York-based designer called Cat Bird and I think it is just exquisite.

Day 25: Humor

Today I watched Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, a documentary focusing on one year in the life of the famous comedianne Joan Rivers. She made an interesting point while being heckled during a show. She had made a joke about Helen Keller being the dream daughter because she couldn't speak and a man started yelling from the audience saying the joke wasn't funny because he had a deaf son. It was a sad moment (and could have been terribly awkward for Joan) but she said to the man, yelling from the audience, "We have to laugh at the tragedies in life, it gives them less power over us." She is right. Laughter is one of the best ways to handle the obstacles that pop up in our path. Joan also showed that even if it is impossible to avoid fear, insecurities and failure, the best way to handle it is to keep moving forward, never give up and always persevere. Joan Rivers is nothing if not tenacious and determined and that is why she is still a star at 77 years old.

I am grateful that even in our darkest days we can find humor.

Day 24: Exercise

Mondays. They're pretty tough. Typically you feel overtired and overwhelmed with the work load that has built up over the weekend. But there is nothing that solves the problems of a Monday better than exercise. It clears your head and gives you a feeling of power and control, something that we often feel is lacking in our lives. It erases guilt for any overindulging you may have done (or plan to do). And most importantly, it makes you feel ALIVE!

I am grateful for the way a simple run makes me feel more alive. I am grateful that I am able to go for a simple run every day of my life. I am grateful for the simple power of putting one foot in front of the other.

Day 23: Horoscopes

Lately, I have found that my horoscope on a particular website is extremely accurate as well as poignant and inspiring. Today, in particular, my horoscope put my feelings into profound words and I found myself re-reading it to not only fully absorb the advice being given but to allow myself to appreciate what it feels like when the right words find you at the right time.

An impressionable mood can come upon you suddenly today, causing you to feel uncomfortably while making decisions. As a result, you will likely feel compelled to turn to a mentor, boss, or relative to determine how they might handle the challenge before you. If you are not satisfied with the answers they give, you may find that you lean toward their suggestion anyway. Consider, however, that your disagreement can be interpreted as a signal that you do know the best choice. If you think carefully about your options today, you will likely begin to see that the path that appeals to you may not be right for everyone, yet it is right for you.

When we are secure in the strength of our personal power, we are comfortable following our own paths, even when that means going against the recommendations of otherwise influential individuals. We may feel that we need to give ourselves over to the counsel of those who have more experience, yet doing so can interfere with our ability to craft our own destiny in a meaningful way. Our paths will typically only reveal themselves to us when we are willing to innovate and go against the grain to get what we want out of life. If we have learned to trust our intuitive minds, we need not bow to the pressure heaped upon us by those who are concerned for our welfare but do not understand our unique perspective. You will cease to be as impressionable today when you recognize that only you can conceive of and achieve your unique fate.

I am grateful for the healing and inspiring power of the written word. I am grateful for the right words at the right time and the way fate has a way of bringing these words to you when you need them most.