Friday's Simply Smitten - Blush & Blooms

This post may contain affiliated links, which means if you purchase an item I will earn commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

*image

“Spring will come and so will happiness.

Hold on.

Life will get warmer”

-Anita Krizzan

Happy Friday! I am back in NYC after a week long trip to Marco Island with my family. My vacation in the sun was relaxing and much needed. I spent time away from my computer and the blog to fully enjoy time spent with my family and to recharge.

My family rented a house in Marco Island to stay in for the week. I prefer to vacay this way from now on. We had privacy and the freedom to do whatever. The house luckily had a pool so we spent everyday swimming and laying under the sun. We did spend one day at Tigertail Beach. I do love the beach but I am much more of a pool gal. The beach was fun and I collected a few sea shells that I brought home with me…. because I am obviously 10 years old.

When we were not poolside or living the beach life, we dinned out around island. One of our favorite restaurants on the island is Snook Inn. It’s a must-do for us every time we are there. We tried a few new restaurants, one in particular we enjoyed was The Speakeasy. I am not sure why it is called The Speakeasy, there is nothing remotely related to a typical speakeasy. The only speakeasy thing about it is that they do not have a Instagram account. I like my speakeasies to be hidden behind a coke machine or a bookshelf. Still, we enjoyed the waterfront restaurant with wonderful views and a live band. Another activity we did was putt-putt golf. I think it’s been since college that I have been putt-putting. It was a lot of fun, even though I lost.

I have been back in the city since last Saturday, just in time for spring. I love springtime here in New York; the cherry blossom trees in central park, rooftop bars are open, I can go running again along the river park, and my overall mood is lifted. And my mood definitely needs to be lifted. Flying to and from Marco Island was a nightmare for everyone. My flight there was delayed and my travels back to New York took 12 hours. From Ft. Myers to Charlotte they had us board the plane and the second everyone was settled they told us we would be sitting there for 90 mins because of air traffic. Because of this delay I missed my connecting flight from Charlotte to NYC…. by only 15 mins. Bless my parents because while I was in the air flying to Charlotte, they got me on another flight that evening. I had just enough time to grab a snack and board the plane… only to sit there for 2 hours because of paperwork. Then they told us it was a computer issue and they needed to talk to Dallas. Then it was some part of the plane that needed maintenance, but it really didn’t matter because we did not need that particular part. Then they made us switch planes. It felt very left phalange. I finally arrived home at 2:30am, very tired and annoyed. And apparently I am not the only one who had problems (and currently having problems) with American Airlines.

This past week has been mostly spent catching up on work and emails. I tried my best not to work while I was on vacation, which turned out to be a lot harder to do than I thought. I have a lot of projects coming up that I am excited about and had to finalize details. I felt a little overwhelmed at the beginning of the week trying to catch up on so much. I needed a vacation from my vacation to mentally prepare to be back at work.

What I am watching: Over the last 2 weeks I watched season 2 of Sweet Magnolias on Netflix. I love this show and was pleased about how good season 2 was. What I love about the show is how it focuses on people helping others. Yes there is definitely drama, but everyone bands together to help get through it. It’s so nice to see, a real feel good show. I also like how they add faith and religion to the show; how they pray when times are good and bad, how they use their faith for forgiveness, kindness and love. I highly recommend this show!

Outlander is back!! I love this show. I am currently behind and have only seen the first episode, but I know this is going to be a great season– as it always is. Right now they are setting up the storyline for the season so the first episode did start out a bit slow. I am hoping they finally get into the Revolutionary War… it’s time, they have been talking about it long enough ha.

What I bought: I wasn’t looking to purchase anything this week since I just got back from vacation. But then J.Crew just had to drop new spring arrivals. I bought this floral peach dress to wear daily in the summer– on sale!! Another item I bought was my go-to vitamin C serum and eye cream that I use every night.

Gabrielle Bernstein sent me her new book Happy Days. I am a big fan of Gabby’s and have read all of her books, so couldn’t wait to dive into this one. It’s true what they say that things come to you when you need them. I didn’t realize how much I needed to read this book until I started it. It does talk a lot about her drug addiction, which I can not personally relate to but the lessens she has learned from her addiction I can. It’s about how our behavior stems from our thoughts. How we get stuck in cycles because subconsciously we believe we do not deserve good things. We think we are unworthy or unlovable. It’s about our insecurities we have that we carry deep within us. The book teaches us how to let go and fully embrace who we are in confidence and in knowing that we deserve all the good in this world. I am only part-way through the book, but can already recommend it to anyone.

This weekend I plan on relaxing and enjoying the spring-like weather. I am hoping it does not rain tomorrow like the forecast says because I want to be out and about. If the weather is gloomy, I will be staying home and binge watching Bridgerton season 2!! And also watching the Oscars.

Have a wonderful weekend xo

1. Every outfit Kate Middleton wore during the Caribbean tour

2. Eyeing this dress for spring and summer

3. A cute bow strap tank top

4. White sandals on sale!

5. Everything you need to know about the Met Gala 2022

6. The best things to look forward to this spring in NYC

7. Enjoyed this interview with Riley Sheehey

8. All about the costumes in Bridgerton season 2

9. One of my favorite books is being turned into a Netflix film

10. History of the wicker bag

Sales happening this weekend