Tuesday 3.31

Scarf: Chanel, Pin:c/o Fantasyard, Sweater: Old Navy, Jeans: American Eagle, Bag: Alexander Wang, Shoes: Vintage

*Photographs taken by the BF.

Dragonfly in Amber

It has been three months since I posted a book review on the blog. You're probably wondering, "did she lose her interest in reading"? No, it isn't that - it's just that I read a book that was painfully hard to get through. So much so, that I rejoiced when I finished it. 

You'll probably find this hard to believe, but the book I was struggling to read was, A Dragonfly in Amber, the second novel in the Outlander Series. If you read my book review on the first novel, you'll know that I was head over heels for Outlander. I thought, by past experience, that I would have the same reaction to all novels in the series. 

Clearly, I was wrong. 

Dragonfly in Amber spans over several different centuries and is a whopping 976 pages. While I was reading this novel on my iPhone I was trying to figure out why my percent read wasn't increasing daily - it turns out it's because the novel is so long. 

This book really dragged on. It was hard to keep all the characters, time-periods and locations in place. The book hops from Scotland in the 20th century to Paris in the 19th. Not only that, but there seemed to be less romance in this novel. I wanted more of Jamie and Claire and less of Claire without Jamie. 

All and all it is safe to say I will be taking a prolonged break from the Outlander series. I'm not even sure I will ever read the remaining 6 books. I am now more than halfway through a nicely sized 576 page novel and I am incredibly pleased to see my percent read go up daily. 

*Collage created by Gabriela Monsanto. 

The View From Above

Sorbabes

Sorbet and I have become close friends. 

Not surprisingly, a dairy allergy means sorbet, and little else, for dessert. When I first discovered my dairy allergy I ate a lot of raspberry and mango Haagen Dazs sorbet. 

That got old very quickly. 

It seems though that the world of sorbet is much more sophisticated than I originally thought. Sorbabes, appropriately tag-lined, "gourmet sorbet", has a lot of fun sorbet flavors. My personal favorite is the banana chocolate peanut butter. What I really appreciate about this brand is that the flavors are unique and, most importantly, tasty. 

I thought my dairy allergy would do a number on my dessert choices but I'm happy to report that I have yet to go dessert-less. 

*All photographs taken from Sorbabes.

Wednesday 3.25

Hat: Asos, Necklace: Lemon Sweet Jewelry, Sweater: Vince, Scarf: Tolani, Jeans: American Eagle, Shoes: Vince, Backpack: Tory Burch

*Photographs taken by the BF.

La Joli Bijou

Over the past few months I have been purchasing my jewelry solely from Etsy. One of the shops I frequent the most is La Joli Bijou. La Joli stocks beautiful wire bangles at affordable prices.  

I have several La Joli Bijou pieces and I like each one better than the next. If you follow the shop on Instagram, there are often insanely great discounts. Recently, the designer offered 37 percent off everything. During the sale I was able to score two bracelets for 24 dollars. 

If you are a Bourbon and Boweties fan, such as myself, there really is no difference between La Joli Bijou's bracelets and Bourbon and Boweties' bracelets. 

The major benefit to ordering pieces from La Joli Bijou is that you get the same quality bracelet for half the price. 

Who doesn't like to save a little cash here and there? 

*Collage created by Gabriela Monsanto. All photographs taken from La Joli Bijou.

The View From Above

Thursday 3.19

Sweatshirt: Vince, Earrings: Dannijo, Bag: Monograms Inc., Jeans: Gap, Shoes: Madewell 

*Photographs taken by the BF. 

Galli

One of my favorite restaurants is a hop, skip and jump away from where I work. I've even gotten my team hooked - which is great because now we go there for most work events. 

The pastas at Galli are incredible. My absolute favorite is the salsiccia. The salsiccia is a mix of rigatoni, sausage, cherry tomato, baby spinach and light marinara sauce. I'm pretty sure I could eat it once a week, if not more - I'm addicted to rigatoni pasta. 

The tagline for Galli is "italian comfort food" and I'd say that about sums up the restaurant in three simple words. 

*Photographs taken by Gabriela Monsanto. 

Tuesday 3.17

Scarf: Madewell, Sweatshirt: Forever 21, Bag: Kate Spade, Jeans: American Eagle, Shoes: Superga

*Photographs taken by the BF. 

Florida

A couple of weeks ago I travelled to Florida to see my family. 

Visiting Florida never gets old. 

My family, simply put, are the bomb.

 It was quite a climate shock to go from warm weather to freezing temperatures, however, it's nice to be back home after traveling so often.

The BF and I are set to return to Florida at the end of April and I can't wait to see the boys. and the rest of my family, again soon! 

*Photographs taken by Gabriela Monsanto. 

The View From Above