Spring Break in Sanibel!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter, rejoicing that He is risen! John and I just got back from a fun and relaxing vacation on Sanibel Island. We spent five days with John's grandparents and had an absolute blast. I've shared some highlights of our trip below, and I wish we were back there already. Here's hoping for warm, spring-like weather in April!

WIAW: Anniversary

It's been awhile since I've done one of these! These eats are from yesterday, also known as John and my second wedding anniversary. While much of the day was rooted in routine, we managed to spend some extra time together, and had a wonderful day. Thankful for another year with my hubby and ready for even more memories together.

As always, head over to Jenn's blog to see more foodie fun or to link up yourself!

Breakfast: Anniversary Egg Sandwich

John made me his specialty - and my favorite! - open-faced egg sandwich. Trader Joe's sprouted 7-grain bread + reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese + an over easy egg = a perfect start to our special day - especially when I'm not the one doing the cooking! ;)

Snack: Gatorade G Series Energy Chews in Cool Blue

Thanks to Ashley's giveaway a few weeks ago, I scored a free box of these. I had a packet before I headed to the gym for some cardio, this arm workout and a few leg and ab exercises. I've had some before my last few workouts, and I've really liked them!

Lunch: Loaded Turkey Santa Fe

My goodness was this tasty. I made Loaded Turkey Santa Fe Baked Potato Skins (recipe coming tomorrow!) the other night, and fortunately we had leftover filling. John put some in a tortilla to make a wrap, and I ate my in a bowl with a fork. Delicious! I will definitely be making this for school lunches this year.

Celebratory Champagne Toast with our Wedding Flutes

Cheers to two married years! :)

Dinner at Harry & Izzy's downtown

John and I splurged and went to one of our favorite downtown steak houses for our anniversary dinner. Since we had a glass of champagne at home, we skipped wine at dinner, but we did enjoy the famous shrimp cocktail, filets with blue cheese and roasted asparagus. Everything was fantastic! I even saved half my 8oz filet to bring home. I love leftovers!

Happy anniversary to us!

Dessert: Fresh Strawberries (unpictured)

Whoops! Forgot to take a picture. John and I shared a bowl of fresh strawberries as we relaxed and enjoyed the rest of our evening. I couldn't ask for a better anniversary or hubby!

Anniversary Fashion:

Top: BCBG, via BCBG Outlet (vacation find!)

White stretch skinny jeans: Hudson, via Nordstrom Rack

Shoes: Calvin Klein, via Bloomingdale's Outlet (another vacation find!)

Who Doesn't Love a Surprise Party?

Answer: No one!

Even if the surprisee - I make up words and clauses now; my journalism professors would be so proud - claims to not like surprises, everyone always has a blast at these shindigs.

This was no different! Leslie and her sisters threw a fantastic surprise party for their oldest sister Lori, and we had so much fun attending it and participating in all the festivities. We chatted with family and new friends, before retiring to the TV room to watch the IndyCar race. If you read my blog you shouldn't be surprised that John dragged us to watch it. I took that time for a lovely nap, before retiring for the evening.

 But before I did that, here's a little rundown of our evening.

For one, there was lots and lots of yummy food. Check out this spread! I became particularly fond of dipping the beer chips - who knew those existed? - into the roasted red pepper hummus. Hello yumminess. Everything else was super tasty, too.

The decorations were so fun! Look at the picture of Lori and her mom (gorgeous!) and then Lori modeling. Add in the cake and beautiful centerpiece, and I didn't even cover half the decorations. I was too busy enjoying myself, I guess. :)

And, for those interested, my ensemble for the evening. 

*Dress: Vince Camuto
*Wedges: Nine West, via outlet mall in Ft. Myers last year
*Purse: Marc Jacobs red leather crossbody bag, via Nordstrom last year (no longer available)
*Belt: via Nordstrom, circa 3 years ago
*iPhone case: Kate Spade, via Apple (similar to link)

Happy birthday, Lori! We love you!

JB Graduates!

Hey there!

I had such a craaaazy busy weekend. Phew! I'm going to catch you up on it, but instead of a crazy long post, I figured that I would do a couple instead. Sound good? If not then I suppose you can just ignore these posts. :)

Friday night John and I met up with his family - parents, sister, grandparents, aunts - to watch JB graduate from high school! Park does such a neat, different thing for graduation. The girls wear floor-length white dresses, while carrying a dozen red roses. The guys wear full tuxes, complete with cummerbunds and bow ties. So formal! The ceremony was lovely and very well rehearsed. The speakers were funny and insightful, and it was a nice little ceremony.

Of course, we took some family pictures outside. :)

From left: Aunt Lori, Lauren, John, Me, Leslie, Big John, JB, Mimi, Papa, Aunt Linda

Immediate Rapp family! John, John, Me, JB, Lauren, Leslie

Following the ceremony,we headed to a lovely little "reception" of sorts. Leslie was a chair of the event, and honestly it was absolutely wonderful. Her hard work surely paid off! We had a super tasty meal consisting of a salad, bread, stuffed chicken, petit filet, potatoes and green beans.

And of course, dessert! I just ate the top off of it - not sure what it was, but it was super delicious. The cake was a bit spongy, but the topping was creamy and yummy.

After dinner we took some pictures and did a little dancing. The band wasn't my favorite (I always prefer DJs, go figure!) but they played some good songs and we had a blast dancing with family. Check out some of my favorite shots from the night!

Lately I've been getting some emails requests about my outfits, so I've included some links to the same or similar clothes, where applicable. Hope it helps! :)

Dress: Eliza J via ideeli (similar to this dress)
Shoes: Chinese Laundry nude pumps via Macy's, as seen here
Sequined purse: Kate Spade (no longer available)
Jewelry: Mikimoto pearls (my wedding gift from John!)

NYC: Part I

Hi friends! I'm back from NYC, and I can honestly say I had the best time. I think I forgot how much I adore NYC - I lived there 5 years ago while interning at a global PR firm. I felt so happy and at ease walking around, and I soaked up every bit of the city I could. I must go back again soon, but this time with the hubby!

Anyhoo, I have lots to update you on, and I'm not entirely sure how many posts I'll actually need to do so. I figured I would start here and see where it takes me. Sound good? I hope so!

I flew in Friday morning with my friend Jessi, and I was thrilled when she agreed to take a fitness class at Physique 57 with me! I asked the rest of my friends and was met with a resounding "NO!" from each of them. The class ended up being a blast, and my muscles were burning like crazy by the end of each "sprint." If I lived in NYC I would definitely make this class a habit!

After showering and getting settled at the hotel - which was fabulous! (I'll save that for the last post!) - we were off to explore SoHo a bit. After checking out some cute street shops and the like, we found a great little cafe on the street, Sanctuary T, which was perfect for people watching and relaxing. We split some fresh bruschetta (sp?) and truffle mac 'n cheese for a late lunch, and we sipped on some mimosas, too. Annie, our dear friend from Colorado, met up with us too.

After a few drinks we went shopping (window for me!) in SoHo. Annie found an adorable dress from TopShop, and then we saw this...Only in NYC would a bride walk down the streets of SoHo in her wedding dress.

We headed back to the hotel and sat at the hotel bar with the bride-to-be Deborah and her family. As our friends slowly got into town they trickled in and joined us. Girls had a few drinks and appetizers, and I headed up to the hotel to relax and freshen up.

The meat packing district was calling our name as a big bunch of girls loves to dance! We went to a few spots, including The Standard, and ended up at Kiss and Fly, where we danced the night away. I love nights out dancing with the girls! By the time I made it home I had been up for almost 24 hours, and was completely exhausted. The bed screamed my name and I slept blissfully for 7 hours.

Outfit for Friday
Dress: Forever 21
Blazer: Land's End
Nude pumps: Chinese Laundry via Macy's
Purse: Kate Spade via Nordstrom (sold out - same version but larger found here; same version but canvas found here)

Googliebear!

Silly girls...

in meat packing district

Friends since Freshman year of college! (soph year college pic on left, obviously!)

More to come!

5 Things I'm Loving Right Now

No new recipe today - I've made John's favorites this week, including Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken, Simple Fettucini Alfredo (with whole grain noodles at least), BBQ Salmon and Ahi Tuna with Teriyaki-Soy Glaze (he made this, though!). So, instead of the usual new recipe, I thought I'd share some of my current favorite things. I definitely have more than five, but I thought I'd space out some of my favorite things. Happy almost-Friday everyone!

1. My kindle. I've been reading up a storm lately, and thanks to this awesome gift from my hubby I'm never without a book to read.

2. Vince Camuto "Fawna" Flats. I can't get enough of the sparkle on the front and back, and the faint rose color is perfect for almost every outfit I have. The leather is very soft, and I like how it is quilted. I feel so dainty in them. (Click the link for more/better views!)

3. Spring weather! I was able to spend so much time outside this weekend, and I enjoyed every glorious minute. (Don't worry - I wore sunscreen!)

4. Sparkly Soul headbands. I was a bit dubious before I ordered my first one, but I quickly became a convert. I love that the headband doesn't move during the day - or during a workout. Not only that, I don't get a headache from wearing it all day or while bouncing around at the gym. Plus, it's nice for dressing up an outfit a bit. (Both shown are the 5/8 inch widths)

5. Dytopian-era novels. I have become completely obsessed with this genre ever since I read The Hunger Games trilogy. I've also read The Maze Runner trilogy, and read the first two books in the Matched trilogy (third one isn't out yet). I'm currently reading Insurgent. This is the sequel to Divergent, which I read last October. It's part of a trilogy, and I'm sure once I finish I'll be anxious for the last book to come out. For the record, I do read other genres frequently (especially historical fiction). After Insurgent, I'm going to read Still Missing!

*(Honorary #6): The fact that I will be in NYC tomorrow!!!! I'll try to update from NYC, but I can't make any promises. I may just wait to share when I get back. Eek! So excited!! :D