I am very particular and indecisive when it comes to insignificant things. For instance, a few years ago my parents gave me a digital camera for Christmas, but I wasn’t sure if I liked it because the corners were a little bit rounded. There’s also a specific wooden spoon that I like to cook with, but only because it has a thin handle. See? Told you. Insignificant.

So, can you image how long it took me to find a wedding dress? I think I started about 5 months ago, and after almost 50 dresses, I’ve finally found “the one”. I didn’t cry, or jump up and down. But as soon as they cinched in my waste with the standard bridal-salon-home-depot-clips,  I knew it. It’s a fitted mermaid gown with a rouched bodice and simple, classic train. Here’s a sneak peak.

Every bridal consultant looked at me like I was nuts when I said I wanted little to no glitzy beading, and no tulle. Isn’t that what all bridal gowns are made of?! It was like a needle in a hay stack, but I found it.

I’ve been to “just a few” places to try on dresses and I put together a list of tips to make the experience more enjoyable:

1. Even though it’s tempting to show up on Sunday in your comfy yoga pants and a pony tail, I’ve found that when I did my hair and make up it gave me a better outlook on dress shopping.

2. If you’re being negative about the process, reschedule your appointment. I needed to be positive and patient to enjoy the experience.

3. DO NOT GO WITH TOO MANY PEOPLE. It’s temping to invite every woman you know, but you’re the only person who knows what you like. Trust yourself, and do not listen to others opinions. I learned this the hard way.

4. Wear cute undies. You spend a good part of the appointment in your skivvies, and it’s easy to feel vulnerable. Wearing something cute makes it much less awkward.

5. Do not try on dresses outside of your budget. Even if it’s $500 over and you think this could be an issue. You’ll end up crying in the fitting room… while in your cute undies.

After traveling last weekend, it made me appreciate New York City even more. Every time I travel to other major cities, I find myself comparing everything to NY. But, that’s just it. No city will every compare. I’ve had a love affair with the energy, the people, the design, and overall beauty that the culture has to offer. I am so extremely fortunate to work in Chelsea, surrounded by the most inspiring art galleries. On my walk home last week, I came across this. It’s a wall inside a loading dock (of all places). I was drawn in by the colors, and love that it looks like an abstract painting that belongs in a gallery next door.

When I have more wall space, I’m going to frame this. I found great humor in the sign above this that read, “do not scratch.”

Ryan and I went with some friends to Toronto to take advantage of the long weekend last week. Yes. I know I left the USA for the 4th of July, and I’ve been told I’m the least patriotic person ever (not to be dramatic or anything). Ryan booked the room in a fit of spontaneity, so, why not? After 10 hour drives, 14 magazines, two books, and a neverending Pandora playlist, we had a lovely mini vacation.

The view of Toronto from Casa Loma, a historic Canadian estate.

Lady Pellatt’s washroom at Casa Loma

Reflection of the CN Tower in the Steam Whistle Brewery’s window

Beer!

Lake Ontario

Rock Sculptures on the Water

Butterfly Conservatory

Niagra Falls

Now, if only I had pictures of the Japanese anime/comic book convention that was taking place in our hotel. We were the only people not dressed in character!

I’m not going to lie, it felt a bit weird to click “new post”. As you may have already noticed, I haven’t been posting as much. I started this blog while I was out of work, although I don’t think I ever officially said that. Being that Ryan and I were both unemployed (living in a studio), I needed something to do that was productive. I never wanted to admit how much the economy was effecting me and those around me. But, it’s the truth. These are some tough times.

As I’ve mentioned before, this blog has taught me to be a more curious person and I’m grateful for that. But, in times where I have deadlines, or my nephews soccer games, I won’t post as much and I’ll take a break from writing. This started out as something fun, and I’m going to keep it like that, rather than it feeling like a job.

While making some eggplant parm (yum), Ryan showed me this video on my fancy new iPhone. Kind of fitting, considering this is the first official music video shot with the iPhone 4. How amazing are those backdrops?

Just found this impressive video and figured I’d share.

Martha has done it again. Care of Sunday Suppers, they’ve created meals that have successfully made my mouth water at 9am. Aside from their delicious looking meals, I am in love with their beautiful styled tablescapes!

Hey everyone, it’s Ryan with my second guest appearance on Lisa’s blog.  Today I’m going to quickly summarize the changes to the new iPhone.  Since Lisa’s blog is design driven this is semi-related since we have an all new design on the new iPhone 4.

Thanks to Engadget for their reporting and photos

Pricing and Availability
Release date – June 24, 2010
Pre-order  – June 15, 2010
Available in black or white
16GB or 32 GB
16GB – $199
32GB – $299
AT&T will allow early upgrades to anyone eligible for an upgrade in 2010

Design/Hardware
9.3 mm thick (24% thinner than 3GS and thinnest smart phone in the world
Front facing camera
Rear facing (5MP) camera with LED flash
Stainless steel bezel which doubles as an integrated antenna
Glass front and back (improves signal)
Noise cancellation mics

Retina Display
326 PPI (Pixels per inch)
800:1 Contrast ratio (4x better)

A4 Chip
7 hours of 3G talk
6 hours of 3G browsing
10 hours of WiFi browsing
10 hours of video
40 hours of music
300 hours of standby
7.2 Mbps download speed/5.8 Mbps upload speed

Gyroscope
3-axis gyro (angular velocity)
Pitch, roll & yaw
Rotation about gravity
Gyro + accelerometer provides 6-axis motion sensing
(All fancy talk for new motion sensors for more impressive games and apps)

Camera
5 Megapixel rear-facing camera
LED Flash
5x Built-in zoom
HD Video (720p at 30fps)
Tap to focus (pictures and video)
One click sharing
LED continuous flash for video
Built-in editing
i-Movie app ($4.99 in app store)

iPhone OS4
Renamed to iOS4 (Available June 21, 2010 – Free for all!)
Multitasking
Folders
Unified mailbox
Threaded e-mails
Enterprise support enhancements

iBooks
Download same book to all devices for no extra charge
iBooks automatically syncs your place, bookmarks and notes

iAds
Keeps you in your app when clicking on an ad
Built into iOS4
Much more effective and interactive marketing opportunities

FaceTime
iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 video calling
WiFi only (during 2010)
Can use front or rear facing camera

Now for the pictures!

[View with PicLens]

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Last August, my friends and I went to a great seafood restaurant with a casual menu on the New Jersey seaside (no, not Seaside as in the Jersey Shore) . I ordered blackened tilapia and have been looking for a similar recipe since. This month, I put a few recipes together to recreate the light and tasty dish I had almost a year ago and it was delicious! It has the perfect mixture of spicy with a sweet crunch and the best part is, it is extremely simple!

For the tilapia marinade:

3 tablespoons paprika powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 pinch garlic powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For the mango salsa:

1 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 red bell pepper
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine ingredients for the marinade in ziploc bag and add tilapia filets to coat. Let filets marinade for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, combine ingredients for salsa in a bowl and set aside.

2. Fry filets on a grill pan for about 3 minutes on each side, or until they flake with a fork.

3. Add tilapia to serving plate and cover with mango salsa. Enjoy!

It’s Sunday morning, and I’m sipping coffee snuggled up under a blanket on Ryan’s big man chair. I’m enjoying one of those weekends where you spend your days in the sun after lazy mornings. Ryan and I are babysitting his nephews for the weekend. They still somehow think that our studio condo is exciting, and that we’re the coolest people ever. When they’re teenagers, that’ll eventually change but we’ll savor the moments until then. (Just now, Alex said under his breathe, “I love you, Lisa”. I don’t even know if he meant for me to hear.)

I want them to grow up with great memories of times with us, and to feel comfortable talking to us when they don’t always want to talk to their parents. Yesterday was a perfect summery day to take the boys blueberry picking, a memory I have from being a young girl. The day started out with whining (“But I don’t want to drive an hour!”, “But I don’t even like blueberries”, “But I just want to play video games”) but ended up with a confession to liking blueberries (I have proof on video), that trying something new was fun, and two tired boys napping in the back seat. Success!

A winery on the way to the farm. I’d like to show this to people when they talk negatively about New Jersey.

Chicken coup. Tyler kept saying how he wanted my chicken cutlet for dinner, and Ryan said this was dinner. He’s already starting with the old man-awkward Uncle jokes.

My prize winnings. I can’t wait to make blueberry muffins, scones, pancakes… if they make it that long.

The beautifully relaxing field.

I tried taking a picture of the chicken on the fence, but he jumped at that moment to chase after Alex. Whoops!

I keep thinking about what I’ll wear when Ryan and I take our engagement pictures. We probably won’t take them until the end of summer, so I still have some time. How adorable is Danni’s outfit for this shoot?! I could wear it every day of the week! (Maybe it’s because I have a thing for skeleton keys!)