Fun Facts Friday (11/8/13) |

Yes, yes, I’m alive. Up to my eyes in life craziness lately and sadly, this little corner of my universe got neglected due to the whirlwind I found myself in this week! That, and I just didn’t have a lot of exciting things to talk about.

1. I met my new “Little Sister” yesterday. I am the coordinator for my company’s mentoring partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC, which is an amazing organization in which I’m really happy to be involved. We have a new set of students this year, all 10th graders, and I absolutely love my Little. She’s adorable beyond words, and we quickly discovered that we have so much in common, it’s quiet uncanny! She loves to read and write; she plays piano, sings and acts; she’s a super dedicated student; she’s a Christian and very involved in her church; and she’s a picky eater. Umm, hello, match made in Heaven. I’m stoked about getting to know her better and couldn’t be happier with this pairing.

2. If you read one thing today, read this: Thought Catalog’s 23 Priceless Habits That Will Make You Your Greatest Self. Such a beautifully-phrased list of “words to live by,” and I feel like I want to read this every morning to remind myself of this continual life journey I’m on to become the best version of me I can possibly be. We’re so often afraid to live out of the fullness of who we really are, influenced as we may be by society or peers or family legacies or career pressures or the environments in which we find ourselves. Sometimes, all it takes is some personal time to stop and think about what it means to really live on purpose, and what habits we need to implement into our daily lives to become the best versions of ourselves. This is my lifelong goal, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to work at it diligently every day for the rest of my life — but that’s okay. I love every single point on this list, and want to print this out and hang it on my wall. And by my computer at work. And carry it around in my wallet. And memorize it by heart.

3. Girls’ night is necessary. I know I personally need time with my girlfriends on the very regular. Whether it’s at someone’s apartment or tucked away at a neighborhood wine bar, I crave that time and feel an intense void without it. Last night we had a big group check out a (new to me) wine bar in TriBeCa (fabulous places to go out in this area) called Terroir, which had a great vibe — industrial and elemental and very chill — and offered sweet happy hour specials on both drinks and food. Nothing beats discovering a hip new place, in the company of some great gals. Success all around.

4. Food of the week: Brussel sprouts. Seriously, I can’t stop eating these things lately. Can you believe that I only had them for the very first time last year? We neverrrrr had them growing up, as my mom wasn’t allowed to make anything that might cause my dad (and consequently us kids) to gag, and I just never tried them…and then, once I did, it was love at first bite. Now, they’re my fave veggies, and I’ve been on an intense BS kick this week. I can’t stop. And I really don’t get why they have such a bad rap? These babies are killer.

5. I’ve started wearing heels again now that the marathon is over. Okay, so what I mean by that is that I’ve worn heels twice in the past 2 weeks — and that’s, like, crazy town for me. Today, I snagged BCBG’s leather Paris Fairee booties and I’m stoked about them — even if they are way higher than, oh, say, my flats. Slowly but surely, I’m determined to learn to walk in heels again without teetering like a toddler in her mom’s shoes. Yikes. But in all seriousness — they’re amazing and I can’t wait til I can do them justice. After sporting Sperrys at work all summer, I figure it’s about time to turn it up a notch. These should certainly help.