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Catching up via Instagram

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Hey friends! Just a quick photo post today to catch up on life in NYC in between the trip to LA and having my sister in town.

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In honor of National Fry Day and National Mac and Cheese Day being back-to-back, I indulged in both on the same evening at Schnipper’s

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My brother and his girlfriend got at cat, and I am obsessed. Meet Tuna!

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Nothing like Christmas in July to break up the sweltering summertime heat.

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National Ice Cream Day also fell this month, and I indulged in my favorite – Van Leeuwen – in between work and church. (It was National Ice Cream Day last year when I first had their strawberry ice cream, and it remains the best!)

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The day before I left for LA was the birthday of S’MAC, a mac and cheese place I discovered thanks to my mom last fall. Their all-American dish was only $1 that day, so really, it only made sense to indulge.

Another picnic in the park ruined by thunderstorms, but aren’t those clouds pretty?!

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I couldn’t believe it when this little guy flew up to me in the park and settled on my arm. He sat there for several minutes!

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Finally: I purchased a Giving Key with the word ‘trust’ after receiving a generous gift card from my church. I love it so much!

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My Week in Instagrams: 6/14/15

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Hello, friends, and happy summer! I know it’s officially still a week away, but this was the first week that truly, consistently felt like summertime. There was brunching and reading outside and walks along the river. I could not be happier to be spending another summer in New York City!

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The week started off on an amazing note: Brunch in Williamsburg with my cousin Kelly! I’m so so glad that we’re close now as adults.

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Tuesdays are sure to be my favorite afternoons this summer, as I look for new ways to explore the city in between work and community group. Obsessed with hanging out outside with a good book!

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On Thursday I ventured downtown for a meeting at my church’s office. Downtown Manhattan gets a bad rap for being mostly tall buildings, but you really just need to know where to look: Like outside City Hall!

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Friday brought me back to Williamsburg for my friend Samantha’s birthday dinner – and a stunning sunset at McCarren Park. It was supposed to thunderstorm all day and I couldn’t be more thrilled we didn’t even get a drop of rain.

IMG_4408Finally, last night I came home after work to binge some television (I’m rewatching Private Practice) and cook a healthy-ish breakfast-for-dinner (and then sleep for 10 hours, which was unplanned but incredible). Recipe for the above sweet potato kale hash can be found here. I used more sweet potato, less kale, because obviously.

As for the week ahead, it looks to be a replica of this one – and I can’t wait to repeat it all summer long! What’s your standard summer day look like?

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My week in Instagrams: 5/24/15

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This was one of those weeks that was SO fun and SO busy that I just didn’t document much of it at all.  There was brunch with an old friend and her mom, a workshop with Restore NYC, a roommate date with pretzels at Sigmund’s and ice cream at Van Leeuwen, a gallery for 100 cameras, dinners and shopping, birthday drinks for one friend and a surprise picnic for another. Plus it’s Fleet Week (hellooooo sailors!), and there were errands to run and – of course – 40 hours of work to do. I almost can’t even believe I squeezed it all into 7 days!

Here are the few pictures I did take!

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Friday FryDay! After a long work week Emmie and I headed to New York Burger Co. for fries and a side of burgers, because that’s how we roll.

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We decided to walk from Chelsea to the West Village for Jenn’s party, and I’m SO glad we did! The sky was spectacular and the World Trade Center sparkles during golden hour.

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Last night’s festivities were in Astoria, a neighborhood I rarely venture to (it’s not far from me in Crown Heights but it takes an hour and a half on the trains). We picnicked in Astoria Park and then I insisted on a stroll to the waterfront to watch the sun set over the East River.

This upcoming week looks to be just as busy, with Memorial Day providing an excuse to spend alllllllllllll day every day outside basking in the glorious sunshine! I’m working the holiday but taking some time off at the end of the week for a little staycation. On the agenda so far: the opening ofOne World Observatory on Thursday and Awaken NYC on Friday. What else should I do to feel like a tourist in NYC?!

My week in Instagrams: 4/12/15

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Well, sort of. This week was pretty boring IRL – night shifts, crummy weather – until last night so I’ve been posting mostly throwbacks. So today I present to you the most random collection of photos possibly ever.

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Last Sunday, of course, was Easter. I posted this throwback after last week’s post went live: Easter 1997, featuring my sister and I in matching bunny dresses made by our ever-talented mother.

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For some reason, my Panera rewards card was loaded with one free coffee for every day in the month of April. Obviously I have been taking advantage of that by getting a large iced, every single day. The math works out to 7.5 free gallons of coffee by the end of the month, if you were wondering.

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She is Free is getting closer and closer – it’s officially NEXT WEEK! One of the sponsors is The Giving Keys, so this image was floating around my friend circle as we all hoped to win these necklaces.

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For #ThrowbackThursday, I went back to this image from Santa Monica in 2013. Ironically, California is one of the things I miss the most about Arizona: All of my favorite beaches and many of my favorite friends were only a 6-hour drive or 1-hour flight away! I was also nostalgic and missing the warmer weather – by Thursday it had been cold and gray in NYC for days.

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Friday was National Siblings Day, although when you’re a #ZinsKid (as we call ourselves), every day feels like siblings day. This gem, from Mother’s Day 2012, is one of my favorites. We only all get together about once a year, and I think here you can see how much fun we always have in each others’ presence. Bonus appearance by #ZinsDog, who may as well be the fourth sibling.

IMG_3808 FINALLY yesterday the weather cleared, giving way to blue skies, 60-degree temperatures, and the sweet glorious return of Smorgasburg. I think you can see the joy in my face. Tacos? NYC? Roommate bonding time? Perfect weekend.

And now, I’m off to church, a Monday off, and one last work week before my Birthday Week staycation. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

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My week in Instagrams: 3/30/15

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This post coming at you a day late because holy crap, last week was busy! I had plans every single day after work – super fun stuff, but as someone who thrives on alone time, it was exhausting. Never again.

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My Monday night community group met in Tribeca last week instead of Brooklyn, which gave me an excuse to wander around Manhattan. I love this building on 6th Ave – it’s actually a library!

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Since we’re still hovering on the line between winter and spring, I picked up these blooms at Trader Joe’s and they’re certainly brightening up my room on the gloomy days!

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Wednesday was our church’s worship night (my favorite nights, along with Sisterhood… and all team… and every Sunday…) Emmie and I joke that we’re the same person, but the unintentional matching outfits were hilarious, even for us.

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Thursday, as you know, was my one-year New York City anniversary! Since the city was rainy and gray, I posted this throwback to my very first night in the city.

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OK, so full disclosure – I was actually supposed to have a quiet night in on Friday to recover from the insanity, but my girlfriends were going to Pies ‘n’ Thighs, and I cannot say no to chicken and waffles.

IMG_3719FINALLY: Yesterday was a long day at work, followed by Palm Sunday services at Liberty! Easter, of course, is the very best holiday. I hope to see you at church next week!

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