Recap: The Fashion for Paws Runway Show, New Thai Noms in MD & Delish Boba

Ahhh! I can't even begin to tell you guys how much I enjoyed attending the Fashion for Paws Runway Show at the Grand Hyatt in DC last Saturday.  The show's a nationally acclaimed luxury brand event that benefits the Humane Rescue Alliance, and fundraising ambassadors raise a minimum of $3k twelve weeks before by participating in a friendly competition.  

This year's top earner was Jessica Abrahams, and she raised over $26k (!!!!!!) Sponsored by bamf companies like Audi and Lilly Pulitzer, the event was SO well done - seriously props to TAA PR for doing such an awesome job.  I was blown away by the production, and there were a ridiculous amount of people there.  I took my beautiful mom to the event because we're both crazy dog people, and we had a blast watching all the adorable pups walk down the runway!  

Earlier that day, I spent the morning teaching piano at Peabody + running errands with my mom.  We picked up a giant box of napa cabbage at Hmart for homemade kimchi before hitting up a new restaurant in Ellicott City called Eattini Thai Kitchen.  I'm a HUGE fan of thai food, and there aren't any good places near me so I was helllllla excited that this place opened with good reviews on yelp. 

We ended up ordering two plates and sharing:  chicken pad thai + chicken ka prow.  The noodles were pretty good, but I've definitely had better - the waiter actually recommended the Drunken Noodles so I'm gonna go with that next time.  The ka prow was on point though - perfectly seasoned with just the right amount of spice, and I loved that the veggies were COOKED PROPERLY.  I know that's a given, but I've gone to way too many Asian places in the past that've messed up their veggies by overcooking them.

Anywho, I'm looking forward to going back and trying other dishes!  Bonus points to them for cute decor and a yum spice rack - pickled thai chili peppers in fish oil? An absolute MUST for me to enjoy my meal, ha.  After noms, we hit up the Kung Fu Tea next door and got a medium Matcha Milk with bubbles to share.  Hands down, the BEST boba in the DMV!

What have you guys been up to lately? Have you guys checked out any new restaurants lately? Andddd who here's a fan of thai cuisine and/or boba?

2

Spring Hair Trends with Hair Cuttery: Video + BTS shots of Me Modeling

I'm SO beyond excited to share the first of many hair vids to come!  I don't know if you guys remember, but a while back, I modeled for Hair Cuttery and posted all about it on instastories. Anywho, I wanted to tease you all so I didn't share much, but I'm going to make up for it today by posting ALL the behind-the-shots pics I have! My lovely stylist did my hair up four different ways! For look 1, she gave me beautiful loose waves - you can see the full tutorial below.

For look 2, she gave me a bamf braid!  This was the most time consuming style, but the end result was all kinds of awesome.  I don't usually do my hair up fancy, but I think I'm going to put more effort into my mane from here on out because a stylish hairstyle elevates one's look like nobody's business.

Moving onto look number 3: a fabulous high pony.  A huge thanks to my stylist for helping me channel my inner Beyonce!  Who knew a simple pony could be so damn glamorous? I also loved that she used a section of my hair to hide the hair tie she used.

Andddd last but not least, the topknot.  Perfect for hot days or whenever you want to keep your hair out of your face.  Complements any and every ensemble - sport it with a sexy dress for a fun night out with friends or a casual tee & jeans combo for an effortlessly fashionable everyday look.

Which 'do are you guys loving most?  Do you prefer to wear your hair up or down? And a HUGE thanks to Hair Cuttery for the fun collaboration.  Make sure you guys subscribe to their youtube channel to see more hair vids! They share so much great content on their social media platforms so you should def. follow along:  instagram, facebook, and twitter.

3

Recap: Exploring Geppi's Entertainment Museum, Maiwand Kabob Takeout, and Scary @$$ Movies on Netflix

Hey guys!  Today, I'll be sharing shots from my latest adventure - my bf and I recently visited Geppi's Entertainment Museum in Baltimore, MD and had a BLAST!  We both love to check out new museums on the regular so we had a ton of fun exploring.  Their joint's a chronological timeline of American pop culture - yes, it's as awesome as it sounds - and it all begins with a "museum within a museum" aka their first exhibit, "A Story in Four Colors."  It showcases the colorful history of the comic book, starting with the debut of Superman to the most recent adventures of Buffy.

There are nine rooms total so you'll spend a good amount of time here.  Everything's really well done, and the space is super cool.  8 of the 9 galleries here are permanent, but their "special edition" exhibit changes from time to time so I suggest hauling @$$ to see their current setup.  Hint:  it showcases the evolution of a certain superhero from Gotham City (!!!)

The final exhibit's basically a gift shop.  They have everything from cool figurines and comic books to old-school toys.  I didn't buy anything because I'm trying to save moolah, but I was definitely tempted.  Man, it was such a throwback - I felt so nostalgic walking down memory lane! Time flies by too damn quickly.  Oh shoot, I almost forgot to mention ticket prices!  It costs $10 per person - $7 if you're a student (ages 5-18) + free admission for kids 4 and under - and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 to 6.

Anywho, after wrapping up at Geppi's, we wanted to hit up Ripley's as well, but we quickly gave up on that idea because it was rush hour, and traffic was a biyatch.  We were pretty hungry at that point though so we grabbed Maiwand Kabob to go.

They have several locations in the MD area, and their Hanover location happens to (very conveniently) be close to my crib.  I'm a regular there because I can't get enough of their chicken platter.  Their meat's always ridiculously juicy, and their signature dipping sauce (cilantro yogurt) is delicious.  All their entrees are served with tandoori bread, rice, and salad, but I always ask for spinach instead of salad - sauteed with onions, garlic, salt, and black pepper, it tastes just like Indian saag.  The bread's made fresh so it's all sorts of yum - it comes out piping hot and is just the right amount of chewy.

I don't usually get apps here, but I decided to order a pumpkin starter since the bf was visiting.  I had read rave reviews about this dish on Yelp so I was stoked to try it, andddd it didn't disappointed.  It featured pan-fried then baked baby pumpkin seasoned with sugar, served with yogurt and topped with ground beef sauce.  The combo of flavors = hellllla good!  I'd definitely get this again...if I was splurging, ha.

We usually watch Family Guy when eating meals, but we decided to bingewatch Netflix instead. We're both super busy so we don't usually have time to sit around and watch TV, but hey, you gotta treat yoself every once in a while!  We ended up watching "It Follows" and "Dream House."  The latter starred Daniel Craig, and had a pretty cool twist at the end, but it wasn't anything to write home about.  

"It Follows," on the other hand, was scary as hell.  The blurb sounded lame so I didn't want to watch it, but the bf insisted because it got amazing ratings on NF & an extremely high score on Rotten Tomatoes.  Well, I'm glad I gave it a shot because it's hands down, one of the best horror films I've ever seen!  I don't want to spoil anything for you guys so I'm going to stop talking, but it's a must-see for real.  Anywho, have you guys explored any cool museums as of late? Anddd who here's a horror buff? 

1

Chilling in Georgetown: The Living Room at the Ritz-Carlton

Hey guys! I hope you are all having an awesome week thus far.  I know it's only Tuesday, but I'm already looking forward to the weekend.  I had such a great time hanging out in DC with the bf Saturday.  After teaching piano at Peabody, we decided to grab drinks and food at the Ritz-Carlton in Georgetown to relax.  The Living Room was beyond gorgeous - it was a beautiful space with fab ambiance featuring exposed brick, a 130 foot wood fireplace, and luxe seating.  

While we were there, we tried two of their fabulous cocktails: The Peruvian Hemingway and The English Elixir. The former was a pineapple infused pisco with lime juice, simple syrup, and a luxardo cherry, while the latter had angel's envy bourbon, maple syrup, earl grey tea, clove, angostura bitters, and an orange + lemon slice.  Both of these drinks were on point, but my fave was def. the Hemingway.  At $17, these don't come cheap, BUT keep in mind, they come with complimentary fireside bites and you get free valet parking.

We were pretty hungry so we ended up ordering two "small" dishes: Charcuterie and TJ's Crab Mac-N-Cheese.  The platter featured a bunch of local noms and the mac had copious amounts of Chesapeake crab and featured fresh black truffle.

A closer look at The Peruvian Hemingway - easily one of the best drinks I've had in the DC area.

A shot of the accompanying fireside bites - both were DELISH!  The cracker assortment was super flavorful and complemented the drinks beautifully - the white platter pictured below came with pickled veggies, marinated olives, and whipped feta with crackers.  

If you're looking for a cool place to chill in DC after getting your work on, make sure you check out The Living Room!  It's an AWESOME place for date night if you're looking to impress.  Come for pre-weekend activities - it's a great place to grab a drink before hitting up the town!  They also have a badass happy hour from 5-7 on Mondays-Fridays so come check it out for yourself because it sure as hell beats sitting in traffic.

A huge thanks to The Living Room & TAA PR for hosting us!

1

Vacationing on the Harmony of the Seas: The Largest Cruise Ship in the World

Alright everyone, today's post is all about my latest trip to the Caribbean.  For 7 days, I was straight chillin' on the Harmony of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world.  At 66 metres, it's the widest cruise ship ever built, while the length's 362 metres - 50 metres longer than the height of the Eiffel Tower (!!!!) The ship houses up to 8,500 passengers and crew with ridonkulous features all throughout.

Let's start with the vessel itself.  It has 16 decks with onboard attractions like a 10-story slide (otherwise known as "The Ultimate Abyss"), a rock climbing wall, a freaking PARK (with over 12k+ plants), a rope slide, mini-golf, merry-go-round, surf simulator, casino, 1,200-seat hall, and bionic bar (with two robot bartenders)...and that's only the tip of the iceberg.  

The entertainment there was legit all day every day.  I reserved seats wayyyy in advance for their night-time performances because I wanted to make sure I was able to get in.  Thankfully, I got to see everything!  I attended a kickass comedy show, a production of Grease, Columbus (their own musical), a figure skating show, a cool aqua show (think Cirque de Soleil on water) and a headliner concert featuring Savannah Jack.  

On top of all that, they had singers and musical groups of all genres playing at different times all throughout the ship.  So much talent - seriously.  I had not-so-high expectations going in because, well, it was a cruise ship, but Royal Caribbean wasn't effing around.  I was completely and utterly blown away in the best way possible.

Now onto the food.  Oh. My. God.  Everything was so ridiculously nomtastic.  You could pay extra $$$ to dine at specialty joints, but why do that when complimentary options are bomb AF? Their main dining room had different dishes, apps, and desserts available each night, and Windjammer (their international buffet) always had amazingly yum options, like hundreds of options.  

I swear to god, I had some of the best Indian food I've EVER had on that ship - oh how I miss their lamb biryani. Anywho, in addition to the aforementioned restaurants, they had a free pizza joint, a hot dog joint (with gourmet sausages), room service 24/7, a SECOND buffet called Solarium featuring Meditteranian noms and a classy sandwich + dessert cafe.

Sorrento's aka free pizza joint where you could get a bajillion slices with toppings of your choice.

A nom Italian sausage with sautéed peppers on a fresh asiago bun.

Fresh pappardelle with peas and truffles for dinner at the Main Dining Room.

 One of my fave desserts from the week - a hazelnut cake with hot fudge, nuts, and vanilla ice cream.

 My dinner from the Solarium one night!  Steak with pesto and fries.

 Another dinner from Silk (the main dining room):  BBQ ribs with a baked potato and creamed corn.

Service was impeccable everywhere.  I had a suite with a private balcony (which was all sorts of awesomesauce) and an incredible attendant who cleaned my space twice a day and made sure I was comfortable.  AND (this is going to sound super nerdy but whatever) HE MADE ME TOWEL ANIMALS EVERY NIGHT!  I, of course, asked him how many he could make and was floored when he told me 20+.

During my trip, we visited 3 ports in Haiti, Jamaica, and Mexico.  I got to lounge around on gorgeous beaches and hit up cool artisanal shops.  I actually didn't end up buying much, but I left Cozumel with a bottle of delish kiwi tequila and two handcrafted wooden turtle magnets that are super cute.  

Handcrafted jewelry - so many vibrant pieces available for sale in Jamaica.

A Jamaican local working on another wood piece for his shop.

All the different tequilas available for sale in the store I hit up in Cozumel, Mexico.

An adorable friend I made while hiking in Haiti.

Soooo, there you go guys!  I hope you enjoyed reading all about my trip.  I'm traveling a bunch in April so make sure you guys follow along via instastories.  I always recap my adventures on Sensible Stylista, but I share a bunch of BTS shots + vids on instagram so stay tuned.

5

Exploring R. House with DCFoodPorn

I'm SO beyond pumped to tell you guys all about my latest adventure at R. House with DCFoodPorn. Located in Remington, this space is, hands down, one of the COOLEST places I've ever been to. A few years back, Seawall assembled a group of ten BAMF chefs to launch new restaurants while transforming an old auto body shop into a 350-seat food hall.  

The decor was on point, and the food was impeccable.  Justin and I got to try dishes from several different stalls, and we were beyond impressed with it all.  We started with Hilo, a delish joint specializing in poke bowls and sushi.  Everything looked ridiculously yummy, but we decided to go with a sushi burrito with all sorts of nomtastic ingredients inside.  Unfortunately, I don't eat raw fish anymore so I passed on this, but Justin told me he really enjoyed it. 

Then we hit up White Envelope to try one of their famous arepas (crisp cornbread pockets).  I think this one was called the queen!  I don't remember everything in it exactly, but I believe it contained chicken thigh, beet, cilantro, and peas.  It came out piping hot, and each bite was a flavor explosion in my mouth.

Next, we hit up Blk // Sugar to try one of their ube croissants!  This pastry was seriously to DIE for, and the purple filling was such a fun surprise.  They also had cute cookie shots, macarons, and other nom delights!  

 Just look at that gooey goodness oozing out!

You'd think we'd be stuffed at this point, but we were still going strong.  We headed over to Stall 11 to check out their menu and ended up ordering a beautiful smoothie bowl to share!  If you're into clean eating, this is THE place for you.  They have fresh juices, locally-sourced vegetarian dishes, and lots more.

We finally ended our food adventure at Little Baby's Ice Cream where we each got two double-scoop cones.  They specialize in unique flavor combinations + non-dairy & vegan ice creams so there's something for everyone.  I got cucumber dill and chocolate salt malt; both were yum, but I really, REALLY want to go back and try earl grey sriracha, thai iced tea, and balsamic banana.  

Anywho, that's it for today.  If you're looking for a cool new place to work, hang or eat, make sure you check out R. House STAT.  It's like Union Market except homier!  Andddd I can pretty much guarantee you'll have a good time here so grab your lover or frand and head on over. Also, parking's free so that's a huge plus.

0

Checking Out the Baltimore Aquarium

I can't even begin to tell you guys how much I loved exploring the National Aquarium!  It's hands down one of the most amazing places I've ever visited.  With close to 20,000 animals (including birds, frogs, sharks, and dolphins), you'll spend a good three hours just walking around.  

The building itself was super impressive - I was definitely a huge fan of their architecture.  I loved that they had a big area with "open water," and I may or may not have spent a good 20 minutes or so watching a giant 3-finned sea turtle swim around.

...this wasn't him, but isn't he ridiculously cute?

I totally found Nemo here, but he was swam away before I could get a good shot of him.  You can kind of see him at the bottom though!

The aquarium had SO many amazing exhibits, but my favorites were Blacktip Reef, Shark Alley, Upland Tropical Rainforest, and Jellies Invasion.  You can read all about them here if you'd like! They also live stream videos of their inhabitants so you can get a sneak peek from home if that tickles your fancy.

Here's a shot of the adorable jellies I got to touch!  For those of you interested, you can "pet" different animals here (ie. stingrays, crabs, and the like).

Fossilized creatures!

A golden lion tamarin (my new bestie) from the tropical rainforest exhibit!

I didn't get to check out the 4-D films this time around, but I hope to do so next time!  They're apparently 3-D films brought to life with multi-sensory effects like leg ticklers, scents, enhanced lighting + seat vibrations. They're currently playing Happy Feet and Coastal Predators.  

If you're looking to have a fun day with the fam or a date, head on over to the aquarium.  There's SO much to do, and you'll enjoy it regardless of your age/gender.  Tickets are $39.95, and they're open 10-4 Mondays through Thursdays, 10-8 on Fridays, and 10-5 on weekends.  For the best possible experience, visit before 11 or after 3 to avoid the rush.  

5