Sam's Town

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love Sam Adams beer. So getting to go to the brewery yesterday in Boston was quite exciting! My tour guides for the day, Ali and Vanessa, had told me that this was one of the best brewery tours and that we would get lots of beer at the end of it!

The tour is like one of any brewery and I enjoyed learning some fun facts about Sam Adams such as the use of Boston tap water in it's making. Yum! The room for the tastings was set up with long tables that we all sat at to learn more fun facts and try the beer! Yum! Boston Lager, Oktoberfest, and Brick Red were on tap for us and each one was delicious! We learned quickly to ignore the advice to only fill our tasting glass 3/4 of a way full and by the last beer, we kept a pitcher near us for fill ups as needed. Without having had lunch and already about 2+ beers in (we got one at Doyles before the tour), we were all feeling a little buzzed.This turned out to be a great start to our day that included several bars and lots of talking. It was a great day in Boston. I can't wait to go back!

XO,
SVR

+Title from The Killers

Northern Star

I am in Connecticut.

I could not be happier. Well, maybe if I didn't have to go back south on Monday. While I LOVE Virginia, I am so over Northern Virginia and its traffic, crappy weather, and "same ol', same ol'," if you will.

While here visiting my sister, we are packing in a lot of fun. We have already been to a Punkin' Patch and are headed to the Casino tonight. We were in New Haven yesterday and Niantic today and then tomorrow we are headed to Boston, which I have never been to! My good friend Vanessa lives there as well as Sam Adams and I can't wait to see them both!

Below are a few pictures I took while in Niantic.

+Title from Hole

Gimme More

Fashion is, oftentimes, about what is in right now. Or, as is the case with fashion weeks and editorial spreads in our favorite magazines, it is about what will be in style in a few months. However, I think what is most special about fashion, is what becomes timeless. The Chanel look that still turns heads. The Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress that both my mom and I would wear. The Pucci prints I still would die for. Trends are awesome, but what really makes something special is that it stands the test of time.

So, where am I headed with all of this? Well, basically that is my verbose way of explaining why it has taken me so long to write about going to the District Sample Sale with DCCeline. I was lucky enough to win her twitter contest and after a long day at work*, I headed into the city while repeatedly telling myself I would not spend too much money.

I had no idea what to expect and was so pleasantly surprised by how the evening unfolded. The space was great and each boutique or seller had ample space to present their clothes, shoes, and/or accessories. As expected, the majority of sizes were tiny, but just like a regular store, after some digging I found quite a few things I wanted! I ended up buying a Jenny Han dress, but also eyed anything with sparkles, an amazing fur/feather vest, and all items that would best be worn when 10 degrees out.

Shoe-wise I gave up pretty quickly. My size is either 10 or 11 (hey, I'm 5'11"! I'd fall over if my feet were shorter) and I saw a few 10s and no 11s. I would like to take this time to point out that Paris Hilton wears a size 11 and she has 1000s of pairs of shoes. But I digress...I wanted to befriend one girl who was trying to decide if she should buy a knee high pair of light brown boots that, in my opinion, looked amazing on her! I kept my mouth shut, though, as her friend talked her into them and I am trying to decrease my number of awkward interactions.

My best luck was with accessories, as I knew it would be. Queen Bee Designs was killer and I wanted so many pieces that I had to step away. I ended up with a multi-strand, gold necklace that I wore the very next day. Please go look at her stuff-it is amazing! I also picked up a cute pair of tennis earrings at another spot and can't wait to prepster them out.

But wait! That's not all! Much to my surprise and extreme excitement, the food and drinks were all free. That was like music to my ears after such a long day. DCCeline and I grabbed appropriately named cocktails (The Fashionista!) and noshed on some food in between shopping and getting our fortunes read.

I would definitely go back and recommend the evening to others. For next year, here are some things I will keep in mind:

• Shop, then drink. It's way too difficult to hold up clothing to see if it'll fit while holding a delicious beverage.
• Get enough sleep the night before. I was a walking zombie and did not make my best impression upon those I met....and names? I can't remember names when I'm alert!
• Wear an outfit that allows for trying on clothes out in the open. I wore black tights, slip on flats (zebra!), and a basic tank dress with a cardigan. Some of the boutiques have makeshift fitting rooms, but if you've ever changed clothes in a small tent then you can imagine what that would be like.
• Cash or Credit. I was worried about only having credit, but it worked out fine. But not everyone takes AmEx. 
• Dress to impress...or not. Not to be a broken record, but after a long day, it was all I could do to change into something halfway presentable. Some people were dressed to the nines, straight out of a fashion magazine while others just wore whatever. It really didn't matter. A lot of people put on their purchases before they even left the show. That was awesome!

I hope to see y'all there next year!

XO,
SVR



*This is where I just have to say that it was a rough week for me. Waking up at 4am every day and commuting 1.5 hours to Clarendon was so tiring. I am quite excited to go to the Sample Sale, but next year I am definitely going to make sure I am not a zombie while there!

+Title from Britney Spears