Happy Friday!

Here is a corgi butt for your enjoyment. 

Have a great weekend!

Hey, Jude.

Paul McCartney concert at the BOK Center, 5/30/13

Seriously. Which bands/performers from our generation will still be rocking 50 years from now? 

The Beatles 1st appearance on the Ed Sullivan show (1964)

"I'm not sure what I'll do, but-- well, I want to go places and see people. I want my mind to grow. I want to live where things happen on a big scale." - F.S.F

I read The Paris Wife by Paula McLain a few weeks ago while traveling back and forth between D.C. and Oklahoma for job interviews and house hunts, so I'm kind of on a Hemingway/great-early-20th-century-American-authors kick lately. 

 

image via wikipedia

....anyone else think Hemingway was kind of a babe?

If you're like me and you love historical fiction, then this should be your next read. The story chronicles Ernest Hemingway's early years, and his journey to becoming the celebrated American writer he is today. I guess I sort of connected with the way Hadley Richardson, (Hemingway's first wife) just up and moved from their familiar life in Chicago, all the way across the world to Paris to support Ernest's budding career. The couple truly lived life one day at a time- embracing the bohemian spirit, and taking advantage of every opportunity to travel the world and to fully experience it. 

Plus, they drank a LOT of champagne. 

Read the book, then go and watch "Midnight in Paris" (2011) featuring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams.  You will start to actually believe that you are a member of the "Lost Generation".

Review: Tastes of Tulsa

I keep telling people that I'm going to learn this city best by eating my way through it.

As such, I've decided to post a review of a new restaurant I've tried in Tulsa at least once a week. These reviews will include overall ratings, and a couple of creepy candids I've snapped with my iPhone. I am now that girl who, not only takes pictures of her food, but posts them. 

Up first, Sushi Alley at Utica Square. 

D and I decided to take a break from all of the unpacking and mole-trapping (yep, we've got moles running rampant in our backyard (more on that--or maybe not--later), to grab some dinner close by.

We drove over to Utica Square and walked around eyeing our various restaurant options. We walked by a sign that read "Sushi"-- literally, we walked right by the place looked so small-- and both stopped in our tracks. "I could do sushi?" were the only words exchanged, and in we went.

 Aptly named 'Sushi Alley' - with such long and narrow quarters, I'm guessing it couldn't seat more than 40-50 people. It was, however, pouring rain outside midway through our meal, which made the atmosphere feel extremely comfortable and cozy. 

After placing our order, we were brought hot miso soup- it was delicious, frankly one of the best miso's I've had. And I've had a lot of miso soup in my day. Then came our appetizer- edamame hummus. I'd never seen this on a menu before, and thought it sounded so unique and delicious.  Guess what? It WAS. The serving size was more than enough for two, and our waiter graciously offered extra pita bread (you can honestly never have enough pita bread, amiright?). The pleasant flavor of the hummus was intensified with some fresh lemon squeezed on top.  

Next came glass of wine #2 and the three plates of rolls that we had selected, after some careful consideration and the helpful recommendations of our extremely friendly server. We decided to go with two rolls that were unique to Sushi Alley: the Beef Tataki roll and the Sushi Alley roll, and then one old standard, a Spicy Tuna roll (which did not disappoint).

I am not being overly zealous when I say that this is some of the freshest, healthiest-feeling, best-tasting sushi I have ever had. 

Just look at that. 

Are you salivating yet?

The Beef Tataki roll is topped with fresh, seared beef, basil, strawberries, fresh lettuce, and a spicy/sweet mustard sauce for dipping. It tasted like springtime and was everything that is right with the world.

The Sushi Alley roll featured rock shrimp, crunchy red pepper and--get this--goat cheese. I. was. in. love. If you know me, then you know that I can eat goat cheese by the block. The server pointed out that unlike most sushi locales, they don't use any cream cheese and nothing on the menu is fried. Again, something pretty unique that I really enjoyed.

Sushi Alley gets a solid A. It's a place I would bring my visiting friends and family to- but I'd be sure to make a reservation first. 

Sushi Alley 

1730 Utica Square  Tulsa, OK 74114
(918) 592-5539

How Twitter Helped Me Settle in to Tulsa

I created my Twitter handle back in 2009. I suppose I was a bit of an early-adopter, as the Twitter boom didn't really hit until a couple years later. My first tweet was actually a song lyric (so cliché, I know.) Not reeeallly sure what my sentiments were at that moment in time, but obviously I chose that lyric to express my most profound of emotions. 

Anyway...

As the new kid in town, it's not always easy to jump in to a community that you are unfamiliar with right away. It takes some time, some research, some feeling out if you will, of your new surroundings. Twitter proved to be an invaluable tool for this sort of thing. 

In the weeks leading up to my big move to Tulsa, I began following local news publications, restaurants, shops, and individual people who lived in the city, and then started to engage the top influencers and those active in the social scene. If they mentioned an affinity for Martha Stewart recipes, their favorite "Top 25" lists on Buzzfeed, or consuming borderline inappropriate amounts of wine, I clicked “follow.” Simply letting people know I was new to town opened up doors. Followers whom I had never met have direct messaged me with the names of people they suggested I meet, or places that I should check out. Those people introduced me to more people and so on.

In my line of work—marketing and PR, social media is a huge deal. It is not only critical that you have a voice, but that you utilize that voice as a means to connect with others in a way that sets you up to learn from your peers in whatever discipline you're in, or to use it as a platform to share content so you can build awareness of your own professional brand. 

Not knowing the Tulsa job market in the slightest, I used Twitter to search for prominent companies in the area as well as employees of those companies to forward my resume along to. I literally searched keywords like "Tulsa", "marketing", and "advertising" and was lead to a much more personal and engaging picture of local companies identities than plain old Google could afford me. This paid off immensely, as I ended up landing a job at a top Oklahoma advertising firm in a matter of about three weeks. 

Upon moving, we bought an adorable Mid-Century Modern home that was just dying to be filled up with vintage treasures, so I started following any locally owned consignment or vintage shops I could find. One day, I decided to pop into one of the stores, Retro Den Tulsa. The fun-loving, adorable girls that ran the shop greeted me and asked me if there was anything in particular that they could help me find. I mentioned that I had just moved to Tulsa, and that I had discovered them on Twitter, and just like that, we struck up a conversation that ended up lasting for the better part of an hour. Needless to say, we've grabbed a few cocktails together since. :) 

The way I figure, you never know who’s listening (or reading in this case) so why not put yourself out there? (Another reason I decided to start this blog.) The overall lesson I learned is to tweet relevant messages that align with your goals and engage with people who can help you. Because guess what? Moving to a new city is scary. Sometimes you need all the help you can get. 

Road trippin' fools

The big move took place last week-- D and I officially left our DC home and shipped off to Tulsa.

Here are some fun photos from our little road trip:

 strange thing, seeing your entire life packed away in boxes...

my final view- leaving our perfect little Glover Park apartment

our drive took us through the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee.. 

Ernie could not have been any more perfect on this long trip. He never barked, never whined, just chilled out for THE ENTIRE RIDE. Love him. 

After a deliciously southern dinner at Seven Sows Bourbon & Larder in Asheville, NC, we stumbled upon a place called Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar. You can sip champagne while wandering through rows and rows of old books. 

In front of the Biltmore Estate, America's largest home. Built in 1895, it features 43 bathrooms, and a HEATED indoor swimming pool. I legitimately felt like I was touring the halls of Downton Abbey.

oh, I did.

After a couple of Thai peanut chicken tacos from White Duck Taco Shop, we drove past this mural in the River Arts District of Asheville. Naturally, I made D pull over so I could do something weird in front of it and take a picture.

attempting to capture the "smokiness" of the Great Smoky Mountains

 we arrived in Nashville, TN at around 9pm- it was boots on and straight to the bars for us.

no joke- this song came on Pandora as we crossed the border into Oklahoma (awesome song, btw, in case you're interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx2-FrVHhW4)

Donate: Text “storm” to 80888 to make a $10 donation for the victims of Moore, Carney and Shawnee Oklahoma.

I’ve received an overwhelming amount of calls, texts and messages from friends, family and former co-workers asking about whether or not we were affected by the tornadoes that ripped through Oklahoma yesterday.  Thankfully, I can say that we are all safe and escaped the unimaginable terror of these storms.

I feel a few things; primarily a deep sadness for the people who have lost loved ones, their homes, and their cherished memories. My heart strings are being tugged a bit harder I think, since this tragedy struck in my new home state.  

I would like you please:

Chairs w/ Kelly Wearstler Fabric, Pair

$2,095.00 via One Kings Lane

Seriously. Give me these right now. They are perfect for my Mad Men pad. 

Love Meditation

It’s not always easy to feel love for yourself.  

This is one of my favourite meditations to do on days when I feel the need a gentle reminder to nurture, nourish and be more compassionate to myself and my process.  This is a wonderful daily practice for LOVE month.

1. Find a peaceful, space either outdoors or one well lit with natural light.
2. Sit in an upright position with your spine long, place your hands upon your heart and begin to breath deeply into your belly.
3. When you have connected to your deep, belly breath bring the word L-O-V-E into your mind’s eye and feel the energetic impact of the word in your heart.
4. Focus on each letter of the word L-O-V-E as you breathe and notice any vibrations that come into your heart
5. Contemplate the meaning of love. Enjoy the journey deep within and bring awareness to the meaning of love within yourself. Be open to your intuition, creative ideas, images, feelings, emotions and revelations.
6. Feel your heart and body fill with loving energy and release the word as well as any and all meanings basking in the afterglow of your feelings.
7. Feel yourself completely surrendering mind, body, heart and spirit to the constant flow of love that exists within you and bring this energy into each interaction, creation and exchange of your day.

Source
evepostapple

Today, I'm sad to leave DC.

Sometimes you just have to dance it out. 

My mom sent me this screenshot today, with the subject line, "Invest in Allegra now!!!"

 Gotta love moms. 

We bought a house!

This little beauty was built in 1950, and is chock-full of mid-century modern charm, including many of it's original fixtures.

This house, combined with my new job at a local advertising agency means that I'm basically going to be living my dream of being a character on Mad Men.

I would like you please:

Hellllllooooooo summer nights- glass of wine in hand, listening to live music at Utica Square. 

Jack by BB Dakota Bayberry Printed Maxi Dress via Swell