The Right Style

I’m Getting Married! …Sometime.

What can I say—the title pretty much says it all! I’m getting married! My fiancé, Brian, proposed to me after he took me to see Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre at New York City Center back in January. I totally knew it was coming; I accidentally peeped the ring in his top drawer earlier in the day. With my usual inability to control my reactions or keep a secret, I immediately yelped, began laughing uncontrollably, and immediately confessed my crime. Post-show, we had the most beautiful meal at Danny Meyer’s 2 Michelin-star restaurant, The Modern and it was everything I could have imagined. We were SO ready to start our lives together.

But that was before.

It still feels surreal to say this, but   the world has fundamentally changed  since we got engaged. We’re deep in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic while living right in the middle of the epicenter.

Brian is a high school teacher, so “hello, home school!” I changed jobs—I accepted an offer for a directorship at a PR firm before quarantine began, and found myself tumbling headfirst into a whole new job via Zoom almost a month into it. I’m incredibly grateful that we both still have jobs and are healthy, even as we’re surrounded by so much savagely unnecessary loss and death.

The November wedding that we had planned sits in limbo—not officially canceled yet, but no one really believing that it will happen as we planned. How can we even think of celebrating our happy day (in Mexico!) when we cannot even confidently leave our house? How can I plan a celebration when I see so many planning funerals?

It’s been quite the pre-marital test, that’s for sure. I’ve decided that I’ll keep Brian, as I’m pretty sure that he is one of the only people in the entire universe that I can imagine tolerating being trapped in a one-bedroom apartment 24/7 with. I can’t wait to spend my forever with him and make it official. Sometime in the future. Hopefully, sometime soon.

The face of a girl who just got engaged. Before Corona. What a time.

Around Here: My Colorful Brooklyn Home

Living Room, wide view
Light filters into the room through two domed 5 ft windows.

It’s Sunday morning in Brooklyn and the light pouring into the living room paints the walls with streaks of sun. This is life around my way these days. It’s been about three and a half years since I moved back to New York and a short five months since my boyfriend Brian and I moved into this cozy apartment in the neighborhood of Bushwick and turned it into our vibrant, but infinitely peaceful, Brooklyn home.

Moving in together required a lot of downsizing—well, for me at least. I had been living in a fairly large two-bedroom/two-bathroom apartment in Sunset Park (a neighborhood in southern Brooklyn) and my digs comfortably fit all of my big, sturdy Virginia-sized furniture. I had two different roommates during my time in Sunset Park. Both came with a minimal amount of furniture so I was generally left to my own devices when it came to decorating the common areas.

The old place

  • Full sized dining area. Very rare.
  • The living room was large…too large?
  • Not a ton of natural light, so lamps were a must.

I knew that things were going to be different with Brian because this man has OPINIONS. He also happened to own furniture and was not shy about expressing just how much he hated mine. (I mean, it wasn’t the most amazing stuff in the world and I didn’t buy it because I loved it, but damn. He didn’t have to be so cold, you know?) We moved in together a little sooner than planned: his roommate decided, with 30 days notice, that she was ending his lease. So instead of having a few months to find a place that we both liked, we had a few weeks. Fortunately for us, but mainly for him ’cause he was about to be homeless, it worked out.

Something New

Another view.
Another view.

As you can see, the new space is much smaller—and that’s what makes it so much better! Most of the decorative touches that give the room its personality were things that I already owned. It’s pretty cool to look back at photos of my old Brooklyn home and see things used in a totally different way, i.e. the mirror that was hanging over the couch has found new life as a leaning mirror between the windows.

  • The Ice King from "Adventure Time" and an Allego X-Wing. All Brian.
    The Ice King from “Adventure Time” and an Allego X-Wing. All Brian.
  • African figurines, book shelf
    African statues that I jacked from my parents house.
  • star wars, bookshelf
    Star Wars and a Gundan model. This is all Brian.
A round glass coffee table helps preserve a sense of space and airiness in a smaller space.
Brian picked up this table for a steal. It fits perfectly into this little nook and since its seats are designed to snugly frame the tabl, we are able to keep it flush against the wall. It’s my number one small apartment win.

And of course, sine I began writing this post in March, we have replaced the couch and the main rug. But you may have to wait another half of a year to see that new set up…

TRS Pick: MarieTV

I have been totally MIA lately. I’m sorry! I haven’t taken the time to sit in front of my computer and write and share with you and yell at you about my opinions. (I kid! I try not to yell.) My computer life is definitely still popping (are you following me on Twitter? Instagram? You should be!) but in a totally different way. I’m in business building mode and I have found one of my new business best friends and my TRS Pick: Marie Forleo.

The secret to finding your passion is to bring it to everything you do. Marie Forleo

Marie says this about herself:

I often say if Tony Robbins, Richard Branson, Oprah and Jay-Z had a love child, it would be me. That’s because I’m part business strategist, part marketing maven and part spiritual ass-kicker with a side of hip-hop swagger.

View Post

Follow me on Bloglovin’!

There’s a little something I’m going to need you to do.

It’s important.

Crucial.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Do it now!