A Flirly Girl's Night Out

This past Thursday, I was able to attend Shecky's annual Girls Night Out, curtsey of Flirly owners Anna and Janice. After starting their boutique business just over a year ago, these ladies have built a built a strong clothing brand that is trendy, modern, and flirty + girly (hence, Flirly!).

For those who don't know, Shecky's is a marketing and lifestyle company that focuses on empowering and nurturing modern female relationships. The organization may sound pretty familiar; it is the leading promoter of girlfriend social experiences, which take place through events around the nation. As a Shecky's member, you are able to access and discover curated brands and services from experts and contributor's (and get rewarded too!) while connecting with other women through advice, inspirations, trends, and tips.

Washington, DC's Girls Night Out took place at DAR Constitution hall. Tegan and I arrived around 6 and were first greeted by the fine, festive gentleman of the Rosa Regale bar.

I did some champagne promotion before heading over to the Flirly booth.

What is great about the Flirly collection is how diverse and eclectic the clothes are. It definitely feels like you are shopping in a chic boutique for a quarter of the price. The styles and patterns are very classy and could double as a work/evening outfits - which is what I am all about!

I had to control myself from not taking everything...

Definitely check out Flirly's website and make sure to follow them on Pinterest and Instagram. Thanks again to Anna and Janice for letting me snap so many pics, and for the Shecky's event invite!

A very roomie visit

Sometimes, it still shocks me that there was a time in my life where I didn't know Martha. Other than our first phone chat (where we bonded over art history, naturally) the summer before Vanderbilt, I really didn't know too much about my new roommate at college. Five years, multiple road trips, late nights, and other bonding-for-life experiences later, I couldn't imagine never knowing 'the roomie', 'the roomz', or (my personal favorite), hellmama.

After a very delayed arrival (thanks to some summer thunderstorms in Arkansas), we spent Friday night was spent soaking in America's favorite past time at Nationals game. Every Washingtonian knows that no Nats game is complete without a significant visit the adjacent Bullpen - a old construction site adjacent to the stadium turned . The bullpen is perfect for pre and post game eating, drinking, and general chilling. Did I mention beer is cheaper here? Thanks Budweiser, for your sponsorship and commitment to fan festivity.

The Nats were up against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and I am embarrassed to say I can't remember who won. However, how can you blame me when when you are catching up with your best friend? Not to mention, mascot presidents are pretty distracting as well.

 

Tegan also discovered her love of the the Utz chip girl - and now has her Halloween costume. 

Our hunt for a cheap, carby breakfast the following morning lead us no where other than somewhere in our own backyard: The Florida Ave Grill. Warmly know as the "World Famous" Florida Avenue Grill, this neighborhood joint has been a local landmark since it was established by then congressional shoeshiner, Lacy C. Wilson in 1944. Wilson envisioned his restaurant as a haven for DC residents to escape the racism, classicism, and marginalization that pervaded society pre-civil rights. Simply put, he wanted a place where people felt at home, and where they could eat good soul food.That's a mission I can stand behind.

 

Seventy years later, the place hasn't changed one tiny bit. You can almost feel the memories seeping from the tables, bar stools, counter tops; its amazing how such a tiny dive-in can hold so many years within it's walls.

After eating our weight during breakfast, the ride along Georgetown waterfront via boat seemed like a natural choice let our food process. Luckily for us, LivingSocial had a sweet deal worked out with DC Cruises for a half price buy-one-get-one ticket. The best part about having Martha is town was being able to use her visit as a excuse to be a tourist in town (Actually, it was being able to hang out with her all weekend!).

 

It is basically unheard of to go to Georgetown without spending way to much on a way too sugary, but oh-so-delicious cupcake from one of the various boutique cupcakeries ubiquitous along the waterfront. One of my personal favorites is Baked + Wired, which perfectly captures how you feel after comsuming one of their cupcakes and coffee combos. Blamo!

 

Martha choose the Texas Sweetcake cupcake - a chocolate and cinnamon creation topped with pecan frosting.  Perfect for a Dallas lady. I re-engerized with chilly mocha. We were on our way to being baked on and wired. 

That night, Ethiopian was the ethnic cuisine of choice. While some people are partial on Ethiopian, I love the spicy, savory flavors and textured injara bread. I also jump at any excuse to eat with my fingers. It was the first time any of us had tried tej, traditional Ethiopian honey wine, and I imagine Etete was the ideal restaurant to do it. Ranked on the best in DC, the food was stellar...though I am not sure honey wine will be our new drink of choice before a night out.

We spent Martha's last day strolling around beautiful Eastern Market. Chatting while sorting through barrels of fresh peaches, glittery jewelry, and odd trinkets was a fitting end to a perfect weekend. I made Martha pose for me on a number of occasions- and of course she stole the show as Eastern Market's new muse. Saying good-bye at the end of the afternoon brought back the same nostalgia when leaving our dorm room for the holidays, or moving out of at the end of the semester. In the words of the lovely Lana del Ray, summertime sorrow. However, the best things about best friends is that the best times are always yet to come. See you soon, hellmama!

 

 

Ladies, may I present, LadiesDC

The first time I had heard about Ladies DC was through my co-worker, Nicole. Being overly interested in getting involved with every type of networking event DC has to offer, I checked out the group's website after she sent me a link to their YahooGroup forum (which is a great place to post anything about everything: apartments, events, advice...)

Source: http://www.ladiesdc.com/

Talk about a well-organized, professional, stylish, and inspirational association. Set on the idea of "Women helping Women", LadiesDC was started by Lindsey Mask (a Texas native - go girl!) in 2006. With over 2,500 members today, the group has expanded beyond DC to New York, San Diego, Texas, and North Carolina. All of the chapters are centered around the idea of providing women with a supportive, connected network to advance member's professional and personal dreams via monthly meetups and virtual communication. After reading about the incredible, interesting women who comprises of the group's board, let's just say I was a bit nervous to waltz on in to their 2013 Summer Brunch with only a floppy business card and sun dress to make the first introductions.

Source: http://www.ladiesdc.com/

So I enlisted help (as any girl does) in the form of female partner in crime. More specifically, my co-worker, Brittany. Little did we expect that we would not only be the first ones to arrive, but subsequently have the chance to speak one-on-one with the speaker for the event: Angélique Roché. Angélique arrived shortly after we did, and together we broke into the bottomless mimosas as she explained to us bright pink bandaged arm (a unfortunate bike accident, but awesome cast). Other women began to filter in...and many mimosas began to be consumed. 

Source: http://instagram.com/ladiesdc

 

Angélique is a lawyer, policy expert, and Boardmember of the Women's Campaign School at Yale; but, more than anything she is  down-to-earth, engaging, and extremely disarming. Her talk, "Personal Development Strategies: Gaining Leadership Skills Inside and Outside the Workplace," expanded on how we can make the best use of time, resources, and opportunities in the crazy, hectic, non-stop city of Washington, DC to fulfill their dreams. She began her speech quite bluntly:"All of you are overqualified for what you are doing right now." I wanted to shout 'huzaaa'! Her wisdom, humor, and take-no-prisoners attitude continued to visibly inspire and actively engage us all. She communicated the importance of involvement in associations, professional societies, mentoring programs, and the importance of recognizing the value women bring to the workplace. She recommended keeping a close "advisory board" of colleagues and friends to tell you when you are off your rocker and when to pursue the crazy, daring dream. But what I loved most about Angélique's talk was her emphasis that time is a valuable resource and the avenue through which anything can be accomplished. Spend it wisely, and things will come your way. We enjoyed listening while chowing down:

The event was held at a lovely Dupont gem, Le Mirch. A combination of Indian cuisine with French influences, I ate my way through several plates of Masala French toast, scrambled eggs, hummus, vegetable curry, soup, salad and fruit. While I had never heard of Le Mirch before, I definitely recommend the little bistro for not only its authentic, flavorful food, but for it's attentive, smiley staff.

Source: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/le-mirch-washington?select=ZpiZbTz8TQMvYxrTDT960Q#ZpiZbTz8TQMvYxrTDT960Q

Source: http://instagram.com/ladiesdc

Source: http://instagram.com/ladiesdc

You can find LadiesDC on facebook here, and follow them on twitter here. Also, be sure to sign up for their newsletter to keep up-to-date with upcoming events, conferences, and activities.

Home is Jaleo

Tegan moved to DC this weekend! For those who don't know, Tegan is one of my Vandy besties and a past roommie and the district's newest resident. After we finished moving her stuff into he apartment (why did I think living in a row house with 5 millions stairs was a good idea?) we decided it was time to celebrate the way we have celebrated so many times before: Spanish style. 

Tegan knows me too well, and without even asking choose José Andrés's Jaleo for dinner, one of the most-loved tapas restaurants in the city. Located right downtown, Jaleo's large glass windows prove the perfect opportunity to observe the dazed tourists, annoyed locals, and speeding streets from a equally bustling and crowed setting. 

Carnes, verduras, paellas del día, frituras, pescados, quesos, embutidos, 'José's Way'...you can have your pick of the taste of Spain. 

Of course, we had to start off with Sangria. I will always be partial to Tegan's homemade sangria (which may have to have it;s own future blog post). Jaleo's sangria is a bit to wine-y for my taste but you really can't go wrong with a cool glass on a hot summer night. 

We started out with a Spanish classic - Pasamontes manchego cheese with compressed apples in muscatel. 

Next, we had Escalivada Catalana with roasted red peppers, eggplant and sweet onions with sherry dressing, served with toasted bread. 

Being southerners we had to get the fried green tomatoes with goat cheese and microgreens....and some tiny papas arrugas with mojo verde and rojo sauce. 

We were surprisingly stuffed from all these tiny little tapas. Ok, and maybe a bit tipsy from the sangria. So of course, as soon as we saw the the Gin and Tonic ice cream on the dessert menu we knew we had to try it. Other than holding a claim to fame for her sangria, Tegan is quite known from making a mad gin bucket. 

Her mom ordered rounded us out by ordering the Pan Con Chocolate (chocolate flan with caramelized bread, olive oil and brioche ice cream).  

Bienvenidos a casa Tegs!