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November 29, 2020

Philadelphia Holiday Gift Guide 2020

Happy almost December, you guys! We have been absolutely so busy right now with the move, but we are making progress, and that’s been very encouraging! I am really excited to celebrate the holidays in our new home. We rearranged the living room last night and decided where we’ll put our tree – I am ready for some festivity!

But on to the reason you’re all here! My Philly gift guides used to be some of my favorite posts to put together, so I am thrilled to resurrect the series this holiday season. There’s only a ladies guide this year – so hopefully I can work back up to both some time in the future. 🙂

I am really excited to share this list of 22 Philly-themed gift ideas. We all know, shopping local is so important right now, and many of these businesses sell through Etsy or their own online shop, as well as local shops and markets, so you can shop wherever your comfort level is. I am also proud to include many female and Black-owned businesses this year – we have so much talent in our area.

A lot of these businesses are running sales right now, but the prices I listed are all their full price (so you’ll be pleasantly surprised upon click through!). Enjoy your shopping this season, and I obviously won’t tell anyone if you pick up one (or a few) of these for yourself! 😉 And now, on to the gifts!

November 15, 2020

My hopes for “the next me”

Today was my official move out day of my home for the past 8+ years.

We emptied the place out, patched up all the holes from hung photos & art, and left it, probably cleaner than when I moved in.

October 19, 2020

Right Over the Bridge

I moved into this apartment in July 2012. I had just turned 23 years old.

I grew up shopping on Walnut Street and visiting Rittenhouse Square, and to live a few blocks away was a true dream to me. It still is. When I think back, my favorite moments were walking on 18th along the park. On my way back from the Farmer’s Market. On my way to a date. Heading to meet my friends to watch a game at a bar. Hurrying to a blogging event. I don’t think it will hit me until things are back to normal life that I won’t be walking that block simply because I lived right down the street anymore.

October 12, 2020

The Absolute Best Covid-Friendly Fall Date in Philly

Finding a fun yet appropriate date idea right now can prove to be… challenging. You may be craving getting out and doing things, but you’re not down with being inside just yet, and like, there need to be dates out there that do not involve a streaming service or taking a walk that are safe and cool right now.

Jim and I recently got invited to Franklin Square to experience their Halloween offerings. As we told Kenneth from En Route Marketing about 12 times each, Spooky Mini Golf at Franklin Square was me & Jim’s second date back in October 2018. It holds a really special place in our hearts, and we were so excited to go back and see what Franklin Square had to offer this spooky szn.

September 20, 2020

The Best Places to go Down the Jersey Shore

My mom grew up in Ocean City, NJ, living the beach life you may imagine one would live. She and my dad raised us in Upper Township, NJ, just over the 34th Street Bridge. Saying I was “from the Jersey Shore (but not that Jersey Shore!)” was a fun talking point during sorority recruitment I once participated in (/endured). But I don’t think I really realized how wonderful of a place the South Jersey shore was to grow up until recent years. I went through a pretty long period after college where I didn’t appreciate going back home and taking in all this magical area had to offer.

But now that I’m dating a shoobie who really loves the shore, and had many different experiences in different towns than I did, we go down every chance we can. We’re always discovering new places and showing each other our old faves. I am so thankful I was raised in a place that brings people joy, and I’m excited to share some of the places that have brought me the most joy at the shore.

Thanks to COVID, a few of you have shared you’re looking to do a fall shore vacation. With schools being virtual, many shore spots are staying open to accomodate more flexible schedules. What started as a question from my friend Neil on Twitter has transformed to a loooong list of faves, with editing and contributions from my sister, my mom, and of course, Jim. It’s pretty Ocean City heavy because that’s my town, but we tried to share the love. 🙂

I hope this list gives you a starting point on the best shore bops, hidden gems, and places you really should add into your next Cape May County trip. Enjoy!

May 28, 2020

My Quarantined Birthday

Last week, I celebrated my 31st birthday! As you may imagine, for a planner like me, I thought trying to avoid all activities & celebrate my DOB in isolation would be, well, quite sad. But I had the best day!

celebrating birthday in philly during covid

May 17, 2020

The best Philly delivery we’ve had in quarantine

Today, I heard the news about the first local Philly spot closing its doors due to financial strain from the current Covid quarantine. I have been so, so, so thankful for each local restaurant figuring out how to run a business right now, opening up to offer delicious food, contactless delivery, and well, some sanity. Because yes, we’re all cooking a whole lot more, but some nights, you really just can’t do another dish, am I right?

Jim & I have ordered out a bit, usually getting several dishes to last us over the next few days. While pretty much everything has been good, a few spots have really stood out to us as some of the best delivery food in Philadelphia.

I am sharing tons of the food we’ve been chomping on (both cooking & from restaurants!) over on Instagram if you’re interested in following along there. And now, on to our absolute favorite Philadelphia delivery spots!

November 12, 2019

What You Can Expect at a Di Bruno Bros. After Hours Event

I talk a lot about things you can do with groups in Philly. But for the years I’ve lived in Philly, there was one event that had been ~on my list~ for ages but I never had the chance to go to… until this summer! My friend Kelly chose the Di Bruno Bros After Hours event for her birthday this year, and my girlfriends and were v excited to be a part of it.

September 3, 2019

The time I was on Philly Mag talking about my body

It’s the Tuesday after Labor Day (a hard day, some may say) and I’m in a bathing suit on PhillyMag.com.

Be Well Philly asked to share my story in their new Transformation series. The series used to document the stories of people’s weight loss journeys, but they’re transitioning it to body love & acceptance, something I’m obviously all about.

I did the interview last week over the phone, and was thrilled to be able to (hopefully!) influence the next generation of Philly body positive “influencers.”

July 15, 2019

The Best Amazon Prime Day Sale Products I Currently Own & Love

If you’re like me, Prime Day is a taaaad bit overwhelming. I love more digestable lists people have put together, but I never know if the products people are curating for me are actually tested by them, or just things that are high priced and deeply discounted.

I’ve been a Prime member for years, so I’ve tried my fair share of random Amazon products. I wasn’t going to post anything today, but when I started perusing and seeing that a ton of the things I used currently and really love were discounted, I knew I wanted to share my list of Prime Day deals.