Homebody

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Three weeks ago today, I moved twenty blocks uptown to a brand-new apartment. For three weeks, I've lived with unpacked boxes, disorganized closet, blank walls, and no vacuum (the horror!). But this weekend, my parents graciously flew up from VA to help me make my new apartment feel like home. And I have to say, now that it's nearly done—still have a few minor projects to do (ahem, curtains)—this is the first apartment I've lived in that truly feels like a home. And just in time for football season!

Friday night, Mom and Dad arrived in the city, and after I gave them the less-than-grand tour of my unfinished space, we headed to a restaurant in the neighborhood for a late dinner. I'm excited to explore what all my new address has to offer—aside from being super close to the dance studio where I work part-time, there are lots of cute bars and restaurants I want to try, most of which probably deliver :)

Early Saturday morning, after being woken up by the sun—literally, my unit faces east and I don't yet have curtains up, so when the sun rises, I rise—we took our time getting ready and sipping coffee, picked up breakfast from the corner bagel shop, and then headed out for the first of several errands. I was less than impressed by the Target store in Harlem: It was big, but you'd think it was the day after the Christmas rush; they weren't well stocked with what we needed, but we managed to find a few things. Next up was Lowe's, World Market, and the Container Store (with a pit-stop at Markt for a late lunch and a round of Sancerre). We spent the rest of the day putting furniture together, hanging things, laying down rugs, and generally pretty-fying the apartment. And, because my mom can't visit New York without eating at Fig & Olive, we treated ourselves to a well-deserved dinner: raspberry bellini, cheese board, Fig & Olive salad, and rosemary lamb chops. Needless to say, we all slept very well Saturday night.

Today (Sunday) was much less busy. We still woke with the sun, but instead of rushing around the Upper East Side, we walked to a local bar for brunch and spent the rest of the afternoon doing laundry and watching football.

It's approximately 3:00 in the afternoon, which means I still have the rest of the day to get ready for the week: finish laundry, go grocery shopping, and cook. And watch football. Because that's what I do now :) A HUGE thank you to Mom and Dad for helping me make my new apartment feel like home and for an amazing weekend in the city—good food, good company, and good decorating.