Photography – Page 11 – Blondie Birdie

May 2018: In a Nutshell

May 31, 2018June 7, 2018by Ashley DeLargeLeave a Comment

Good Morning and Happy Thursday, everyone! The weekend is so close we can practically reach out and touch it!

I am admittedly feeling pretty under the weather today. Ever since I got back from D.C., I’ve been battling a somewhat tough-as-nails flu that has rendered me essentially helpless and useless for the past 48+ hours. I’m hoping it breaks before the weekend so I’m not bedridden during my days off- but we’ll see! I’ve got plenty of things to binge On-Demand and on Netflix if it doesn’t.

But enough jumping ahead! This post is about jumping backwards (a little) and taking a nice, long and loving look at the month of May, 2018- and what a month it was!

In perhaps what proved to be one of my busiest, bustling, most jam-packed few weeks ever- May started off with a bang when my friends and I ditched work for a day to kick off the Summer slightly early at Singing Beach- and set off on a seasonal mission to try as many new restaurants and bars as possible (Citrus & Salt is a hit, by the way!)

Mother’s Day was spent brunching and shopping with my mom, and with the warm weather finally here to stay for a while- I spent more time working out/exercising outdoors (when we weren’t having tornado watches, anyway.) Thankfully- storms didn’t blow us away- but the Editors sure did during their show at the Paradise Rock Club on May 16th! Soooo good!

Romantics everywhere celebrated the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle while Bostonians everywhere mourned the ends of the seasons for both the Bruins and Celtics. Let’s go Golden Knights!

But of course, this past weekend and all the crazy fun that came with it was the perfect way to round out May. It started last Wednesday night- when my friend from Ireland came into town to have dinner and do some sightseeing while we caught up since we’d last seen each other in Vegas back in February. It was beautiful outside, which made the night even better- and that weather carried all the way over into Friday- which was also Day 1 of the Boston Calling Music Festival.

I was fortunate enough to have a VIP pass, and seized the opportunity to see acts like Portugal, The Man – Paramore, The National, and my favorite boys by way of fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada- The Killers! The whole day/night was absolute magic. I couldn’t stop smiling. Here are a few of my favorite photos I snapped of the scene with my phone (Click to Enlarge!)

It should be noted that one of those photos is of the “BBQ Bomb” they were selling at The Smoke Shop BBQ’s tent- which was a waffle cone filled with beans, queso mac & cheese, and pulled pork. It may have been one of the best things I’ve ever purchased (or ever ate, really.)

Come Saturday morning, it was off to Logan International to catch a quickie flight to Washington D.C. to spend Memorial Day weekend with my friend Duncan (formerly of San Diego- and now based in Chicago!) who I hadn’t seen since the last time we were in D.C. together a couple of years ago to attend a friend of his’ wedding ceremony. The warm weather held up for most of the weekend- save for a couple of showers and scattered thunderstorms- which was nice.

I forgot how beautiful and clean many section of D.C. were- and although certain parts of the city (particularly the monuments) were pretty packed in the afternoons- by nighttime everyone had cleared out and I was able to do some serious tourist-y stuff like walk the entire Mall to the Capitol Building and Supreme Court without seeing another soul for hours. It was pretty amazing- and the pictures I took speak for themselves!

While we were in town, we caught a showing of “Shear Madness” at the Kennedy Center, which was SO much fun- and I made sure to make stops at Arlington Cemetery to pay my respects and the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery to see the amazing new portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama before I had to head back home and beat the post-holiday traffic on Monday morning.

It was such a lovely weekend- and I took a lot of photos along the way. Below are some of my favorites! (Click to Enlarge!)

So what’s in store for June when I’m feeling better? More travel and beach days, I’m hoping! More Summer fashion and awesome cookout recipes, definitely- and maybe seeing some familiar faces who will be in the area over the next couple of weeks!

But until then- here’s to May- which was wildly fun and unexpected. Here’s to this coming weekend being filled with endless possibilities- and here’s to me beating this awful cold once and for all!

Have a beautiful, fantastic weekend, everyone! See you all next week!

– Ashley –

Drizzly Days, Royal Weddings and Doughnuts…

May 21, 2018May 28, 2018by Ashley DeLargeLeave a Comment

Good Morning and Happy Monday, everyone!

This week is shaping up to be a pretty busy one for me. I have a friend coming into town on Wednesday for a couple of days, Friday is the first day of the Boston Calling Music Festival- and Saturday I’m leaving for a weekend away in Washington D.C. to spend Memorial Day with friends who are flying in for a vacation. Between preparing for all of that and work- I have to make sure I stay on top of things (including getting enough sleep!)

Thankfully this past weekend was pretty laid back, and I was able to get some R&R without wasting the days. The weather, for the most part- was a bit gloomy- so staying indoors and under the comfort of blankets to watch the Royal Wedding bright and early on Saturday morning was nice (and what a beautiful ceremony it was!)

Afterwards, while the guests at Windsor Castle departed to enjoy some lemon elderflower cake at the reception- I decided to enjoy an indulgent treat myself- and braved the chilly temperatures and light drizzle to head to Harvard Square for a doughnut-pop up that was being hosted by Harvest. Although I had missed out on their take on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding cake- I did pick up some of their tasty Strawberry Shortcake, Chocolate Caramel French Cruller and Blueberry Citrus doughnuts, instead.

On Saturday night, after catching up on some e-mails and resting my eyes for a quick refresher- I headed off to Mohegan Sun to meet with friends at the Bow & Arrow Sports Bar to eat some nachos and watch the Celtics and Red Sox (simultaneously.) On a completely unrelated note- how GOOD is Las Vegas’ hockey team? It’s their first season and they have just been dominating lately. It’s going to be so much fun to cheer them on and go to their games when I’m living in the area!

Sorry, I’m getting off track.

Yesterday, after running errands to save myself some time later on this week- I decided to savor the brief break in the rain//fog and soak up the sunshine that had peeked through the clouds up in New Hampshire. I drove along the coast just in time to catch high tide and sat by the water for a couple of hours before grabbing a bite to eat at The Beach Plum and heading home just as the sun started to set.

It was beautiful, peaceful, scenic, and super relaxing.

A little later on this week, I’ve got my trusty “Festival Survival Essentials” to share with you all in preparation for Boston Calling (hint- there’s a lot of sunscreen)– and on Friday- I’m giving everyone access to a playlist I’ve been gradually piecing together to help those of you looking for some new tunes for the Summertime to kick things off during the impending long weekend.

I’m so excited for the coming days and to share my adventures along the way. Be sure to peep my Instagram for the shots I snap while I’m out and about.

Until then, though- let’s power through this Monday and get it out of the way!

– Ashley –

May Flowers, Margaritas and Mirror Selfies…

May 9, 2018May 15, 2018by Ashley DeLargeLeave a Comment

Good Morning, everyone!

Although Cinco de Mayo was this past Saturday- I held off on hitting up some of my favorite Mexican food restaurants and/or any bars until Sunday afternoon at the absolute earliest. It’s a tricky holiday (much like St. Patrick’s Day), especially in the city- and even moreso when that city has a large college population. There’s a lot of drunk people running around- most of whom don’t know what Cinco de Mayo actually commemorates- and an alarming amount of white people wearing sombreros and making packed places somehow feel even smaller.

I digress. While many people were recovering from their hangovers on Sunday morning/afternoon- I took the opportunity to visit Citrus & Salt in Back Bay to try one of their signature cocktails and catch the Bruins game while I chowed down on homemade tortilla chips and fresh guacamole. Some of my friends had been there before and raved about it- so I decided to check it out on my own while I was in the area.

Firstly, the decor to the place is gorgeous- like a mix of a beach party meets a Día de Muertos celebration- so many pretty colors and skulls everywhere- and the food was awesome. Everything was made fresh and had so much flavor to it.

My cocktail of choice was the “I Didn’t Text You- Tequila Did”- which combined tequila, a coconut puree, and a big Popsicle dunked into it. It was strong- but delicious- and got me a little buzzed right away. I liked that the name of the drink was prominently displayed on the bathroom mirror, too…

When I was done dining, I headed back towards Boston Common and the Public Garden where I was meeting friends who had gotten a late start due to those aforementioned hangovers. Although the sky was a bit grey and dreary at times- the park was vibrant with the newly planted tulips along the pedestrian walkways and around the statues/monuments. I couldn’t resist getting a little tourist-y and snapping some pics while I waited. Below are a few of my favorite shots!

I’ve got a meeting to get to this morning and some work to catch up on this afternoon before I head back downtown for dinner plans with some friends and to pose in one of my favorite dresses for the Spring/Summer season. Keep an eye out for it this Friday!

‘Til then- enjoy your Wednesday/Hump Day, everyone! We’re almost to the weekend!

– Ashley –

Mid-Week Hooky

May 4, 2018May 10, 2018by Ashley DeLargeLeave a Comment

Good Morning and Happy Friday, everyone!

Okay, so technically this past Wednesday wasn’t an actual day of hooky- since my job knew I wasn’t coming in just for the sake of having a day off while the temperatures hit the mid-80s (!!!)– but there was something kind of thrilling about being out and enjoying such a beautiful day when I knew my co-workers were back at the office. The day was made even more fun, of course- since I didn’t make any specific plans and was just sort of rolling with the punches as they came.

There were plenty of options. Would I catch the Red Sox game at Fenway in the early afternoon? Tempting- but my seats would have had me roasting under the sun well before the fourth inning. Would I go day-drinking and enjoy one too many margaritas near the park? Also a possibility- except that finding parking on a weekday around lunchtime is a nightmare- and leaving the car while I went from place to place until the evening when I would be back to normal and ready to drive home would have likely landed me with expired meters and plenty of tickets tucked onto my windshield. Or, would I head to Cambridge to see Ronan Farrow discuss his new book? This choice nearly won- and I would have loved to have gone if I hadn’t gotten sidetracked.

Instead, my best friend (who ended up playing a bit of hooky as well) and I packed some snacks, a couple of towels, and some SPF 50 and headed to Singing Beach in Manchester-by-the-Sea to get our 2018 “Beach Bums” season underway while the coast wasn’t crowded.

I couldn’t find my swimsuit from last year and had to improvise with one from 2014/2015- but I’ve been meaning to buy a new one anyway, and a lot of the cuts/colors/embellishments I’ve been seeing on this year’s hottest and trendiest swimwear has me excited to try something completely new! I’ll share whatever I eventually go with- but I’m hoping to find something bright, colorful, flattering- and comfortable!

But I digress- the water was still a bit too cold to dive into- so I kept things dry and laid back on the sand. I sat under an umbrella and read while my friend worked on an assignment they’re completing for degree work. Afterwards, when it started to get dark out and the late-night beach goers began rolling in for their planned bonfires- we headed back to Melrose where we stopped at Wood + Fire for some salad and to split a pasta dish (their wood fired Gnocchi is delicious, by the way!) before it came time to call it a night and get ready to head back to work the next morning.

Overall, a “Just Because” day off was just what I needed. It was laid-back, stress-free, spent with the comfort of a good friend in beautiful scenery- and included a fantastic meal. I highly recommended taking a day off every now and then to decompress, unwind, and then prepare yourself to get back to work and start fresh. It’s invigorating!

Speaking of, I’ve got to get to work so I can begin re-organizing my schedule for next week. I like to stay a couple of steps ahead of things!

Enjoy your Friday and your weekend, everyone! See you all on Monday- where I’ll have a BBQ/Cookout-inspired recipe to share!

– Ashley –

April 2018: In a Nutshell

April 30, 2018May 6, 2018by Ashley DeLargeLeave a Comment

Good Morning and Happy Monday, everyone!

With the exception of a couple of showers (that went away as quickly as they came)– this past weekend was gorgeous- and the forecast looks to only get better as this week goes on. I took a “just because” day off from work this Wednesday once I’d heard the temperatures were going to be near 80. It seems like such a shame to spend that kind of day cooped up inside of an office- especially after the rough Winter and rocky beginning to Spring that we had here in Boston! A day like that calls for a picnic, or maybe even an afternoon at the beach.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Before I dive into May and all the fun, outdoorsy plans I have (both here and out of state) as the Summer gets closer and closer- I wanted to tip my oversized Kentucky Derby hat that I’m dusting off for this weekend to the month of April- filled with plenty of family gatherings, quite a few nights out, and a LOT of unpredictable weather.

April kicked off with Easter and a house filled with brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles and at least two dogs- as well as enough food to feed a small army- and from there the momentum only continued to build. In the days that followed, I was celebrating my best girl-friend’s boozy birthday, donning a purple wig for another friend’s Wrestlemania party, and racing through the streets by Fenway to catch a gig from Franz Ferdinand.

When the snow finally stopped falling and stayed gone long enough for the trees and flowers to begin blooming- I was able to break out the pastels and florals and fully commit to Springtime. I even took the plunge and dyed my hair a subtle and lovely shade of rose gold to commemorate the occasion!

Of course, April had some minor and inconvenient setbacks. A couple of weeks ago I had gotten into a car accident when another vehicle pulled from a stop sign and hit my car as I was traveling on the road- resulting in some dents/scrapes and a brief period of shoulder pain in the days that followed. Thankfully, it wasn’t any worse than that- and my car has since been repaired and returned to me- so it all seems to have worked out for now! We’ll see how it goes when it comes time for the insurance companies to get reimbursed. I’m really pleased and impressed with my own company, though- because they handled everything so quickly and efficiently.

But overall- April was a joy- and now that May is here and things are winding down at work while everyone begins to plan their vacations, cookouts, gardening, etc. I’m really excited for the coming weeks. Boston Calling is this coming month, which is shaping up to be an amazing festival- and although I didn’t make it to NYC this past month as I’d originally planned due to a scheduling conflict- I intend to visit Manhattan again in May. I’m also in the process of putting together another adventure to Washington D.C. for Memorial Day weekend with a longtime friend I haven’t seen in a couple of years since they moved from San Diego to Chicago a while back!

As always, I’ll have my usual rotation of recipes and OOTD posts (now that it’s getting warm enough to show a little leg!) but I’ve also got a really fun contest/collaboration coming up a little later on this week to get everyone into the Spring/Summer accessories frame of mind- as well as some local and product reviews, and plenty of pictures along the way.

Speaking of- to close out this post (and this month), I thought I’d share a series of photos I snapped while out and about this past weekend. Commonwealth Avenue was in full bloom on Saturday, and set against the historic brownstones in the neighborhood and the warm weather- it was a bright, beautiful way to begin the evening!

Enjoy the rest of your Monday, everyone! I’ll see you all on Wednesday- where I’ll have the contest details!

– Ashley –