Outfit and Occasion

Cousin Seth’s Bar Mitzvah

Outfit 1:

Forever21 Dress (hand-me-down), 5/48 Leather Lined Jacket (Barneys Outlet, Woodbury Commons), $15.00

Outfit 2:

J. Crew Dress (Shalom Shuk, Burlington), $5.00

Occasion:

Seth’s Bar Mitvah had the energy of a PG rated NYC rave, equipped with upbeat”motivators” dressed in all white.  The dancing was nonstop and Seth had the time of his life as well as the rest of us!  It was great to see family and be a part of such a great celebration!

Outfit and Occasion

Outfit:

Forever21 Paisley Romper (forever21.com), $23.00, Forever21 Layered Necklace (forever21.com), $10.00, Gold Tano Bag (gifted)

Occasion:

The W (Vieques) and Marmelade (San Juan)

In an hour span, our trip turned from smooth sailing to crisis to luxurious.  The wheel of our car rental literally came off as we were driving right after realizing that we had not booked our hotel for the last night!  Sitting stranded in our tire-less car, waiting for someone to rescue us and relieved that we were not injured in the process, Jess (my sister) scored two rooms for ridiculously discounted prices at the one luxurious hotel in town, The W.  Oh, and Eliot Spitzer drove by and offered to give us a hand/beer. lol

Not looking too hot, eh?

The infinity pool at The W above the resort’s private beach.

Wanda and me 🙂

Levinsohn family vacation

Marmalade is rated #1 restaurant in San Juan.  It was sensational!  I had the most tasty white bean pupusa, duck in a shepherds pie-like concoction, lamb tagine marinated for 48 hours, and butterscotch banana bread pudding.  One of the best meals of my life and a great way to end a magnificent vacation with the fam!

Outfit and Occasion

Outfit:

All Saints Dress (Second Time Around, Burlington), $24.00, Earrings (gifted)

If you like something at STA, you have to patiently wait/stalk it until that wonderful day when a colorful sticker appears on the price tag, indicating it is on some kind of sale.  Hence, an All Saints dress that was originally in the hundreds reduced down to something much more manageable!

Occasion:

More Vieques!

Livin’ the life of a starfish!  Best way to soak in that magical sunshine!

Horsies on the side of the road on route to the beach!

Sister and I posing before our kayak trip to a snorkel spot with stingrays, starfish, fishies, and even a sea turtle!  Later, we kayaked late at night in the Bioluminescent Bay where millions of microorganisms live and glow neon when you paddle about.  Pretty sweet.

 

We went to Quenepo for our second restaurant.  It was another incredible meal!  The watermelon cocktail to start tasted subtle and light yet deliciously citrusy.  One of our appetizers was goat cheese and crab rangoon, so good!  I had these mind blowing scallops as my entree with plantains, brussels sprouts and a cream sauce.  Pretty fantastic meal!

Outfit and Occasion

Outfit:

Madewell Skinny Jeans (Shalom Shuk, Burlington), $2.00, Pins and Needles top (Urban Outfitters on sale, Burlington), $15.00, Forever21 bracelet (Forever21.com), $5.00

No, it’s not a typo…these pants were actually $2.  I thought my shaking hands would give away that these jeans were worth 100 X what I was paying (I later found them online for $128.00).  They are in perfect condition with zippers at the bottom.  I have never found two bucks to be more valuable!

Occasion:

Vieques, Puerto Rico

Vieques is a heavenly island in Puerto Rico.  We stayed on the Atlantic side, but went to amazing, secluded beaches on the Caribbean.  The weather was spectacular – warm, breezy, and sunny.  Perfect setting for pure relaxation and fun with the fam!

Next Course

Butter Poached Lobster and Crab Risotto

Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich and Pecan Pie

Next Course is rated #3 on Trip Advisor in Vieques and it was truly amazing.  Considering most food is imported from San Juan on 8-person prop jets and the one ferry, each course had such diverse ingredients.  The poached lobster was better than Maine lobster and the desserts were out of this world!

 

 

Outfit and Occasion

Outfit:

Olive & Oak Sweater (Possibility Shop, Burlington), $4.00, Gray Hat (Urban Outfitters, Burlington), $10.00

This thick, comfy Olive & Oak tribal sweater would normally be sold for around $80.  By chance, I found it in my size at a local Church thrift shop for a total of $4!  To whomever is giving away perfect condition, trendy designer sweaters…I am extremely grateful :).

Occasion:

Lucky Next Door

As I have mentioned, Penny Cluse is one of my favorite places for breakfast.  Lucky Next Door is an extension of Penny Cluse with some of the same menu items.  The good thing is, there is never a line and food comes fast!  I had the Smoked Chicken and Garlicky Kale panini with Queso Fresco and Red Chili Sauce.  Some fermented slaw on the side to top it off!  It is even more delicious than it looks!

Outfit and Occasion

Outfit:

Vintage Dress (Goodwill, Burlington VT), $5.00, Zara Sweater (Shalom Shuk, Burlington VT), $4.00

Why spend ridiculous amounts on items from vintage consignment stores when there are gems like this dress out there for next to nothing??  Of course, good finds may involve some diggin’!

Occasion:

Revolution Kitchen

Revolution Kitchen is a fairly new restaurant in Burlington.  It is completely vegetarian, which means boatloads of tofu and seitan!  I wasn’t sure whether the meals would be substantial enough.  They were not only filling, but delicious as well!  We had scallion rolls, spring rolls, goat cheese & pesto ravioli, yummy seitan tacos, and unbelievable chocolate pudding cake.  The atmosphere is charming and the service is right on point.  When you prepare imitation meat so wonderfully, it’s hard not to enjoy!  Definitely worth a try, meat-lovers and all!