Oh, Life...

Big Girl Furniture

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:06:00 -0400

Last week, on our way to Asheville, my parents and I stopped at the Hickory Furniture Outlet, which is an ENORMOUS shopping mall full of amazing furniture, mostly hand-crafted in or near High Point, NC (often referred to as the “furniture capital of the world”). My parents’ original plan was to have us furnish our new apartment as cheaply as possible (IKEA!!) and then just dump everything after 4 years once I finish my residency program.

As someone who furnished my last apartment for ~$800, I was totally on board. But then we saw these beauties, and our entire strategy changed.

Beautiful Drexel Heritage couch, come to mama.

Since this piece is so bold, we decided to anchor the rest of the room with dark brown that matches the wooden legs and the leather piping on the accent pillows.

We found this super comfy arm chair at the Mitchell Gold Bob Williams Outlet. The salesperson informed us that they make this chair (in a different fabric) for Starbucks.

I forgot to take a picture of the dark brown coffee table, but with a little imagination you can start to get an idea of how the room is shaping up!

Oh, you know how I said that everything else was brown? I lied.

I saw this upholstered console table and just knew I had to have it. We checked it against one of the pillows of the couch (which looks yellow in these pictures, but is really more of a chartreuse). It wasn’t until I got home and got onto the Drexel Heritage website that I realized that this is also made by them. I imagine it with my coral lamp and some trays on top, and some big baskets underneath…maybe something like this?

Now all we need is a rug—we’re thinking something with natural fibers, like sisal or jute—and some accessories!

XO,

Sydney

Mother's Day and Graduation

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:07:47 -0400

Yesterday was Mother’s Day, and I had the rare pleasure of being in the same city as my mom for the occasion since they were in town for my med school graduation!

It was a pretty eventful day all around, and I was so happy to share it with my mommy and honor all of the hard work and sacrifice that made my success possible.

I love you Mom!

Sydney

Asheville, NC

Sat, 11 May 2013 02:24:55 -0400

My parents came into town a few days ago for my med school graduation, and we decided to head to Asheville for a night to see what all the fuss was about. On our way there, we also stopped by a huge furniture outlet in Hickory and scooped up some key pieces for our new NYC apartment (more on that later)!!

We spent the afternoon wandering around the downtown area, which had lots of really cute shops and restaurants…even one that was inside of an old double decker bus!

In addition to restaurants and shops, there is also a TON of interesting architecture to take in.

One of the places in Asheville that I liked the most was The Grove Park Inn, which came highly recommended by my friend Stephanie.

We just missed the sunset, but the view was still absolutely breathtaking!

Noticeably absent from this recap is the Biltmore Estates, which is typically a highlight of a visit to Asheville. This is mostly because we were on a tight schedule and didn’t have an entire day to spend there, which we would have needed to do in order to justify the $60/person entry fee. Maybe next time??

Hope you guys had a good week!

Sydney

My First Big Girl Apartment

Wed, 01 May 2013 23:12:00 -0400

After 6 days in Manhattan, the Chang sisters have completed the “impossible.” We signed a lease on a huge apartment in the Upper East Side, and under budget no less!

This is OUR building.

This is OUR street lined with planters full of tulips!

The flowers at OUR park :). I think you’re starting to get the picture.

The guys who currently live in the apartment were in the process of moving out when we visited, so pics of the actual apartment are still to come. More on our NYC trip coming soon!

XO,

Sydney

Tea Party Bridal Shower

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 19:26:00 -0400

One of my best friends had her bridal shower (and bachelorette party!) in Miami this past weekend. It was so adorable, and stayed true to its tea party theme.

The centerpieces were teapots filled with gerbera daisies, and the favors were the most adorable Anthropologie mugs filled with fancy tea bags and sugar sticks.

Here are some shots of the amazing spread: Asian slaw, chicken salad, empanadas, tea sandwiches, lots of fruit and cheese.

The dessert table:

The unofficial color of the shower was coral…I swear, this was totally unplanned.

Here’s a pic with my biggest fan down in Miami, Abuelita Suarez!

So lovely! We had a great time at the bachelorette party too, but no pics of that here ;).

XO,

Sydney

PS- These pics were taken with my brand new(!!) Sony NEX6 and a Sigma 30mm f/2.8 lens. Can’t wait to figure out all the fancy features!

Spring Essentials

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 20:27:00 -0400

Now that Match Day is over, I’ve had a little less on my plate. Less to do inevitably equals more time to shop! Here are some of the things that I consider “essential” for spring.

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8

1. Pastel nail polish- This is my quintessential spring toe color. It’s got an iridescent sheen that is so very pretty!

2. Chambray shirt- I have searched high and low for the perfect chambray shirt, and finally found it and snapped it up when there was a 25% off sale at J. Crew. I’ve seen it worn with anything from a pencil skirt to colored shorts (see no. 7) or dark denim. Worth every penny!

3. Cute rainboots- These Joules are SUPER cute! I’m between these and the more practical (and ubiquitous) Hunters.

4. A sparkly bracelet- I received the pave link version of this bracelet for Christmas from my boyfriend and wear it ALL the time! The heart version is on sale now (~$70 with the extra 30% off sale that’s going on now).

5. Classic trench coat- I’ve been on the hunt for an affordable classic trench, and may have finally found “the one” at Madewell. A cheaper alternative can be found at Old Navy.

6. Bright pink lipstick- I have tried this Nars Schiap lipstick on at least 5 times now, and always get tons of compliments on it. The one time I was ready to pull the trigger, they were out at both Sephora and Nordstrom.

7. Colorful shorts- I own several pairs of these J. Crew shorts, and they are definitely a spring staple in my closet. Red, hot pink, and light purple are my favorite.

8. These Target sandals are a dead ringer for their pricier Dolce Vita counterparts. I scooped these up when they were buy 1, get 1 50% off, and consequently got the teal/neon yellow pair as well.

What are your essentials for spring?

Sydney

Best Carrot Cake EVER!

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:38:00 -0400

I love carrot cake!! For years, I would drool over the slices of carrot cake in the cooler at Strachans, the local homemade ice cream shack near my parents’ house. In addition to having fabulous ice cream, they also have the most delicious carrot cake! I have searched high and low for a recipe that would produce something nearly as divine… and lo and behold, I have found it! I’ve only made this twice before (for the past two Easters), but it has never disappointed. Last night, I had two boys banging on my front door for leftovers :).

Ingredients:

For the cake:

2 c granulated sugar

1/13 c vegetable oil

3 eggs (room temperature)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 c plus 1 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 c raisins

1 c chopped walnuts

1 lb carrots, grated

1/2 c crushed canned pineapple

For the frosting:

3/4 lb cream cheese (room temperature)

1/2 lb unsalted butter (room temperature)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 lb confectioner’s sugar, sifted

Directions:

Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 8-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper, and butter/dust with flour.

For the cake:

Beat sugar, oil, eggs together (can use handheld mixer) until light yellow. Add vanilla. In another bowl, sift together 2 1/2 c flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

Add dry ingredients to wet. Toss raisins and walnuts in 1 tbsp of flour. Fold in carrots and pineapple. Add to batter and mix well.

Divide the batter equally between the two pans. Bake 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick placed into the center comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool completely in pans set over a wire rack.

For the frosting:

Mix cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with a hand mixer until just combined. Add confectioner sugar and mix until smooth.

Place 1 layer, flat-side up on plate or cake pedestal. Spread frosting on with knife or offset spatula. Place second layer on top with rounded side up, and frost top and sides of cake.

Very slightly adapted from the Food Network, Ina Garten (my fave!).

Hope you guys enjoy!

Sydney

Happy Easter!!

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 17:29:00 -0400

Happy Easter!!

A little glimpse of one of the most important days of med...

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 10:44:00 -0400

A little glimpse of one of the most important days of med school…match day! At Duke we decided to have our theme be March Matchness and had each 4th year medical student walk up to receive their envelope while their theme song while their “stats” (height, hometown, undergrad, role model, and fave sports team) were displayed. Once everyone had received their envelope, we all opened them up at the same time! Tears of joy (and in some cases, disappointment) were shed. Afterwards, a group of us went to Dame’s Chicken and Waffle to commemorate the occasion. It was an experience I will never forget!

Lookie what arrived on my doorstep today! Some pre-match I love...

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:54:18 -0400

Lookie what arrived on my doorstep today! Some pre-match I love you no matter what happens flowers!! #matchdayeve

Happy Valentine's Day!

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 14:58:00 -0500

This is the card we sent out this year to family and a few close friends. A big thanks to Jordan for the semi-professional pics, and Tiny Prints for such cute designs :).

Hope you guys have a Valentine’s Day filled with love!

XO,

Sydney

San Juan Puerto Rico

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 16:14:00 -0500

This past weekend, we were able to escape the freezing temps and fly to San Juan, Puerto Rico with Andrew’s company on a fun rewards trip. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve already seen all these pics.

They greeted us with some bubbly at check-in, which I certain could get used to!

The pool was massive (and pristine), but it was still a little too cold to swim.

We spent the majority of our time laying out on the beach. While the boys played bocce, the girls chatted and sipped on some frozen fruity drinks.

We happened to be there during the San Sebastian Festival, and spent one of the days exploring Old San Juan.

We also took advantage of the lack of open container laws, and continued the office’s Scary Bar Friday tradition with a bar crawl through the scariest looking bars we could find.

In the evenings, we found entertainment in the hotel casinos. Clearly there’s a reason why I’m not a big gambler :).

We also had fancy dinners every evening, with the fanciest one at the Il Mulino restaurant in the Ritz Carlton.

All around, it was a fantastic trip! Next year if it is at the same place, we will definitely plan on checking out the Bioluminescent Bay and some of the islands.

XO,

Sydney

Wishing you all a happy new year!!

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:09:12 -0500

Wishing you all a happy new year!!

Downtown St. Petersburg

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 18:57:45 -0500

Today, we headed over to downtown St. Petersburg to have lunch at Bella Brava with my family. Everything was delicious, and Riley had a great time walking down the pier, and snapping some pics with her folks.

Hope you guys are having a great weekend!

XO,

Sydney

Christmas 2012

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 22:05:00 -0500

Hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas with your families!

XO,

Sydney

The upside of waking up at 7AM to take the dog...

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 17:59:23 -0500

The upside of waking up at 7AM to take the dog out…watching the sun rise over Gulf of Mexico!

Home at last! My little sister Jordan just graduated from UF...

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 12:55:44 -0500

Home at last! My little sister Jordan just graduated from UF last weekend, and we are so proud!

New Ipad!!

Sun, 16 Sep 2012 19:19:12 -0400

Guess what? I finally got the new ipad!! Andrew did awesome last quarter and won a $500 gift card for his significant other to any place of my choice. Apple, obviously! Anyways, my shiny new white iPad is here! I spent SO much time looking for the perfect case, and was initially fixated on this tory burch one:

Then I found this J Crew DODO case, which I loved too…maybe even more than the first one:

Unfortunately, I couldn’t bring myself to pay the $90+shipping+tax, as much as I loved it. So I got the next best thing, the black cover with the red interior. I LOVE IT!! It looks like a moleskin from the outside, which makes it much more discreet, for when you have it open during a lecture. Love love love!

Only $54 on Amazon, including shipping with no tax. Can’t beat that price! Anyone else find a killer deal on a sweet case for their new toy? I’d love to hear about it!

XO,

Sydney

Taiwanese beef noodle soup

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 11:32:48 -0400

I’m back! So…I may have lied about taking a ton of pictures. I think I took a total of 2 pictures the entire time I was there. Nevertheless, I had a wonderful time with my family, and got to eat some pretty yummy food while I was there.

While I was there, I became inspired to learn how to make beef noodle soup, which has been one of my favorite foods since I was a kid. With much guidance from my mom (I think I may have called her 4 times that evening), I managed to whip this up for dinner the other night night! It was SO good…possibly even better than most of the ones I tried in Taiwan, not to toot my own horn or anything ;).

It’s been a busy week over here, with Riley getting spayed on Thursday, and Andrew being out of town on a business trip. I’m working on a baked French toast casserole for a brunch that I am hosting in an hour, so I will try to snap a couple pics if I remember!

Hope you guys are having a great weekend!

Sydney

In less than 24 hours, I’ll be on my way to Taipei, Taiwan...

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 23:08:38 -0400

In less than 24 hours, I’ll be on my way to Taipei, Taiwan for my grandfather’s 90th birthday celebration. The rest of my extended family has been gathered in Taiwan/China for the past week without me, so I am excited to catch up with everyone (but sad to leave behind Riley and Andrew). Lots of photos to come :).