happiness is in the in-between times

 

I had every intention of editing the photos from the holiday to share today, but somehow I got caught up in the act of living and never got around to it this weekend. I had last Thursday and Friday off, and it was wonderful to just veg a little, and work on special projects I'm cooking up. I also got to spend a lot of time with the cuddle bug you see above, she loves it when we're home. I leave for a work trip tomorrow so Ryan and I soaked in as much couple time as we could before then. We hung out with friends, ate out a lot, went hiking, and worked on artistic pursuits alongside one another. To say it was blissful would be an understatement. 

How was you weekend? big kiss, bekuh

first summer date night

Summer is officially here, and if the calendar hadn't told me the soaring temperatures would have. It was hot, hot, hot in Philadelphia this weekend and Ryan and I used it as an excuse to keep the oven turned off, and go out as much as possible. We decided to hit up our neighborhood wood-oven pizza place, Bufad, yesterday evening and I remembered the camera for once. It was a delightful treat, and so convenient with our apartment being a mere 2 blocks away.

We're big pizza eaters, and I love trying out specialty or gourmet varieties. Though, I'll never turn down a New York style slice of cheese, ever. We decided on the Marinara pizza with anchovies (don't hate), and the seasonal asparagus pizza with egg. I've decided if a pizza comes with a fried egg on top, it can never be bad. The yoke adds a whole other layer of awesome sauce.

One of the many quirks of Philadelphia is that a lot of restaurants are BYOB. We're still learning to check on this before heading out, and actually remembered this time around. Lucky for us Bufad's brother bar, Prohibition Tap Room is right next door and we bought a delicious sour to go with our meal. Pizza and beer are a no fail combination in my opinion. What did you do this weekend? big kiss, bekuh

neighborhoods like this are perennial

We live in an area that doesn't really have a name, because it has so many names. It's sometimes referred to as the Loft District, or Callowhill, or Northern Chinatown, or Spring Garden. It's the old industrial heart of the city that collapsed in the 70s and 80s, and is only now resurfacing as a neighborhood of warehouse apartments. We live in what used to be a letterpress company on a broken down cobbled street. All around us there are signs of new life, as the graffiti is slowly painted over, and the windowless buildings are transformed into new lofts. 

It's exciting to be a part of such an old city, in an area that's being made young again. Neighborhoods like this are perennial, they may hibernate for awhile but they'll come back when the sun starts shining again. big kiss, bekuh

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the first "philly flea"

I'm going to geek out on you for a minute guys. Yesterday marked the first time since moving to Philly that I've spent an afternoon exploring with friends! I've met so many cool people at work, but haven't had the opportunity to spend time with any of them outside of that environment, until now. It was pretty awesome. 

Ok, now that I've got that off my chest, let's talk about this Philly Flea thing. The geniuses behind the Brooklyn Flea in NYC have expanded territory, and opened up shop in the Northern Liberties area of Philadelphia. They want to call it the "Brooklyn Flea Philly," but let's get real Philly Flea sounds so much better. I'm hash tagging #phillyflea and that's that. Sunday was opening day, and based on the number of people there by 10:30AM, I think it's going to be a huge success. The premise behind this market is that it's a more curated collection of vendors than your typical flea market situation, and I have to say the vendors were really good. Imagine a flea market that's basically designed for people who don't like/have to for flea markets. All the nasty junk has been filtered away, and only really awesome finds remain. It was definitely more pricey than I anticipated, but deals were still to be found if you looked hard enough. I managed to snag an antique tapestry and a couple yards of fabric for about $20. Not too shabby.Besides finally finding fabric to make pillow covers out of, my favorite part of the market had to be the food stalls. They had pizza, lobster rolls, brats, ice cream, pickles, bbq, coffee...they had a lot. I decided on ice cream, because of the oppressive heat, and it was amazing! The Bent Spoon had some really interesting flavors to choice from, and I decided on the chocolate earl grey ice cream, and the ricotta ice cream as my treat du jour. I perfect way to end a fun afternoon with new friends. Excited to go back with Ryan soon. big kiss, bekuh

what i do all day (aka my job)

So, I've been mentioning my job a lot. Have you noticed? It's a big part of my day-to-day and it's a brand new role for me, so it's kinda consuming my thoughts too. I thought it would be fun to share with you what my typical day looks like in the office, and some of the things I'm responsible for so you can get a better feel for this aloof concept of managing social media for a brand.

My position at BHLDN (pronounced beholden) is Community Coordinator, I manage all of their social channels and engage with customers through the various platforms throughout the day. I also manage all of the real wedding submissions that come in, and direct the imagery to the proper departments as needed. My position falls under marketing, and I work closely with our PR manager and the head of marketing for the brand. I kind of need to know-it-all when it comes to BHLDN, so I sit in on a variety of meeting throughout the day, and try to stay on top of anything new and exciting coming up the pike.

One of my favorite parts of the job is working with our web creative team on developing the posts for Facebook. I'm learning a lot about graphic design through these talented women, and I'm already seeing an improvement in my skills. I create photo collages, themed albums, and styled photo posts using our products. In a way our Facebook page is like an extension of our blog B-Inspired. I typically post 1-3 times a day on Facebook.

Outside of Facebook, I also manage the Pinterest boards, Twitter, Instagram, and Vine (@BHLDN) accounts. Unlike your personal accounts however there's a lot of analysis, planning, and over reaching themes that I have to seamlessly align each day when I post. I also have to answer to directors who have certain expectations for the quality and quantity of content that's put out there, and how it's received. It's not all fun and games, and it's a full work load that often spills over into the night.

In a way I have to be a photographer, producer, merchandiser, stylists, copywriter, publicist, blogger, and graphic designer...all that on top of pinning, tweeting, posting, gramming, and shooting. It is the most challenging, and fulfilling position I've ever held. There's so much more I could share, but I'll save it for another day. Your first taste at what it means to work in social media. Follow BHLDN on all the social channels to see what I'm up to from 9 to 5! big kiss, bekuh

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they closed down broad street

Wandering aimlessly seems to be our new norm on the weekends. We start out with a vague purpose, and then slowly make our way to different parts of the city as the day progresses. On Saturday we heard there was a street fair happening on Broad St. so we slowly made our way south from our apartment, and were amazed to see that they had (in fact) shut down a large section of Broad St. for the silliest, family friendly gathering we've seen yet. There were rides, street performers, and food vendors everywhere. We heard a string band playing, acrobats practicing, and got lost in the crowd a couple of times. To avoid the long lines we headed up South St. instead, and drank cold tea on the street. 

After enjoying the fair, and South street we made our way back north, and ended up in Washington Square for a long sit in the shade. We found ourselves talking about future picnics in the square, Nellie growing older, and I'm pretty sure there was a pinky promise to travel abroad in the spring. Whether it's real or not I'm going to hold Ryan to that promise.

Just another normal weekend for us Brownings. Perfectly pointless, and designedly so. What did you do this weekend? big kiss, bekuh

friends in philadelphia

Our friends Martin and Mollie came to town this weekend, and we gave them the whirlwind tour of Philadelphia. By whirlwind I mean the longest fun filled adventure walk ever known to man. Friday night we ventured into Chinatown for peking duck and drinks, and then again on Saturday morning to see the sites like the gate and shops bustling with color and produce. Of course we weren't going to stop there our next stop was the close-by Reading Terminal Market.

We braced ourselves for an overfilled bumble of people, but were pleasantly surprised by how laid back the market was so early on a Saturday. I actually got to take pictures inside, without being glared at or mulled over! Going there with friends made it even better, mostly because their eyes got really huge looking at all the amazing goodies to eat. 

After drooling over all of the food at Reading we decided to head out for an early lunch at Monk's Cafe. Ryan discovered Monk's while researching Philadelphia before the move, and we'd been anxiously awaiting Martin and Mollie's trip to try it out. Apparently Monk's is one of the best places in the world to get beer. Sadly it was so dark inside the dining room I couldn't get any pictures. If you like beer though it is seriously the best spot in Philly and a must visit for awesome bar food. We will be going back.

What trip to Philadelphia would be complete with the obligatory stops around Independence Hall? We read history plaques, took goofy pictures, and enjoyed the most spectacular spring weather we'd had yet. Everything looked so pretty with the blooming trees, and clear blue sky. Gorgeous. We walked all the way down to Penn's Landing looking out towards New Jersey, and enjoying the breeze by the water before heading home.

It meant so much to Ryan and I to have friends visit us in our new home. We're settling in well, but homesickness for your loved ones creeps in just the same. We've missed our weekends with Martin and Mollie, and hanging out with them for two days was kind of amazing. They're the best people ever. Really truly. big kiss, bekuh

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