What’s something that is always in my bag? If you guessed hand sanitizer, you’d be right. But not just any sanitizing spray will do (as we all learned over the past few years). As a self-described germaphobe, I need my sanitizers to clean effectively and not leave my skin too dry, too wet, or too sticky. So, needless to say, I have tried a lot of sanitizers over the years. While my tried and true favorite has been the Grapefruit & Lemon from Trader Joe’s, a new recent find has been from ALŌH. You may recall that there were some hand sanitizing wipes from the brand in a recent goodie bag I ..read more

{Saw this sign on my walk right after enrolling in my new health insurance plan} With just four days left on COBRA, I have successfully enrolled in my new health insurance plan! It feels like such a weight has been lifted off of me to know that I will be adequately covered, able to see my doctors as scheduled, and didn’t have to sell a kidney to pay the premium (I kid about that last part. Well, kind of). If you’ve read all of the posts discussing my health insurance saga, I appreciate your support (and, if you haven’t, here’s where you can catch Part I and Part II). I was hoping to have my h ..read more

A big part of my self-care routine is doing a weekly at-home manicure. I love how polished nails look, and I always enjoy trying out the latest nail polish colors of the season. Yet, the one thing I don’t love doing is going to the salon for a manicure. I’ve always found doing my nails to be a relaxing experience and way less time-consuming than having them done at a salon (plus, it’s more cost-effective). And since I’m hard on my nails (think, horseback riding), my manicures never tend to last all that long anyway. If only there were a way to get a long-lasting salon-quality manicure at home ..read more

One of the things I love about living on Long Island is the proximity to water. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I take many a nightly sanity stroll at my local beach. And, when summer rolls around, I can usually be found enjoying the sand, sea, and sun out on the East End. But, as I’ve gotten older, there’s been an urge to change my summer routine. I’m at the point where I feel like I’ve done the same thing every summer for the last decade, and while I’ve enjoyed it, I’d like to do something different this year. Back in the day, my father had a sailboat and was an avid sailor. As ..read more

There’s nothing like a good workout after a couple of weeks off to remind you how out of shape you are. But workouts at a beautiful destination make everything better. This past weekend, I attended a cardio pilates class at The Rockaway Hotel hosted by Dianna Falzarano. If the name sounds familiar, that’s because I’ve taken a few classes with her before. I love it when I can make attending a workout feel like a day trip. So when I found out that Dianna was hosting another pop-up class at The Rockaway Hotel in Queens, about an hour from my house, I signed up more than a month in advance (the l ..read more

If you’re a Target lover, you know that Target does some great collaborations with well-known designers. And you probably also know that these collaborations sell out fast. So, when Target dropped its most recent collection with Diane Von Furstenburg, it’s no wonder it sold out at 3 am online the same day it dropped. But fear not, if you didn’t stay up all night waiting to hit ‘purchase,’ you still might be able to snag some pieces at your local Target store.  Last week, I finally made it around to perusing the collection online. There were a few pieces that I liked, including a workout ..read more

Last week, I shared that I spoke to a health insurance broker to see what my options were once my COBRA coverage ends in mid-April. After stressing about the end of my coverage quickly approaching and spending many hours getting confused by the options on the New York healthcare marketplace, I’m glad I reached out to someone who knew more about the subject than I did. We had a great conversation, and she presented me with a couple of options. However, I continued talking to different people in the hopes of finding a better solution. Then, over the weekend, I began chatting with a woman mid-ri ..read more

Yesterday, I took a break from Instagram. I don’t do that often, but every once in a while, it’s nice not to have to create content, check DMs, or scroll through my feed. Instead of being tethered to the ‘Gram, I enjoyed my day at the barn, did some errands, and had a leisurely evening where I prepared for the week ahead.  As someone who creates content for a living and manages client’s social media platforms, there are times when the demands of the digital world can feel overwhelming. Usually, I don’t mind it, but it’s nice when I can put the phone down, give my eyes a rest, and be full ..read more

I can’t tell you how much better I feel now that the days are getting longer. My mood has also improved due to the slightly warmer temps, signs of flowers popping up, and the later sunsets. The next exciting moment will be when we can finally ditch the indoor and take the horses to ride outside again (but we may have a few more weeks to go before that happens). Now that spring is here, time seems to be moving at a much faster pace. March has felt like a blur, between honoring my late grandmother on her birthday, coming down with a cold, navigating finding a health insurance plan, signing a ne ..read more

Each week, I try to cross one difficult task off my to-do list. Last week, I filed my taxes. This week, it was navigating my health insurance options once my COBRA ends next month. To say I was paralyzed by fear to even start digging into this project would be an understatement. If you’re not familiar with the term COBRA, I salute you. That likely means you’ve never needed to activate the pricey option that allows you to retain your healthcare coverage after leaving employment. You also might not know that COBRA stands for Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 which was passe ..read more