New York, I Love You (and my friends).

My friends and I go pretty hard when we're celebrating. Birthdays become events - multi-day events that include getting hotel rooms and taxis to get around, and New Year's Eve was absolutely no exception to this rule.

It started in October, for my dear friend Kristine's birthday. She, myself, and another friend Cyn had a girls' night a month prior in New York, where we basically drank our weight in vodka sodas, Kristine high-kicked a pervert who wouldn't take no for an answer, and we watched a woman fall down and pull a table and chairs down with her - twice. While at our epic Girl's Night Out 1.0, we discussed Kristine's upcoming birthday, where we'd repeat our travels to New York (state, not city), get hotel rooms, pregame, and then dance the night away.

 
J. Crew cardigan; Madewell tank; Tiffany & Co. jewelry; Michael Kors watch

Picture 20+ twenty-somethings gathered in three hotel rooms, an endless supply of beer/vodka/rum, knowing that there are cabs to take us wherever we choose to go, and blaring hip hop/EDM music, and that about sums it up.

Kristine put this conversation we had on Facebook before her birthday. Fitting.


I know, gross.

Lux leather jacket; LaRok tank; J Brand skinnies; Stella & Dot bangles; hair somehow held together with Bumble & Bumble products

We were in the parking lot - so this is not as badass as it may seem.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.. in this case, better make it two thousand.

Birthday girl!




And then these types of pictures happened, which means that no one was able to properly work a camera.

For New Year's Eve, there was no exception. The game plan was the same, except this time Edwin and I chose to get to our hotel room early (because neither of us ever need an excuse to get dressed up), order a lovely cheese pizza just for us (someone please get that reference), and pregame.


dress, Aqua for Bloomingdales (until it gets covered up by Edwin's suit jacket)

We ended up being in two different hotels, so we braved the cold (and I broke my feet in my fabulous shoes) and the ice, and walked all the way to the hotel where our other friends were staying.



Oh hey, girl.


I still do not know how my mouth moved this way.

To say this was the best New Year's Eve of my life would be a complete and total understatement. There were about fifteen of us, and we just had an amazing time. No drama, no problems, no fights - just all of us together, drinking and dancing (and wearing glitter covered New Year's hats that seriously ingrained the glitter into our scalps). Again, we spent the entire night dancing off all the calories we had consumed, laughing, and waiting for midnight kisses (and then the cycle repeated).

The next morning was a rough one - since for $40 you could buy a wristband that entitled you to four hours of open bar... and we all piled in together to go to a diner - Rob with glitter shaking out for every surface of his head/face from his New Year's hat, Edwin wearing snowboard goggles because the lights hurt his eyes, and the rest of us a million shades of hungover - but it was the best (and most Jersey) way to start off 2013.

Here's my boy.

And then we headed back home to sleep off the rest of the first day of 2013 (and drink lots and lots of water). I'm pretty sure every single one of us had Facebook statuses that said, "Never drinking again." Two days later, a friend's said,

"Me after New Year's: "I'm never drinking again." Five minutes ago: "Is four glasses of wine too many on a work night?"

So no matter what 2013 throws our way, we started it off with a bang - and I'm a firm believer that the way you start the year sets the tone for the duration of the year. 

How did you spend New Year's Eve? Is anyone else as behind on these posts as moi? Oops (though technically I'm still waiting for half my friends to post their NYE pictures up as well).

Currently listening to: Blood Bank - Bon Iver