My Bucket List of Dreams & Wishes

Identifying your dreams is the first step to making them come true.  Even if you haven’t written it down, everyone has that list of dreams and wishes.  I wrote one down once in the late hours of the night when I was twelve.  At the age of 25, I’ve come to find that goals such as swimming with dolphins and visiting London are still high priorities on my list.  So I decided to create yet another bucket list of things I’d like to experience during my life and share it with you.  You should make a list too.  I plan on coming back to this post and crossing off each item as they happen.

My Official Bucket List of Aspiring Socialite Achievements: 

  • Visit London and experience all the romance of British literature
  • Swim with dolphins
  • Take a spontaneous trip to Las Vegas
  • Spend a week in Los Angeles
  • Go on a Fifth Ave. shopping spree
  • Plan a charity gala
  • Visit where my great-grandmother was born in Ireland
  • Own an apartment in Manhattan
  • Be featured in and/or write for a major fashion magazine
  • Take my mom and my sister on a luxury spa weekend
  • Invest in something
  • Take a tour of major and emerging tech companies in Palo Alto
  • Appear on Good Morning America
  • Write the next great novel
  • Pay off my student loans
  • Have a walk-in closet
  • Practice yoga on the shores of India
  • Spend a month in the Mediterranean
  • Swim in the hot springs of Iceland
  • Adopt a homeless dog
  • Fall in love
  • Ski in Aspen
  • Go on an African safari
  • Sit front row at Fashion Week
  • Win a Shorty Award
  • Party at Coachella

The Most Inspiring NYC Movies Ever!

It’s cloudy and rainy in NYC and this ugly weather will be making many appearances this week. But, no worries. It’s time to trade in your rooftop lounge chair for a plush couch. For me, bad weather calls for a movie marathon complete with delivery food. One of the coolest things about living in New York is that so many movies are shot here. Sometimes I will be watching TV and see a scene taking place somewhere I’d passed that day. No wonder everyone here seems to think they have movie star status. The small island of Manhattan is full of some of the biggest personalities, myself included.

When putting together a New York City themed movie marathon, I like to choose films with fun main characters who mirror aspects of my own New York experiences. Here are the top five New York chick flicks to save for your next rainy day:

5. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days: This movie is hilarious!  Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey have excellent chemistry on-screen as they cruise around New York on a motorcycle.  It’s great how they wrote diamonds into the storyline.  Rainy day or not, they are a girl’s best friend.

4. The Devil Wears Prada: Only in New York can a scantily paid journalist get free designer clothes long before they hit stores.  This movie has fashionistas everywhere wondering if Miranda Priestly is actually based on Vogue’s Anna Wintour.  Though many suspect, it’s never been proven.

3. Confessions of a Shopaholic: I have a bit of a shopping problem so I can totally relate to Rebecca Bloomwood’s passion for magical credit cards. Her writing also gains her critical acclaim from the New York elite just as mine has.

2. The Nanny Diaries: The epic story of a Jersey Girl who takes a job as a nanny in New York directly after graduating from college while telling her parents that she landed a job at Goldman Sachs.  This movie shows that no matter how confused you are when you first get here, New York is a great place to find yourself.  You can also learn a lot about anthropology from this movie so it’s an educational experience.

1. Breakfast at Tiffany’s: Obviously! Every socialite wants to be like Audrey Hepburn. Plus, I always cry at the end when they find the cat.

Socialite Stuff: Thank You Cards Are Classy

If socialites have any responsibilities, they are to be classy and fashionable. What is classier than personalized printed Thank You cards that express your gratitude and personality? It doesn’t take a special occasion to be showered with gifts.  Therefore, socialites need to constantly be sending out Thank You notes.  Being a socialite is all about having things (along with an above average amount of spare time) so if you haven’t already, start Thank You card shopping.  As we all know, hearing about the latest designer fashions isn’t as good as actually having them.  So isn’t a physical entity of your gratitude more powerful than your incredibly eloquent words? Pictured left is this adorable designer stationary by kate spade.  Perfect for a socialite who enjoys her classically girly designs.

Though kate spade has an excellent selection of brightly colored cards and note pads, PAPYRUS has an even bigger selection of socialite style greeting cards and invitations.  However, if you can’t find anything in the stores that fits your vision of what a Thank You from you should look like, you can always design something yourself or hire a designer for a one of a kind card to give your loving admirers.

Who to Aspire to Be and When

I am a strong believer in the complexity of people. It is next to impossible to describe anyone in three words because from second to second we are a million different people. Unlike the average person who lives their life in the norm, socialites and celebrities show their many sides in the public eye. In every aspect of your socialite life, you should be the best of the best.

Here I give you every Aspiring Socialite’s guide to which socialites/celebrities to emulate and in what situation.

On the party scene: Though she is so much more, Paris Hilton is the ultimate party girl who knows how to get photographed at every A-list event.  Instead of cocktails, this heiress likes to down red bulls to keep up her energy late into the night.

When meeting your boyfriend’s parents: Known as America’s Sweetheart, Reese Witherspoon is the potential daughter-in-law every parent dreams about.  In fact, I don’t think there is anyone who doesn’t love Reese Witherspoon or doesn’t want to be her best friend.

When launching your line: Kim Kardashian along with the rest of the Kardashian Klan have business ventures worth millions.  Their empire stretches from fashion, to fragrances, to reality TV, magazine covers, and much more.  So when it comes to being a businesswoman, take a hint from the Kardashians.

On an interview: Weather you are on a job interview or being interviewed by the ladies of The View, you need the royal presence and poise of Kate Middleton.  The Duchess of Cambridge may also be a great person to imitate on the catwalk.  Not only is she a fashion icon, but everyone knows she landed her prince while modeling a sheer number in a charity fashion show back at St. Andrews.

Though it is always important to make your own path and not focus on becoming like one person alone, mixing the best qualities of the rich and famous into one can be your one way ticket to high society.

Dealing with Psycho Friends

Recently on Gossip Girl, Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) became the fairy god cousin to her long lost relative, Charlie (Kaylee DeFer.) Needless to say, no good deed goes unpunished because this seemingly sweet girl is completely psycho. Charlie doesn’t just want to be like Serena because let’s face it we all do and that’s completely normal, she wants to actually be Serena. Or so we thought.

Two episodes ago, the crazy, Charlie finally succeeds in seducing Dan in Serena’s gold cotillion dress. But, her insane fantasy is short lived when Dan freaks out after she asks him to call her Serena. In tonight’s season finale, Charlie drunkenly tried to jump out of an open window. After that, she seemed to calm down a bit. Or was she faking it? It turns out the whole thing was a complete lie and their was a sketchy handoff in Miami. It looks like this whole estranged relatives act may just be a plot to extort money from the great van der Woodsen clan of Manhattan. I guess we will have to wait until next season to see what this screwy blonde is really up to.

Even of you have not yet found socialite status, you have probably had your share of psycho friends and acquaintances that could have come straight out of the movies. However, if you plan on being on the front page of every society page, get ready for three times the crazy. Your devotees copying your every move and the paparazzi’s interest in your casual brunch can be fun at first, but living in a fishbowl where you often encounter people looking to take advantage of you is enough to make anyone check into rehab for a month or two. Why do you think Canyon Ranch is so popular among with world’s elite? However, being a socialite is all worth it to me. It’s just good to know what you are really getting into.