ippl takes on nyc: day 1.

Since graduating college, my best girlfriends and I (better known as IPPL) plan an annual reunion. We usually plan them around birthdays, football games, beach vacations or house warming parties, but over the last few years most of our bigger reunions have revolved around weddings. As late 20-something girls, weddings have pretty much become an annual tradition in our group (a tradition which I love!).

That being said, the 2012 schedule did not include an IPPL wedding and so another reunion had to be planned. Since we are spread out all over the country now (Tampa, Orlando, Gainesville, Atlanta, Chicago, Boston, New York and me in Australia...) we decided to hold this year's annual reunion in a place we have yet to "unite"- NEW YORK CITY!

Kate moved to New York after graduating a landed a big girl job with the NEW YORK POST!! She works in the heart of Times Square and now even writes a TV review blog for one of our all time favourite shows in college, The Bachelor. Yeah, she is kind of a big deal that big city friend of mine....

Anyway, last weekend seven members of IPPL traveled to Park Slope, Brooklyn for a much needed reunion in the Big Apple.



Once in Brooklyn we did typical girly things like shop in trendy Brooklyn thrift stores where Kate seems to find some amazingly unique things...






... Like hats and jackets and shoes and dresses. Some trash... some treasure. But definitely worth a good look because you just never know what you might find.






I mean, look at this trendy mannequin with this crazy fur hat and blue sweater scarf. I just love his marker moustache. Don't you?? haha.





[This is Ralphie, Kate's roommate. Isn't he beautiful??]

And of course, no IPPL reunion would be complete without a custom made coozie. This particular coozie is significant for several reasons.



1. The picture on the coozie is of the Brooklyn Bridge (where Kate lives and the place where we were staying)
2. The beer in the coozie is a Brooklyn brewed beer (you know, to get a real taste of the city)
3. And most importantly, 2012 marks our 10 year anniversary and what better way to sum up our friendships than with the quote- "10 years and a lot of beers." Just couldn't be more true!!

A special thanks to Erin for getting these made!


[I had to represent Max and Australia with a little Bundaberg rum]




Once everyone arrived, we headed out for dinner at Coco Roco. It was really crowded but really, really good! I would recommend the drink I had if only I could remember what it was called...



Our next stop was a bar called Union Hall. It was also really crowded but really, really fun! The people were nice, the drinks were cheap and they had some kind of karaoke downstairs which ended up luring us in around 3am.



Not our most flattering photo but we were certainly having fun slipping back into old school mode with our best version of "Gangsta's Paradise". Like I said... the drinks were cheap and we might have had a few by this point.

And as we stumbled walked home very late that night, I smiled and laughed as the snow fell down around us. We were all back together and everything was right in the world even if only for a weekend :)