Greetings from the Jersey Shore!

Well, I haven’t made it to the beach just yet, but I did arrive here safe and sound after about 3 1/2 hours of travel last night. Worth it.
I took today off from work so I could spend the long weekend with my family, and I’m so excited to soak in the fun, sun, and family lovin’! But for now, here are some highlights from the past few days GML land.
After dinner at Barbounia, Erica, Jessi and I continued our Tuesday night RiFF RaFF tradition. Self-photos ensued, like, obviously.
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It was another night for the books. Yup.
Moving on to Wednesday evening, where I went to my friend Rhema’s place for a ladies dinner party.

Let’s just say that Rhema is one phenom hostess. On the menu:


Everything was SO delicious! I left before dessert, but Rhema put together watermelon “sandwiches” filled with mint ice cream served with a piece of white chocolate. I left feeling quite inspired to have dinner parties of my own one of these days…
And – sorry to be a tease – but I think I may just be able to sooner than I thought. Details to come! 
Being a complete bum is calling my name right about now, so pardon me while I enjoy this little vacation of mine. Love you all!! xoxo G
How are you spending Fourth of July weekend?
Have you ever hosted a dinner party?












Hi! I’m a new reader! I have hosted a few dinner parties- including one for my husband’s new boss. I was pretty nervous about them, but it turned out to be fun. I kept it very easy with Spanish meats and cheeses for appetizers, roasted chicken, balsamic vegetables, parmesan risotto and a homemade key lime pie for dessert because I knew that was the boss’s fave.
Liza says
Ooo being on the beach for the weekend sounds so nice! I’m in DC for the long weekend and I’m super excited to see the fireworks on the mall!
What a beautiful beach shot! I’m heading to my favorite place on earth in Northern Michigan.
I have never hosted a dinner party but would love to as soon as I move to NYC.. although I did host a wine and cheese night a while back
4th of July means BBQ’s!
debbie says
have fun on your little vaca!
I’ve never hosted a dinner party…but the past few years I have hosted a New Year’s Eve party with appetizer type food, along with my sisters. I guess our friends have different tastes in food than we do, because we always have way too much food left over! I wish they’d just venture out and try the edamame…it’s kind of annoying ;), haha.
I’ve never hosted a dinner party but I don’t have a kitchen yet! You can bet that when I do I’ll be having people over all the time. I can’t wait! 4th of July weekend is going to be spent relaxing and catching up on school stuff..
Enjoy the beach, looks like a great weekend for it!
That lentil salad sounds awesome! I just hosted a dinner party on Tuesday and the menu was:
Green salad
Potato Wedges tossed in truffle oil
Ratatouille served with goat cheese on the side
Vegan lentil loaf served with mushroom gravy
Dessert was ice cream and cherries
Love menu planning!
That lentil salad looks amazing!!! Recipe? I can’t wait until I have my own place so I can host dinner parties and such
Last year, My friend threw a dinner party for me on my birthday. It was the perfect way to spend that night!! Happy 4th!
I’ve never hosted a dinner party, but I’ve hosted plenty of parties!
Guess that doesn’t count though, huh? :/
4th of July will be spent in Chicago and I can’t wait! I’m about to start packing now! Have fun on the Jersey shore!
Emily @ Comfortable Home Life says
So jealous you’re at the Jersey shore — I grew up there! I’ll be at the beach this weekend but I’ll still be significantly far away from NJ in South Carolina. Enjoy your vacation!
I host dinner parties fairly often with my friends. I just love cooking for all of them! Nothing is more satisfying than seeing all that hard work pay off when they enjoy your meal!
chyeeeeeuh for the jersey shore! those are my stomping grounds.
don’t get too crazy and come back with a snookpoof, ‘kay?
I think that hosting a dinner party would be fun, and I think it’s about time I just have one… Ha, ha.
Wow your friend is an amazing hostess! I wish I had the time and energy to hold dinner parties of my own. 😛
Have a great long weekend! I’m spending mine at work, so I’m super jealous that you’ll be chilling at the beach!
Jealous— I want to be at the beach right now! Enjoy!
No dinner parties yet…but I’m hoping to invite people over for dinner once school starts back up. I don’t know if that counts or not.
Fourth of July=cookout, fireworks, and *hopefully* the parade in town. That might be a no-go, though, which would be super sad. On the bright side, I have a five-count ’em-FIVE day weekend! It’ll be sad come paycheck time, but I’ll enjoy the time that I have while I have it.