The reflection in the mirror has changed. Significantly. Things are going every which way. The twins, Buttsy and Gutsy, have their own mind these days….and their own gravitational pull. Not cute. To what can I attribute this physical metamorphosis? Bad eating habits? Nope. I eat relatively healthy, always have. A sedentary lifestyle lacking physical fitness? Negative. Daily exercise has been incorporated into my lifestyle for years. So what’s a girl to do when feeling like a shoe-in for the lead in the next Big Momma’s House sequel? She gets together with one of her best girlfriends for a Saturday afternoon of dining, shopping and wine tastings!
So our first stop was at Colicchio & Sons Tap Room located in Meatpacking. Now don’t judge me but umm… we had pizza. Today was the day for cheating, people! Did I fail to tell you that today was declared Therapy Saturday? Please review the first paragraph and properly read between the lines. Anyway, the pizza was delish! My girl was feeling like having a meal that was substantial but not overwhelmingly filling. This was it, ladies. Let me be the first to introduce you to the taleggio, sopresatta, mushrooms & soffritto–pizza with a purpose and so damned good! Perfectly sized for individual consumption. We paired the pizza with a glass of Joseph Swan Pinot Noir, Cuvee de Trois 2008. Talk about a potent Pinot 
Noir! It’s ominous in its dark red hue and bursting with bold woodsy, fruity flavors just waiting to complement any meal.
We ate, people-watched and chatted about our…stuff. Apparently, my issue of the day was getting my ‘stuff’ back in proper shape. Hell, what woman isn’t a little concerned about her weight? Cardio is my new best friend these days, mainly in the form of running outdoors or on the treadmill. I try to log in no less than 5 miles per run, at least 25 miles total per week. Sometimes I accomplish my goal but there are days when running is just not gonna happen.
According the experts, the best way to burn calories is walking, right? So me and my girl did just that. After we slaughtered our pizza and washed it down with 2 glasses of Pinot, we walked across the street to Chelsea Market and walked right into Chelsea Wine Vault. Good Lawd, more wine?? Only a few steps inside, we both stood frozen in our tracks at this accidental treas
ure, a very cute, extremely chic personal wine carrying purse. Yes, I said PURSE! How cute is this??? Ladies, talk about upping your BYOB swag! And it comes with a bottle opener inside its own compartment. Hotness!
Our Saturday therapy and exercise program continued a few blocks towards the West Village on a side street off the beaten path where we stumbled across a boutique that is a true diamond in the rough. This Hollywood-esque walk-in fashion closet is called New York Artificial—an ironic play on words as every article is nothing less than unique, one of a kind creations. We got our red carpet fantasy on with the help of our charming and delightful host. Marvin showed us around NYA as if we were invited guests in his home. We oooo’d and aaaahhh’d over almost every hat, bag and dress our eyes fell upon. I tried on gangster hats with matching patent leather bags. My girl carefully 
considered a bad-ass animal print wrap dress that looked like it was made just for her. We went to the boutique next door—NYA part II—and were kids in a candy store. Here is where Aaron, celebrity makeup artist and our host on this side of the wall, graciously invited us to continue our tour of glam. I instantly fell under the spell of handcrafted jewelry. My favorite: a very delicate brownish/burnt orange floral neck piece with matching earrings…..made out of tea leaves! Designer, Victoria Martinez, is a masterful genius who has captured feminine beauty in this piece. Purchased!
The evening is already upon us and at this point, we’ve worked up quite a sweat and decided to chill out and rest our feet over a glass of wine at Nero d’Avola on Gansevoort and red velvet cupcakes we picked up at Eleni’s located inside Chelsea Market. Here’s when keeping it real goes wrong: Our plans were to have one glass of wine each, paired with just one red velvet cupcake…each. Well, after chatting up the bartender, Scott (who schooled us on the meaning of Wing Men), and the very suave, one-more-glass-won’t-hurt manager, Oliver, somehow we lost count of our wine intake, managed to throw down a chocolate something or other dessert AND a plate of the most delicious fried calamari, zucchini and shrimp mix this side of New England. WTF happened?? Let me put it to you this way, the Pinot Noir wasn’t the only thing full-bodied at the end of the night.
And it was a damned good night. We got our ‘stuff’ hashed out, got our shopping on, sang old school hip-hop and reminisced on the love we had by way of Mary (last name not necessary, come on y’all).
Today, I took a look at the reflection in the mirror and see a grown ass woman who simply needs to step up her exercise game; you know, tighten up some things here and there. Sometimes it takes your girls to help you ‘work your stuff out’……..one glass of wine at a time.
