Wednesday, September 12, 2012

A Day With A Friend

I'm close friends with Xenia, a young woman whom I met a decade ago.  Xenia immigrated to this country from Russia with her mother and sister.  I first met Xenia while she was playing in a rock band with her then-boyfriend/now-husband Mark.  I started hanging out with Xenia and Mark and enjoyed their company.  At the time, they were in their mid-twenties and their youthful vigor and ambition appealed to me.

Xenia later started a blog (using the name, Doe Deere) and it was a huge success.  Xenia had thousands of followers and became "Internet famous."  When we went out to dinner, girls frequently recognized her, came up and asked for an autograph.  Xenia's exceptional beauty and dramatic fashion sense make her instantly recognizable.

Xenia and Mark started a cosmetic company (Lime Crime) which has become a success selling millions of dollars of fun beauty products. 

A year ago, Xenia and Mark moved from New York to Los Angeles where their business is headquartered.  I miss them.  Xenia came back this week to visit and I took the day off work (which is very rare for me).  We had a great time.  We caught up on everything and had fun.

Xenia is currently sporting a new hair color -- lilac.  It's beautiful and she likes it.  She says she plans to keep it until she's an old lady.

We hung out in Red Hook which is a gritty neighborhood in Brooklyn.  It's full of factories, yet on the water with beautiful views of the Statue of Liberty.  The residents of Red Hook don't want the area to become gentrified like most of Brooklyn, so I saw signs that said, "Welcome to Red Hook.  Now Git!"

What drew us to this unusual area was a bakery that's reported to make the best Key Lime Pie in America.  The reports are true -- their pie is extraordinary.  They use all natural ingredients and juice their own limes.  I had a four-inch mini-pie dipped in dark chocolate.  Mmm!!

Here are some pictures from our day.

 

 



21 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, that pie sounds so delicious! I'm glad you took the time off of work to hang with Xenia - sometimes we need to put our loved ones first. I've actually heard of Lime Crime before + have been curious to try the products. Now that I know its a friend of yours, I will definitely have to seek it out!

    Hope your week is going well. Perhaps we can grab coffee next weekend?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Xenia's lilac hair is gorgeous! I love that photo of it down in curls. She looks like a little doll.
    The pie sounds so yummy. I'm so glad you were able to spend the day catching up with a friend.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sounds like an awesome day! I have never tried Key Lime pie but in my experience, that sort of speical care going into baked goods NEVER goes wrong. Maybe some day I will be able to try it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Awww congrats on spending the day with a good friend. Sounds like you guys had a wonderful time. Xenia is beautiful! Thanks for sharing your get-together. I wouldn't mind a slice of key lime pie right now!

    ReplyDelete
  5. congrats! spending time with friends when they live far is very-very awesome!
    Xenia seams a great person and I adore the hair colour

    Lyosha
    Inside and Outside Blog

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh wow!!! I'm jealous, I've always admired her!!! Thanks for sharing your pictures :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. That is so fun to be able to spend a day with an old friend. Love her purple hair! Key lime pie is so yummy :) Glad you enjoyed your day!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm glad you finally spent some time with them! Seeing friends after some time always makes me happy. She's beautiful, jus tlike a china doll!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh how fun! She sounds like a wonderful friend and I know how awesome it is to get to spend time with someone like that after they've moved away. I love her purple hair too!

    ReplyDelete
  10. It's always nice to reconnect with an old friend. Sounds like a nice way to spend a day off.
    Xenia is definitely one of a kind and pulls of the lavender hair well. Not everybody can get away with that!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love your friend's lilac hair; it's gorgeous on her and I hope she does keep it!

    It sounds like you had a wonderful day. I'm a bit jealous that Xenia got to visit you and I didn't, but I'll manage. I guess. ;-) Also, love key lime pie - the kind you had sounds delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Omg she is beautiful! How awesome to have your own company too! I sometimes think that I would love to own my own shop, you can have purple hair if you like! :) It looks like you had a lot of fun, and I will have to remember Red Hook as an area to visit when I am in NY.

    ReplyDelete
  13. It must be really cool to see the progression in someone's life like that. I'm a big fan of her cosmetic line, really great quality.

    As for Red hook, it's a really interesting neighborhood. It almost feels like it isn't really New York. Pretty fascinating.

    ReplyDelete
  14. she's beautiful and wears the lilac hair well. it's nice that you kept in touch over the years and were able to reconnect in person :)

    [oomph.]

    ReplyDelete
  15. I have always had a love for lilac hair. I tried to get my hairdresser to do mine that color, but she wasn't successful or I didn't get my point across. I hope she does wear it even when she is old as it looks fab on her.
    It sounds like you had a wonderful day with a good friend. And the Key Lime pie sounds fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  16. She sounds like a special friend. I love spending time with good friends. Glad that you enjoyed yourself. The purple hair is brilliant! xo

    ReplyDelete
  17. It was so good to see you, Ally! I feel honored you took a day off to see me. :) Come to LA, I'll clear out an entire week for you!!! <3

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm still an admirer of hers for so many reasons. At the top of the list is because she's how I met you! So glad you got to spend some time with her again.

    ReplyDelete
  19. OMG, I love Lime Crime's opaque lipstick! It's been on my wish list for quite some time now!

    ReplyDelete