Happy tree trimming!

Like most of you hot doggers out there, 

making me most happy this week 

was all things Christmas...

And more about our trip to DC soon, 

but first a quick little happy side note.  

Now that we have a tree, 

to our overjoyed surprise, a lot of people 

sent us ornaments as gifts to help us trim it. 

I've never really been 

much of a sentimental person, 

but having these pieces of family 

puts a smile on my face whenever I see them.

Now, instead of just candy canes and lights, 
we've got hand-painted trees from our nieces, 

a special family ornament from my grandma Sue, 

one from the White House,

and some great furry creatures from 

Jamey, Kate, Nick and Lindsey.

I know it may seem cheesy, 
but this makes me really really happy, 
so I don't care what any Scrooges think.

What traditions do you have with 

your family around the holidays? 

I think I just discovered mine. 

:-) 

Merry Christmas to all! 

Start spreadin' the news....

Last weekend Anth and I took a day trip to NY. 

It really is awesome that it's so close. 

We walked around the Chelsea Market, 

saw a TON of great art and the tree, 

and then (the highlight), 

we headed up to Queens to celebrate 

our friend Felipe's birthday...

and they had a Chilean BBQ and Pisco.

Such a great day. 

One of the best in a long time. 

Here are some pics!  

This is the flatest Flat Iron I've ever seen. 

These dog photos cracked me up. 

As did these cross stitches. 

The Madam would have loved them. 

 This.installation.was.awesome. 

This past semester, Anth started 

screen printing over post-it notes. 

It was crazy to see someone else doing that...

and with a whole room! 

The Chelsea Market had awesome food;

especially the clam chowder. 

Yum! 

hahahahaha. 

 The High Line. 

Hands down, my favorite artist 

right now is Mark Bradford. 

His work is overwhelmingly beautiful, 

feels like a specific place, 

We previously saw his show in Chicago

(see below)

but just happened to stumble upon this one. 

What a great surprise! 

Paz and her Pisco! 

What a great drink! 

Oh, and it was also SantaCon in the city. 

Watching hundreds of drunk Santas

cruising aimlessly around was hilarious. 

And, as always, we sprinted through the city

 to catch our train and made it just in time. 

Just in time for sleepy santas, 

hahahaha. 

New York is so enchanting, 

especially during the holidays...

can't wait to go back! 

Happy list!

Here it is folks! 

1. This week I learned Ira Glass's dog 

is SO much crazier than mine. 

Photo by Ira's wife

I'm not quite sure why this makes me happy, 

but it totally does. 

Those of you who listen to TAL will get it

(I think). 

2. Anthony has his final crit today. 

Yay! He's worked his booty off this semester 

and I'm a super proud wife. 

Brownies* and champaign are in order! 

Happy weekend everyone! 

*Best brownie recipe ever. 

Happy Holidays!

What's making me happy this week? 

Christmas! 

(duh)

Since we normally spend a lot time

out of town during the holidays, 

Anthony and I haven't gotten a Christmas tree 

since we've lived together. 

While Anthony was prepping for final crits on Saturday, 

(and I was missing friends and family), 

I decided it was time to perk up and deck the halls. 

Being the prideful, self-sufficient city-lady that I am, 

I hoofed it 8 blocks to pick out a tree, 

threw the 6 footer on my shoulder, 

tied the tree stand to the limbs

and tied the bag of lights to my arm. 

hahahaha. 

One guess how this turned out. 

In my defense, I made it 7 blocks 

by myself with no problems. 
Well, as long as "no problems" means
many nods and smiles followed by, 
"You sure you got that" from friendly passerbys. 

Then bag with lights broke. 

Thank the heavens for nice neighbors

who insist on carrying your belongings that last one block. 

Can you see how happy I am?! 

Cause I am :-) 

******

Oh, and what's making JDog happy this week? 

Negligent dog parents. 

While stopping by the studio for a visit, 

Jax discovered (and fell in love with) balloons.  

It was hilarious watching him frolic around

tossing the balloon in the air

before we finally had to take it away. 

:-) Happy Monday! 

Giving thanks....

Last week, Anth, Jax and I 

jumped in the car and drove west for Thanksgiving. 

Since moving to Philly, 

we haven't had much family/friend time. 

So needless to say, 

the 12 hour drive went super fast because

we were both really anxious to get to SB. 

Here are some pics from the great (but fast) weekend! 

Fun with dragon fruit :-) 

Sadly, dragon fruit doesn't taste 

as exotic as you would hope. 

Anytime I hang out with the boys, 

we always play on the iSwap faces app :-) 

This pic though turned out better before the swap. 

I think Lindsey and Ethan's was my fav. 

hahahaha. 

The Bowers family makes the best spaghetti. 

It's going to probably take me years to master this sauce. 

The first night there, 

the we had a slumber party with the kids. 

What's better at a slumber party

than homemade cinnamon rolls for the next morning? 

Nothing. 

Really, nothing.is.better. 

Lindsey, TJ, Ethan and I made this recipe. 

Not only is it super easy and kid friendly, 

but they're really really delicious. 

For those keeping score, yes,

these are the same rolls I made for Anth's bday. 

I would make them every week if I had the time. 

Oh, and check out Lindsey rocking her Threadless gear too! 

All hands on deck for Thanksgiving dinner! 

Or, more accurately, 

everyone is hustling around because we're all hungry :-) 

Ethan claiming the turkey leg.

Nothing says the holidays like game time.

And after stuffing ourselves silly,

we took some family pics. 

I feel so lucky to have joined this wonderful family! 

 I think I fit in just fine with these goofballs :-) 

Before we knew it, 

it was already time to hop back 

in the car and head east. 

Jax was especially not excited 

to spend 12 hours in his kennel. 

Midway through the trip, 

he got a peanut butter treat. 

Somehow he managed to get ahold 

of the spoon we used to scoop the pb. 

And then proceeded to hold it correctly. 

Look closely and you can see it. 

Anth and I laughed for about 20 might straight. 
Poor guy. 

Happy Thanksgiving kids! 

How to....

....run at 6:30am the Monday after Thanksgiving. 

1. Blast Andrew WK. 

Try running to I Get Wet 

without being pumped up. 

I dare you. 

2. This view across the South Street bridge. 

Even if it's below freezing

and your belly is still full of leftover stuffing, 

Philly's pretty nice in the morning. 

How about you? 

How do you jump back on the exercise saddle after time off? 

Fallin' for Philly

In the past 10 years, 

I've lived in 5 (very) different cities and towns.

Something I've noticed recently? 

Every place has a season. 

The season the city comes alive. 

The happiest version of that city. 

Yes, it definitely depends on the people living there too...

I mean, I would never move to a city 

whose season is Winter. 

Everyone always talks about the winters in Chicago. 

But for those who have lived there, 

Chicago is a Summer city. 

Bloomington? 

Easily Spring. 

....and Philly? 

Fall. 

Most definitely fall. 

Don't believe me? 
Here's some very convincing evidence. 

 Didn't know Martha Stewart lived in my neighborhood. 

People here take their window dressings very seriously. 

And their house cats ;-) 

Oh, and Jax wasn't sure what to make of this guy. 

"Hey....should I fight him?
Because I totally will... 
In your honor of course."

"Pretty please?"

hahahaha. 

I think Summer cities are my personal favorite. 

Of course, fall is pretty easy to love too.  

What about you? 

Sunny days....

This weekend was great. 

It's hard to be grumpy when it's 65 degrees.

Especially when you know it's probably 

not going to be this nice again until April or May.  

Here are some snaps! 

After a good long run, 

JDog and I stopped by the studio 

to hang out for a bit. 

He would have preferred snoozing on the couch. 

Our apt is a block away from this square. 

It's pretty great, 

especially on days like today. 

Oh, did you hear? 

JK Rowling wrote a book about Muggles. 

Not sure how I feel about it yet. 

More interesting?

Batboys on bikes. :-) 

 And even better?

 Our neighborhood gelato shop. 

Today's choice was grapefruit and bourbon vanilla.

It takes every ounce of willpower I have

to not go in there daily. 

I'm.Not.Kidding.

If it were socially acceptable, 

I would be right there with that kid, 

demanding samples of cioccolate scuro

with my face pressed on the glass.

We sent Poppa B the gelato pic. 

His response? 

When we ventured home, 

JDog got the bottom of the cups. 

Here, I'll read his mind for you. 

"If you try and take this cup from me, 

I'll bite your face off"

My thoughts exactly pup. 

~~~~

We also trekked to the Franklin Institute to see Skyfall. 

The movie was pretty great...

(Action movie and Tom Ford suits? Yes, please)

and this statue was nice too. 

Don't Ben's knees look weird? 

I sure think so. 

I'll spare you the inappropriate joke I made :-) 

How about you? 

It's suddenly the holiday season too. 

When did that happen?