NEW YORK, NEW YORK

I spent the weekend walking the streets of New York with family and friends, eating good food and luxuriating in the lovely warm weather.

It was the first time I had been back since last Christmas, and as always I was struck by the fact that the city never seems to change. It's the same overwhelming, chaotic, and magical place it was when I was a kid. I actually envy people their New York dreams--it's a city I love to visit, but would probably hate living in. Give me the quieter streets of Atlanta or Portland any day.

TERRAIN

I live a life of burgeoning curiosity.

I have a constant desire to touch and explore. I love reading the backs of bottles and the first pages of books. I always want to know what lies around the next bend in the trail and the next turn in the road. When I heard about Terrain’s opening in 2008 I longed to go; it seemed like just the place to let my curiosity run rampant.

Grounds for Sculpture

Over winter break I was lucky enough to have my girlfriend Hannah come home with me for four days! We spent her time visiting the major cities and sites around New Jersey; New York, Washington DC, and Philadelphia.

On Thursday the 20^th we took a 6:30 AM flight to Philadelphia and, after dropping our things off at my house, we headed to one of my favorite places in New Jersey—Grounds for Sculpture. It was pretty chilly, but we had a lot of fun wandering around the grounds and looking at the beautiful works of art!

New Jersey: Pennypacker Park

Last week my friend Marie and I visited Pennypacker Park, a pretty little area along the Cooper River, which eventually flows into the Delaware River along the Pennsylvania/New Jersey border. Pennypacker is one of my favorite places to walk around; there are beautiful woods and tons of nice trails on which to get lost! I couldn't believe how many critters we saw during our walk: turtles, ducks, bunnies, and even a red tailed hawk. One of the things I love about South Jersey is all the green space; there are farms, parks, and wooded areas everywhere!

New Jersey: Making Merry

Happy 2012! How did you ring in the New Year? I went to my friend Dan’s house, where we played board games, watched the ball drop (what was Lady Gaga even wearing?), made miniature cupcakes, and welcomed the new year with bubble wrap, sparkling apple cider, and confetti poppers!

The last few days have involved crazy amounts of packing and running around to get things for London! I went to a surprise going away party for my friend Jenna, who is leaving today for a semester Australia!

 

On Friday, I hosted a holiday party!  A handful of friends celebrated my departure and the holiday season. I made a ton of treats, including peppermint rice crispyballs, white chocolate dipped candy canes (inspired by Delightfully Tacky’s project), alcohol free mixed drinks, cream spearmints, and an awesome rainbow cake!

We played winter Pictionary, watched A Muppet Christmas Carol, painted sugar cookies, and ate tons of food. We also had a silly “photo booth”! It was so nice to see so many of my friends, but saying goodbye was bittersweet, since I won’t see them again for six months. I’ll definitely treasure (and laugh at) the pictures!!

This is my last post from the USA; tonight I’m London-bound for my semester abroad (with way too much luggage!)!

Feliz Navidad

Happy New Years! I can’t believe it’s nearly 2012! I hope y'all are ringing in the new year with friends! How are you spending the last moments of 2011?

I can't believe a week ago it was Christmas Eve; the holiday was such a blast, and it was so nice to spend time with my family. A few days before Christmas, my mom and I went to the Italian Market in Philadelphia to get fresh pasta and some cheese at Di Bruno Brothers for Christmas Eve dinner. I love going into the city when it's all dressed up for the holidays!

Christmas Eve my family and I ate a delicious home cooked Italian dinner and then headed to our church for a lovely Christmas Eve service. My favorite part: when we lit candles and the choir sang “silent night” in its original German. After church we drove around looking at Christmas lights, ate cookies, and headed to bed to wait for Santa!

Christmas morning my parents, sister, and I woke up for our Christmas breakfast and present opening. I had a blast watching my family opening the presents I made and purchased for them. I also got a new camera lens (The Canon EF 50mm F1.8 II)! My dad's "big gift" for my mom? An industrial shredder. Ha!

My mom made a wonderful dinner, with a cheese tray, vegetable pie, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and vegetarian gravy, and we had homemade peppermint ice cream, pumpkin pie, and buche de noel. I swear, I won’t be able to eat for a week (okay, maybe just the next seven hours).

The day after Christmas, a few of my friends and I made a gingerbread house. We had an awesome time eating candy and decorating (and sampling) the house!

My favorite picture from the day? Definatey this one!