how i spent my december.

hello followers! sorry for the absence but it's that time of year!

i'll try to sum up the last month as quickly as possible without leaving too much out. so, get ready for some great pictures!

luckily, my friend brett and i got VIP passes for the Rockefeller Christmas Tree Lighting.  it was AMAZING. seriously. a true nyc experience i won't soon forget. we were seriously about 10 feet from the foot of the tree and got to see lots of cool people including Al Roker, Savannah Guthrie, and Donald Trump & family.  

                       

                            

my family came into town the second week of december for some good old fashioned Christmas time in the city! we spent four days hanging out, seeing all the Christmas decorations, and having lots of fun!

then, i got to go home to NC for EIGHT WHOLE DAYS! it was amazing. i relaxed, i baked, and i hung out with friends and family. back in high school, i used to bake a gingerbread house each Christmas.  for a few years, i didn't do one but this year, i started again.  i pick out a pattern, make my gingerbread dough, cut out the pieces, and bake them.  then i construct the house and decorate it! it was SO much fun. it took 2 entire days and a lot of help from my family.  the entire house is edible and this year, it lit up. for Christmas Eve, we did our usual tradition of going to the Christmas Eve candlelight service then to my aunt and uncle's house for dinner, drinks, Christmas games and lots of singing. then we did our usual traveling on Christmas day to my grandmother's house for dinner and presents with my mom's side of the family.

so, that's what i did this holiday season. and here's to an even better 2012!

my thanksgiving adventure.

i thought that spending my first thanksgiving away from family would be tough, but it wasn't! i still had family, they just weren't mine! i spent the holiday in middletown, new jersey with my friend kelsey and her family. kelsey and i were roommates in college and we still see each other as often as we can.

unfortunately, i had to work at 5:30am, but was off and headed to new jersey by noon (not without encountering THOUSANDS of parade patrons, though!).

it was a great day--really. i've met most of her family so i felt like i was back at home; the smell of turkey, stuffing (or as us southerners call it-dressing), and potatoes, and the merriment of family was lovely. it was successful day--i left feeling just as stuffed as i always do and had a nice turkey nap on the train ride home :)

                

Kelsey (R) and her sister, Molly, who I hadn't 
seen in forever! 

Molly's youngest, Kate, who I met for the first time
on Thursday!

And of course Ava, Molly's oldest, who steals
the show :)

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

thanksgiving eve.

well, the holiday season is upon us! and for the first time in 23 (almost 24) years, i am spending thanksgiving away from my entire family.  it's crazy to think of it like that, but i suppose it's just part of growing up.

i work at a very popular bakery in rockefeller plaza so we will be open tomorrow for the parade.  what does that mean for me? 4:30am wake up call.  fortunately, i have friends in the tri-state so my college roommate has been kind enough to invite me to her house in New Jersey to spend thanksgiving with her and her family! i've been baking for the past few days (quite a task in a tiny nyc apartment-stay tuned for that later!) to get ready for thanksgiving and the start of a great holiday season.

today though, i spent my thanksgiving "eve" doing a pretty touristy thing--i went to see the balloons being blown up for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! since i can't see the actual parade, i suppose this was the next best thing. tonight, i'm spending it indoors where it's warm (it's finally getting cold up here!) drinking hot chocolate out of my trusty Zabar's mug, burning my first holiday candles, and watching a good holiday movie.

if i could, i would list everything i am thankful for this holiday season but, i suppose you would get tired of reading as there are a ton! but for now, i will just tell you all that i feel so blessed to be where i am in my life and for all the people who are in it :)

 

                       

 

                       

   

happy turkey day!

my inspiration for today and everyday.

unfortunately i can't take credit for discovering this but my friend amy posted this to facebook a few weeks ago as inspiration to anyone struggling to live in new york city. 

not only is it an inspiration, but it's a daily reminder that we are the few (well, 8 million) that are lucky enough to live in this great city and to have survived the ups and downs that come with making such a huge change in our lives.

so, to those of you new yorkers that read this, bask in the fact that you probably know all the spots where this was filmed. enjoy the goosebumps you get when you see the skyline from the 7 train (i know i did and do), as well as the goosebumps you get when you realize that this is your city; this is home.

to those of you that are just visitors, let it be a reminder that there are places in our great country where change is made everyday and there really is a place where dreams are realized.

watch it. over and over again.

A Year In New York

autumn in new york

boy did i pick the right weekend to walk through the park and go for a run around the reservoir! i kept waiting for fall to "fall" and it finally has! i won't talk about how it was nearly 70 today, though...

enjoy!

if you look closely towards the bottom right, you
can see a couple getting married! i saw 3 weddings in
the park that day.