"Winter" in New York

When I imagined what our winter would behold, I didn't picture twinkling light wrapped trees lining cobblestone streets, or frozen rinks throughout Central Park dotted with skaters getting their triple lutz on, or entire buildings sparkling from top to bottom to window displays (I forbid myself from looking up while walking by any J Crew and/or Anthropologie store during the months of November to January due to my inability to resist the mesmerizing displays which without fail led me to become a statistic of consumerism). 

I imagined a humid kind of cold that would seep beneath my unflattering giant down coat, ear muffs, and layers of scarves which I wore daily as I stood next to Penfield and Burberry clad commuters who had apparently decided that tights and pants were equal in the warmth department. But, anyone who has been to Logan, Utah at 7:30 am in January knows the real definition of cold. You can't quite describe the feeling of wind so cold that the tears streaming down your windblown face freeze your eyelids shut, and your lungs refuse to accept the -17 degree air you are trying to breathe in.

Now, don't get me wrong, it was still cold. And it was still winter. But it was the best kind of winter I could have hoped for. As someone who was never destined for snow sport greatness, the two overly hyped 'snow storms' we got here in Manhattan were just the right amount. We've spent a lot of time inside, eating, and enjoying friends craftiness and winter decor (if you can't be crafty, have crafty friends- isn't that the motto?) as well as mastering the Ghost game on Estee and Jeremy's Wii U. I did manage to make a real wreath, and the pine needles have yet to fall all over my floor so I figured, why take down my only decoration? Once my down coat gets put away, my wreath will get thrown away, and Spring will be on it's way- so much to look forward to! But really, this winter has been great (besides the lack of snow and freezing temperatures) and we've got a list of 'how to entertain yourself without a TV, internet, or resorting to games' about a mile long.

Come on Spring, you're so close. Just get here already! We can't handle losing to Alex in the ghost game any longer.

Our Weekend Trip: Part Two

My taste buds don't fully know how to express what they experienced during our weekend getaway. The freshest assortment of lobster rolls, crab cakes, and handmade pastries that a town could offer. Boston really knocked it out of the park when it came to the food (reference the picture below) and we didn't leave our stomachs hungry for one minute. If I had to rate my favorite thing about our trip, this would be it. I like to think the amount of walking we did in those 48 hours balanced out our caloric intake, but who am I kidding. When we weren't eating or touring, we were taking advantage of every photo-op that came our way or buying dollar accessories for our phones.

The Freedom Trail conveniently merged into Little Italy, that or our tour guides took us on a detour. Either way, it was just where we wanted to be. We went to about five different pizza places before eventually deciding on Regina's. And after our server misinterpreted our order, we ended up with two extra large pizzas and a bunch of root beer. We left just enough room for cannoli's from Mike's after we were told they would be worth it, but we weren't prepared for what we were about to partake of. Unbelievable I tell you. These canoli's alone made the Chinatown Bus worth it. Alex may or may not have also ordered three different tiramisu's, just to find the best. I'm not sure he was ever able to decide.

We'll be seeing you again soon, Boston. Thanks for the good times, good eats, and great memories.

Our Weekend Trip: Part One

There are a few things that I learned from this trip, that I think I should share upfront. First, you might naively think, "We'll just take the Chinatown Bus. It's dirt cheap and it will be a funny story I'm sure..". Don't do it. Spend the money. Spend any amount to avoid that bus. And, if you decide to go against my experienced warning, make sure you and your friends buy tickets for the same bus.. otherwise, one of you may end up delayed for an hour at a Chinese Buffet somewhere around New Haven, Connecticut. Second, if your friends invite you to share their hotel room with them in Boston for free, do it. Always do it, and repay them with compliments and a promise of flattering photos from the trip. And last, go to Boston. Because it's one of the greatest, most quaint cities I've been to, and I fell in love with it the second I stepped off that Chinatown bus. 

We left on a Friday night after work, and got back to NYC on Sunday night, so when I say it was a quick trip, I mean quick. But it was a great little adventure, and this is starting to get wordy, so cue photos:

Against our better judgement, we embarked on a walking tour courtesy of our friends Jeremy and Estee, on a beautifully frigid mid-January day. Now, the only thing better than friends, are friends who make great tour guides. And the best kind of tour guides are the ones who like exactly what you like, which in our case was staying warm, staying full, and staying entertained. Needless to say, these former Boston residents kept us thoroughly entertained from sunrise to way past sunset.. 

We spent most of Saturday walking The Freedom Trail, a trail paved into the streets of Boston which leads you through the locations of historical events, the resting place of historical figures, and a plethora of copper clad architecture (loved). It was like reliving my 8th grade History class, but in the best way. Some of the highlights included a select few Paul Revere landmarks, like the church where he hung the lantern (one if by land, and two if by sea...) and even the house he called home. There is something to be said for taking a step back, and remembering how it all began, and the amazing people who made it happen.

The Freedom Trail was fantastic. Everyone needs to venture down this brick lined trail at least once. If I had the time, I would have just kept going in circles. But then again, if we didn't have our tour guides, that probably would have really happened.. Until next time, Freedom Trail. 

2013!

I know you weren't prepared for this slew of belated Holiday posts, but as someone who can barely remember the events of yesterday let alone last year's Holidays I felt it was necessary for me to record as much as I could remember with as many accompanying photos as I could find, just in case I get around to "making that photo book each new year." There it is, in writing. It will happen now.

We counted down the new year with some of Salt Lake City's finest (and our favorite people + Calvin) who we also happen to be related to.

It involved a lot of pizza, inside jokes, and some sort of frozen coconut cake concoction I insisted on buying and then ended up eating myself. The night was spent catching up and thinking about the past year full of more changes than we could have imagined would come. It also included the first self-timer success of the year- plus full cooperation from Calvin, success! The night was a great start to the new year, and hopefully 2013 will bring fame, fortune, and a bulldog for Alex. Just kidding (about the fame.. but I mean if it happens, it happens, right? Okay but seriously, I'm kidding. And this joke inside these parenthesis is over). Here's to 2013!

Christmas at home.

The Holidays came before we even had time to realize it. The only problem was, our pockets were a little short changed, and making it home was starting to look less likely every day. So, we did what we like to think any normal, desperate, home deprived couple would do-- we signed up for a shady online credit card deal to get two free round trip flights. Surprisingly enough, it worked like a charm. We had to play around with some odd departure dates and inconvenient times, but we decided there's really no inconvenient time to head home and see friends and family (there may be an argument for 4am, but Alex would be the one to talk to about that). 

I think we really needed a little fresh air to boost our spirits. Everyone does, right? That's the best part about home, the fact that even though your life may have completely changed, home is always the exact same (Cue: Ryan Reynolds in the movie Just Friends.) And we welcomed the hominess with open arms. We tried to cram as many people, presents (including one of my favorites- a hanging terrarium!), and parties into a week and a half as we could, and we left bursting at the seams from all of them. We did all the other traditional "at home" activities as well, such as driving through the neighborhood at precariously slow speeds with my family in my dad's beloved LeSabre and forcing Alex to join in building horribly frosted ginger bread houses. 

It was awesome. Our families are the best. And I can't wait for next year, to do it all over again.