A Mountain Bride

traditional wedding invitations

2012-01-31T18:45:00.001-05:00

I have a close friend getting married this summer. She called and asked me for some help (yay!) and has several assignments for me. On the top of her list is to find wedding stationary. She sent me a few links to traditional wedding invitations. That's what she wants... classic... traditional... white ...minimal embellishments.

I scouted the site, Bride & Groom, and noticed they are having a sale of 30 - 50% off orders in January (and 50% orders in February!) Also, they have other bonuses like adding a free wedding photo book to stationary orders over 125 pounds (oh - did I mention this is a UK based company)! They don't just have traditional wedding invitations to offer - they have all sorts of designs and themes and types of wedding stationary. (Fun alert - I noticed that they are offering a Dream Wedding Dress Competition - check it out here!)

These are a few of the designs that I thought exuded a classic and traditional wedding look. Which one do you like the most? My vote is on the first one below...it's simple and pretty...and well...classic!

ice skaters

2012-01-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

I've only been ice skating a couple times in my whole life - I am awful. I would never dream of skating in a public place where people would be able to watch me face plant over and over. But I could stare at the skaters at Rockefellar Center for hours. Such a cozy little rink. (I loved taking pictures of them with my camera!!)

cheesy - but I couldn't resist.

new york is the best ever

2012-01-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

Every time I hit The City, goosebumps become me. I get excited. Possibilities are endless. The spirit of that town is infectious.

It's true that I was at a medical conference from 8 to 5 every day...but every evening we adventured. Saw Jersey Boys...fell in love with those fellas. Ate Greek food, Thai food and Italian food, and street vender food (not all at one time)....all so delish I couldn't pick a fave. Stayed in Times Square (again)....was captivated by the vibrance of it all.

Yet, I am almost embarrassed to admit..I missed my husband and my baby girl something awful. Cried when I came home and held Clara...she kept growing despite my absence.

new york city

2012-01-26T08:09:00.002-05:00

via Etsy

Friends - this is a big weekend. I will be in NYC attending a conference from Thursday through Sunday...which will be a really great adventure. I'm attending the conference with a doctor who is from the city - she's made reservations at all of her fave restaurants. I don't think this will be an "explore the city" type of weekend...we will be in meetings all day long...but the vibe of Times Square will be right outside the window (how do I concentrate??) The only flaw to the weekend is that Tommy and Clara have to stay behind. This is the first time I have ever left Clara before. I'm nervous about it....I wish I could bring her in my pocket.

AND at the same time I'm totally excited about the weekend. Hummm....strange to be so excited and so sad at the same time.

better than a bag of cheerios??

2012-01-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

When Clara was still nursing and solid foods were months away, I remember having a convo with one of the guys I work with about what he feeds his little one (who is roughly 6 months older than Clara.) One of the snacks he told me about were made by Gerber Graduates, and he said that having a ziploc bad of those were better than a bag of Cheerios. The skeptical look I gave caused him to continue to explain that these dry puffed cereal snacks didn't have the exterior shell of Cheerios that enables them to stay crunchy in milk. These Gerber snack things pretty much dissolve right away so a baby can't choke on them.

To me, this was amazing. Not being around babies for the past 25ish years makes me a real novice when it comes to anything about babies. Even something so simple (and potentially obvious) got me jazzed.

A friend of ours bought Clara a container of these little gems at Christmas time and they SAVED THE DAY during our flight back to New York. She is a few teeth shy of being able to crunch a real Cheerio and so this is an amazing revelation in our happy little world. A bag of these puffy things really are better than a bag of Cheerios....for now!

(I'm constantly amazed with the products that are made for babies. And I love that so many of them come in reusable containers!! We have amazing little storage jars for everything now...and the tall plastic bottles these come in will be PERFECT to keep colored pencils, markers and pens in!)

obsession = strawberry hedgehog

2012-01-24T07:00:00.001-05:00

via Strawberry Hedgehog

A couple of years ago I was a proud member of the luxurious soap club of Strawberry Hedgehog. Every month a deliciously creamy hand crafted bar of soap would arrive in my mail box...and it would literally delight my senses DAILY. Occasionally, I would see her soap for sale at HipGreenDeals (which is no longer in business...*tear*) and would purchase obscene quantities of soap to get my fix. My personal favorite handmade soap flavors are Eucalyptus-Lime and Grapefruit-Coriander...oh...and Rose. Oh...or Desert Rain. Mmmmmmm.

Strawberry Hedgehog is a small, vegan, eco-friendly bath and body shop based in Phoenix, Arizona. Their products are made from pure ingredients, (many organic according to the label on my soaps). Their products are sold on their website, as well as in a handful of spas, boutiques, and Whole Foods Markets in Arizona. Tracy, the Artisan behind the glorious line, hand crafts all of the products in small batches...can you even imagine how her house must smell? I know Tracy...we went to high school together...and she is simply lovely...follow her blog. (I'm looking forward to taking her out to tea when we move back to Arizona!)

via Strawberry Hedgehog

Well friends...the point of the post...I got a package last week. A package full of the most amazing crafted bath and body products on the planet. THE SMELL IS DIVINE. I got two beautiful bars of handmade soap = Lavender-Vanilla soap and Blueberry-Lavender...and...a jar of chamomile comfort whipped body creme (which is inCREdible in this cold dry skin cracked winter weather.) I have to mention that the body creme has a very very mild scent. I wash my hands with HARSH stuff all day long between surgeries, and after seeing each patient...my poor skin is dry and cracked and red and chapped. But not anymore. I use her creme for one week. Supple hands have been restored.

I am in body product heaven right now. And will be smelling myself constantly for the next couple months.

I'm thinking this would be an incredible gift to give someone...a mother for mothers day, a friend for her birthday, a new mama in need of a little pampering.

1000th post

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

This is my 1000th post. Holy mackerel. 1000? Really? What on Earth could I have possibly written 1000 posts about?

Lets see:

In the beginning I posted about...well...weddings...and we started planning our wedding (in secret since we weren't engaged yet...which seems very silly now). Then we were properly, officially, and beautifully engaged. I also wrote a little bit about being a third year medical student. Then about being a traveling 4th year medical student as my studies took me to Seattle, Philadelphia, Providence, Massachusetts and New York...and how I was planning our wedding along the way. It was a fabulous run!

Then we married...and rejoiced...and danced and sang...and ate cake and I twirled. We ran out into the sunset completely blissed out.

I (finally) graduated from podiatric medical school...(wahoo foot and ankle doctor status)! My husband and I packed up and moved to upstate New York for my surgical residency.

A couple months later we found out that we were going to become parents. Pregnancy and my intern year was both thrilling and terrifying...and I survived both, thanks to the grace of God.

Clara joined us in March 2011...and from that moment on, nothing has been the same. I can't even remember what it was like before she graced us with her smile.

Thank you for sharing in my journey. It hasn't been an easy ride...there are lots of stumbles and grumbles along the way... but it's the road I would gladly take again. 1000 posts and three years later, your presence and friendship brightens my day...inspires me...and helps get me through! I think I need some cupcakes tonight to celebrate!

my working-mommy meltdown update

2012-01-20T23:08:00.001-05:00

This has been a super busy week. Lots of surgery (yay!), lots of patients in house and just ooodles and ooooooodles of responsibility (real life is hard work.). Yesterday I was rushing home after a case that ended at 5:30...a typical time I suppose...and I was frantic to spend a little time with my wee one before she fell asleep (7:30pm). During my drive I started getting so angry that I work. SO ANGRY that I can't afford to stay home and be with her. To raise her. Then my anger turned to sadness. My eyes grew misty with the realization that she is growing so fast.

Then. THEN. I got home and was so jazzed to hold her! But the poor thing started crying and kept reaching and lunging for her Daddy. It was puzzling. And pathetic. And made me freaking BALL MY EYES OUT. And for some reason, my reaction was to rip my husbands eyes out. Except I was exhausted from working all day, and I was sad about this rejection. So his eyes remained.

EFF my life.

Today - I didn't even get to see her awake. I got a phone call from Tommy while I was between cases...she fell on her face and her tooth cut her lip and she was bleeding...I helped him....but he fixed her up. He comforted her. And got her all dressed for the day. And took her for a fresh air walk.

I am so conflicted in my heart right now. I WANT to be a doctor (sometimes). I WANT to be a stay at home mommy. I want it all.

*Sigh* I am so frustrated.

*NOTE* a couple friends posted this article, To the Mother With Only One Child, by Simcha Fisher, on Facebook and it really resonated with me tonight...motherhood is a unique experience...an adventure that is difficult to describe for both working mamas and stay at home mamas. This particular passage brought tears to my eyes:

When I had only one child, she was so heavy. Now I can see that children are as light as air. They float past you, nudging against you like balloons as they ascend.
Dear mother, don’t worry about enjoying your life. Your life is hard; your life will be hard. That doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong—it means you’re doing it right.

I'm in a better "place" today. Perhaps it is because I got to hang with Clara for a few hours today after my rounds at the hospital...she always rejuvenates my spirit. I find myself in those funks every now and then...pretty sure most of us have 'em...but thankfully the sunlight eventually shines and scatters pretty freckles.

babyfood binge

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

I went to the store to buy Dreft. Instead, I bought boat-load of organic baby food. No really, like a crazy hoarder or something. They were on a mad sale. And I'm pretty sure Clara might be eating from this stock pile until she is in high school.

I typically make most of Clara's baby food...not all of it....but a lot of it. I enjoyed the process, and it makes me feel good knowing that I can take an active part of her nutritional development. But honestly, the pre-made organic baby food is amazing...fun flavors...no hassle...and she loves it. Win win. This bulk purchase makes me feel better about the next two months. I will be living in Baltimore (did I mention that before?). I won't be able to make Clara food...shoot...I won't even be able to cuddle her or read to her either. (I know I know...pity party for myself...but sometimes I just gotta.)

Before I forget, I got all the loot at Babies R Us....in case you need some too! (Baby food is one of those things that is NEVER on sale in the grocery stores here...had to take advantage of it...but I'm afraid I may have gone overboard!)

Oh. And I forgot the Dreft.

baby shades

2012-01-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

My uncle, and Clara's Godfather, is an optometrist. He gave Clara a pair of baby sized sunglasses and told us that an incredible amount of eye damage from sun exposure happens before age 10 (he said 80 or 90%)! We strapped those shades on her little head every day we were outside in Arizona. (They have a little strap that keeps them one secured....this came in handy since she tried to take 'em off every 2 seconds.)

Now that we've been in New York, and it's been rainy and snowy...the glasses are getting no play. (Although they have become a preferredchew toy....as illustrated by Clara in the above picture at the Desert Botanical Gardens) But we are looking forward to summer!

a christening

2012-01-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

While we were in Arizona, we were fortunate enough to have Clara baptized. It was the most intimate baptism I've ever seen....we were surrounded our family and closest friends. Instead of having the ceremony during a traditional Catholic mass (like most are), it was a private ceremony in the church where Clara and a sweet little boy were baptized. It was lovely. Not traditional...but lovely none the less.

with her Godparents!

It was somewhat of a miracle that it ended up happening in the first place...there were about 50 million road blocks to tell you the truth. (road blocks including the fact that baptisms are not commonly performed during Advent, we aren't parishioners in Phoenix now that we live in New York, Tommy and I haven't had our wedding blessed by the church, yet....and this list keeps going....and going.)

I love love love this picture.

Well then, one week before we went out to Arizona, every piece fell perfectly into place. Clara was baptized and we rejoiced. A Christmas miracle.

she was mesmerized with the pretty fountain...I love how everything is magical to her.

(Rejoicing included corn pizza and Tammie Coe cupcakes at La Grande Orange...a very yuppy, yet incredibly yummy staple in our Phoenix family gatherings.)

iPhone app suggestions??

2012-01-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

our first iPhone pic!

For the past 18 months I've used a very used, very worn, very loved cell phone given to me by my father in law - one of the original NV touch models...a real classic. It finally passed on to cell phone Heaven (after nearly 6 or 7 years of dutiful service) and I was left without a phone.

Decided to go for it....it being the coveted iPhone...the phone that everyone talks about alllllll the time. I wasn't excited about the hefty data charge fee....or figuring out how to use MAC products after years of loving the ease of Windows...or umm...again....the added data plan fee was really hitting me hard.

Yet. Here I am. One week later...and I consider my life to be changed for the better.

I'm obsessed.

Obsessed...but still bitter about the added data plan fees. And I don't understand how to know how much "data" I actually use? Is there an App for that!? Anybody know??

Apps are fun and informative....I'm loving Epocrates, AO Surgery, Instagram and Camera+...

What are your favorite Apps?

when breastfeeding ends

2012-01-12T21:59:00.002-05:00

*note: I tried and tried...for 30 minutes....for include a picture of Clara here...and the stupid thing wouldn't load. And I'm tired of fighting now...so I give up. No picture for this post.*

Those who have followed my journey know that I had a love hate HATE relationship with breastfeeding. It took about 3 solid months of it before I could honestly say it wasn't uncomfortable or painful. I twas also a HUGE pain in my ass to pump religiously at work. I'd sneak away between surgical cases, between clinic patients, between rounding on inpatients, and every lunch break (if there was a lunch a break). I'd wake up at God-awful early hours to pump before going to work (like 4:30 or 5 am...yuck), and it would be the last thing I would do before going to bed.

Weekends were Heaven when I would get to exclusively nurse Clara (and my evenings at home as well.) It was a true labor of love to provide those meals to my sweet one. And like I said, after 3 months of it, my body was adjusted to it and I came to look forward to that time together. Best time of my day in fact.

I was determined to breastfeed for at least 6 months...that was my initial goal. My training is rigorous and crazy and I didn't even know if I could do it that long - but I wanted to give it a try. And then, once 6 months came and went and I wanted to keep going. Tommy thought I was nuts...as it was a real time commitment. Yet, I was determined to nurse as long as I possibly could!

At 8 months, Clara started getting quite fidgety while she nursed. She became easily distracted and uninterested. Despite the struggle, I continued to try and nurse...but it just wasn't meant to be. She had decided to stop. And, believe it or not, I was heart broken.

Heart broken, that is, until she GOT TWO TEETH the very next week. I think she chose to stop breastfeeding at just the right time. (that's a joke...sortof.)

I must admit though, I miss it greatly.

rustic chic wedding resource

2012-01-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

Back when we planning our mountain wedding, I scoured the blogosphere for inspiration. I had a tough time...the look that I sought wasn't exactly mainstream back then. Now, boy o boy, there is rustic mountain/nature/forest inspiration EVERYWHERE!!

I am looooving Rustic Wedding Chic blog...full of inspiration and information about planning a mountain or forest or barn or rustic event. They feature loads of real weddings that are submitted by brides...lots of eye candy...lots of ideas. I'd start here, at How To Start To Plan Your Rustic Wedding...a step by step approach to planning your own rustic wedding!

clara's first word(s)!

2012-01-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

This is more of a tale...of how Clara's first word came to be spoken.

It's no secret to my friends and family that I say, "mama," about one hundred times per day (hehe!) to Clara. I'm so excited for her to know my name and call out to me. She has been babbling and cooing and working on different sounds for months...she has rambled dadadadada and mamamamamama and ohohohoh and babababababab....but nothing that ever really resembled a single word.

The other day she was eating some apples that I pureed for her. I have a little habit of talking all about the food that she eats...where it comes from, what color it is, what other foods can be prepared from it...it's our foodie conversations. And goes something like, "apples are a pretty fruit, apples are grown on trees...we went and picked apples together this fall, do you remember? the apples grew so high on the trees! apples are usually red, but apples can also be red and green or even pink!" You get it...I work in the "apple" a ton into the convo.

A little later in the evening, while Tommy and I were busy putting Christmas decor away she was getting a little fussy for attention. So I said to her, "do you want some more apples?" To which she replied, "apple."

Tommy and I froze. Looked at each other with quizzical expressions as if to silently say "whatthe#$%&didshejustsay?"

"What was that honey?" I then ask her with a slight shrill to my voice- as my heart was pounding because SHE MAYBE JUST SAID HER FIRST WORD AND OHMYGOD THIS IS A BIG DEAL!!!

"Mama" was her reply.

It was at that point I start jumping up and down and clapping and gallivanting about and having her repeat herself a dozen times...which she does by the way, "mama, mama, mama, mama." The more she says it, the more shrill my voice gets with excitment. I grab our camera and turn it on...to which she is fairly silent (probably stunned by my ridiculousness and screeching happiness). But she does manage to chirp out a couple "mama's" in there. Music to my ears.

So. Her first word could have very well been "apple" but we didn't quite understand if she really said that in the first place However she has yet to say it again. And she said "mama" immediately after the "apple" incident...and we got that on camera.

Initially I was going to count that "mama" was her first word. Except, I guess, in order to be honest, her first word could have very well been "apple."

There you have it. Talking at 9 months.

perriconemd.com winner!

2012-01-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

*Congrats Liz*

You won a product from PerriconeMD.com valued at $150 or less...

...this is what she said:

I would love the 'no foundation foundation'! As a new mom, it helps to feel beautiful and living in AZ, I definitely need sunscreen on my Irish face :) --Liz

Congrats Liz...on the new baby and your new skin care product! Thank you PerriconeMD.com!

'blueberry girl'

2012-01-07T08:14:00.000-05:00

My brother in law Facebooked me this sweet little thing...

all she got for Christmas was her two front teeth

2012-01-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

with Auntie before gift opening!

Tommy and I made the decision to forgo purchasing Clara any Christmas gifts this year. For a couple of reasons:

1. She is too young to know the difference
2. She doesn't really need anything
3. She doesn't understand the concept of "opening" gifts
4. We were going on an expensive holiday trip to Arizona
5. her relatives will probably buy her a gift or two.

We talked about wrapping some empty boxes and empty plastic water bottles (her favorite things to play with...go figure.)

I was proud of us. The allure to buy buy buy is everywhere during the holidays. There are cute clothes, shiny toys, and gear and furniture and treats everywhere...screaming at me to take them home. But my budget was shot way before the season even began...so saying "no" to buying stuff was a little easier to swallow.

And then I walked in our front door and stared into the net of a nearly 4 foot tall pink basketball hoop. Tommy, apparently, couldn't resist. He bought her a basketball hoop. A pink one. PINK. Goodness.

But the best part was when I asked him where he thought this was going to go? (We live in an itty bitty apartment, remember?) His response? The living room (and he said it with all honesty.)

I love my family.

Oh...and she really did start getting her two (top) front teeth...and then on New Years Day she started getting two more :-) (Her two front bottom teeth are all the way in...they started coming in over Thanksgiving weekend)

crib to bed

2012-01-04T22:44:00.004-05:00

When we purchased Clara's DaVinci crib last winter, we were enamored with the safety features, sustainably grown wood, non-toxic finish, and spring bottom. But honestly, one of the biggest selling points was that the crib converts into a toddler bed AND further into a twin or full sized bed. Three for the price of one!

I was talking about this at the hospital the other day and one of the nurses said that they didn't buy the conversion kit to their baby's crib a couple of years and now they can't find the rails anywhere! So they cannot convert their crib to a bed after all. She suggested I purchase the additional rails while they are still available (it would be a bummer to want to assemble the bed and not be able to!)

In my search for top rated nursery furniture I found a site that sells cribs (including the one we bought) along with the conversion rails. So we scooped up the rails...and they were cheaper than other places I was looking...(check out WayFair.com)

I was thinking about this tonight as Clara fell asleep in my arms. I placed her verrrrry carefullllllly into her crib....stood there watching her dream.....and got depressed because I know these days are numbered. She will be in a big girl bed before I know it....ready or not.

At least we have the bed.

my attempt

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

As Clara grows I find myself taking fewer pictures of the sweet everyday moments we share...and somehow only bust the camera out when we "do something" (ie: go to the park, try a new food, see a family member.)

So I tried to take a picture of Clara nestled in my arms just after falling asleep. I could have called out for Tommy to do it - but it surely would have waken her. Instead I tried to balance the huge LSR camera at snap it one handed without being able to see the image through the viewfinder. (In hindsight, this was a stupid...I could have dropped the camera and broken it.)

This was my journey:

success!

our magical camera lens

2012-01-03T07:00:00.000-05:00

Remember when I was bragging about that super rad new lens that my father in law gifted us? The one that makes the background a creamy blur? Many of you asked me what kind of lens it was - and it went unanswered (because I'm a she-tard and literally didn't even know how to find out what kind if was...even when I looked at it I couldn't figure it out...for some reason lens' are too cryptic for me.)

I found the box this morning!!

It's a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II.

Whew.

perriconemd.com GIVE-AWAY!

2012-01-02T06:30:00.000-05:00

Let's ring in the NEW YEAR with a fab give-away from PerriconeMD.com!

YOU choose ANY one product valued at or below $150!

PerriconeMD.com hosts a whole line of scrumptious beauty products...acne products, anti-aging products, sun protection, foundation....you name it...they have a skin product to treat it! Their blog is full of articles about skin and nutrition...like alpha lipoic acid side effects

TO ENTER:

Leave your name in the comments section ALONG with the one product you would select AND WHY!

Winner to be announced Monday, January 8, 2012

GOOD LUCK!

new years, baby

2012-01-01T11:18:00.001-05:00

My New Year's resolutions have yet to be set in stone. I do know that this year, straight up "survival" is at the top of that list...but I also want to be gentle with myself. I don't want to get down on myself for not working out...for drinking non-diet beverages...or for relaxing in front of the TV when there are things I "should" be doing. Guilt is something I experience on a daily basis and I hope that this year I shake that a little bit.

I am grateful for our glorious 2011...and for the grace of meeting my daughter, Clara. I am most excited to watch her grow!

hell is flying in an airplane with a screaming baby

2011-12-28T23:21:00.001-05:00

sleeping soundly once we got to Arizona

My angel-face, sweeter than sugar daughter, delight of my soul, darling of my dreams was an absolute nightmare on our holiday flight out to Arizona.

So cried. For something like 9 solid hours. And when she wasn't crying...she was fussing. And when she wasn't fussing...she was screaming. And for a good 15 - 20 minutes in there somewhere, Tommy and I wanted to quit.

We tried everything...bottle feeding her to help ease the pressure off of her poor little ears...but we fed her so much that she wouldn't eat anymore. We tried walking with her in the aisle, bouncing her on our knee, giving her free range of the middle seat in our row (the poor girl who was assigned the seat next to us was actually moved to a different seat by the flight attendant!) we gave her every toy, every book, everything she wanted. We cringed when she went to lick the airplane seat cushion...but figured it she shut up for 5 minutes to eat it we would just let her do it. I made promises with God to even try to quiet her down. I secretly cursed my husband for not allowing me to drug her with Benadryl (despite the fact I knew peeps that did this...the fact that our pediatrician said "no" resonated with my hubs...so we didn't do it.) Instead we gave her baby Tylenol and Oragel and changed her diapers...and offered even more food.

i have no idea why this picture won't "flip" to be oriented correctly...but I love it...so I won't delete it.

Nothing worked until we got off that plane.

The thought of getting on a return flight made me queasy during our entire vacation. I just didn't want to play that game. Except...on Christmas Day, there really wasn't anyone at the airport...our flight was basically empty...and she was back to her adorable lovable self. Full of smiles for anyone that walked by. Lots of coos and conversation for her daddy and me. It was the most pleasant journey. And we didn't use Benedryl...or Tylenol, or Oragel. We didn't have to feed her crazy amounts of food in an attempt to put her into a food coma. This is what we did:

1. Started feeding her a bottle as soon as the plane tilted up in the air...and then again during the descent.
2. Had a bag of finger snacks handy
3. Talked to her, sung to her and read to her per usual (there was nobody on the flight...otherwise I'm not sure I would have belted out JingleBells actually.)
4. Gave her alone time to play with her usual toys
5. Introduced her to the flight attendants who would frequently come by to say hello to her...smile at her and take her attention for a few moments.
6. Kept taking turns with Tommy for child-care and "resting" time.
7. Bought anti-bacterial (child safe!) wipes and wiped everything down...multiple times prior to take off
8. Didn't care if she got fussy because there wasn't anyone around to annoy anyway (Murphy's Law would dictate that since nobody was around to annoy, she would be our sweet Angel...right?)

Although, I have to admit, this was probably karma kicking my ass. I've been annoyed with screaming babies on plane rides before. I repent.

oh there's no place like home for the holidays

2011-12-19T18:59:00.005-05:00

Clara...and the lights

Well friends...we are actually back home in Arizona. It's a sunshiny day, the cacti are standing tall with lights wrapped around them tight...and I don't miss being bundled up to stay warm one bit! Clara is obviously the star of the show...always...and will be for a few more years I suspect. Nothing is quite so peaceful as being surrounded by those who love us most.

This is where we will be for the next few days...thankfully. Enjoy the holiday season with your loved ones...and wish us luck on the airplane trip back to New York (because we simply cannot live through the nightmare that the flight out here was, again!)