wishful nals

at the bowling alley.

2012-01-31T11:35:00.000-05:00

going bowling always reminds me of my childhood. school vacation? snow day? it was either to the bowling alley or to the roller skating rink. oh yeaaah.

now, as a twenty-something old, i can totally appreciate a 24-hour bowling alley. i mean, really. can't sleep? don't want to sleep? time to bowl.

faces from the weekend.

2012-01-30T14:03:00.000-05:00

my weekend was quiet and peaceful and restorative. i spent a great deal of time walking in the sunshine, chatting with a few of my favorite girlfriends, enjoying the company of my wonderful parents, and being totally inspired at the movies (i saw the artist - can't recommend it enough!).

matt was away ice fishing (always the adventurous one!) and although i missed him terribly, there's something to be said for having a quiet home to yourself. it feels strange and odd - but incredibly indulgent. of course, i am so glad he's back home, but a little alone time this weekend was just what i've been yearning for.

double date night.

2012-01-27T11:21:00.001-05:00

there are few things i love more than date night. this week, we joined our friends for a double date. we dined at the cozy ten tables and indulged in such things as fennel salad and basil ice cream. it was a wednesday night, which made it all the more indulgent. no reason to celebrate is the perfect reason to celebrate.

on that note, have a wonderful weekend. it is quiet and rainy here in boston. and this weekend, i am going to be relishing in all things subdued and peaceful. it's just what i need. xo

sunday morning art.

2012-01-24T15:07:00.000-05:00

the reasons i love matt are infinite in their immeasurability. but, his love for creating certainly tops the list. he leapt out of bed early sunday morning, like a child on christmas day. i am constantly inspired by his ability to be so spontaneous and inventive. it is so refreshing - day in and day out.

weekend.

2012-01-23T09:52:00.000-05:00

we had a relatively quiet weekend, and it was just what we needed. the snow fell outside and we cozied up indoors. we ate a lot of delicious food - including homemade banana cream pie. it was a perfect winter weekend.

slowing down.

2012-01-21T12:54:00.000-05:00

my cousin, who was staying with us for the past few weeks, left on friday. it was honestly so wonderful having a constant companion - and i'm really missing her absence. having said that, i am looking ahead to the coming weeks and excited for the quiet space i've been yearning for - both literally and in thought. i'm sure you can relate - the holidays came and went in such a hurry. it's already almost february! i am really looking forward to just slowing down for a bit. we'll see if life has other plans, but i've learned (over countless years), that you have more control than you may think. you strengthen what you practice. so, friends, on this snowy winter weekend, i'm confessing that i've been going too fast - missing some of the details i so love - and i'm going to intentionally slow down. i'm going to practice what i preach.

happy weekend! xo

dinner parties.

2012-01-18T19:40:00.000-05:00

we've been hosting many dinner parties lately. in part due to the cold weather, the fact that we love entertaining and my french cousin has been staying with us for a few weeks. i love the smells of a kitchen filled with foods fresh from the season. i love a house full of laughter and good spirit. and i love setting the table.

winter on cape cod.

2012-01-17T13:37:00.000-05:00

the deserted winter beach is one of my favorite places to be.

it's so cold outside and we're ridiculous.

2012-01-16T20:29:00.000-05:00

my french cousin, laurie, has been visiting for what seems like the whole month of december. she's leaving on friday, and i am so sad. thank goodness i'll have these ridiculous photo booth photos to look at in her absence - among the thousands of others we've taken.

museum date.

2012-01-13T09:03:00.000-05:00

museums have always been a great source of inspiration and "quiet space" for me. when i lived in paris, i had a membership to the centre pompidou, and often i would pop in for a quick fifteen minutes, spending the entire time sitting in front of one painting. it was so meditative to me. i would write in my journal, sketch, or just sit with my thoughts. since moving back home (almost 7 years ago.... eek!), i don't get to the museum nearly as often as i'd like.

while my sister was home celebrating the holidays, we spent a day at the local museum of fine arts. as ladies of leisure, we had a relaxed and slow lunch (including wine!) and spent the afternoon wandering the gallery halls. it was perfect - and just what i have been needing.

ps. have a wonderful weekend! any fun plans? my french cousin is visiting and we plan on taking a day trip to cape cod, going bowling and eating lots of delicious food. hope you have a safe and fun weekend! xo

ringing in the new year.

2012-01-12T11:02:00.000-05:00

these photos really do tell the story of our new year's eve. it was super fun and super low-key. we had just spent the day skiing and were all relatively exhausted. i love celebrating the new year by going up into the middle of nowhere and doing absolutely nothing (this year) - and i also love dressing up and going out on the town. just another great reason to celebrate - and wear something sparkly. hooray for a fabulous new year.

a newbie on the slopes.

2012-01-11T20:24:00.000-05:00

so, i've lived in the northeast almost my whole life. and guess what? i have never been skiing.

well, that all changed over the final weekend of 2011. we spent a few days up at loon mountain and i took my first ski lesson. it was terrifying, exhilarating and painful at the same time. and guess what - i loved it. for some reason, i've always been afraid to ski. maybe it is the fear of falling coming in to play? getting up on the slopes and skiing down felt like such a high. like i was really conquering a fear. it was the ideal way to kick start a brand new year.

and going to the local bar post-ski wasn't so bad, either. i love lodge life. :)

these faces.

2012-01-10T05:40:00.000-05:00

it's a new year. and i couldn't have greeted 2012 with a larger smile. i am so excited for the year that lies ahead - and all of the new possibilities it holds.

but, it is also the middle of january. the sun goes down at a little past 4pm. i've been having some difficulty sleeping this past week or so. nothing too bad, but enough to mess up routine. looking at these sweet little faces makes me so happy. these guys always bring a smile to my face and make me realize that we better go play while the sun is still out.

ps. of course, webby is ours. the other two pups are his friends who we were sitting during the holidays.

a little hanukkah in our house.

2012-01-09T17:38:00.001-05:00

there's nothing i love more than celebrating with my family. being able to share new-to-me traditions with those i love is so amazing. this holiday season, our cousins were visiting from france. they had never celebrated hanukkah before, and so naturally we had to include them in our festivities. matt and i were thrilled to be able to invite them over to light the menorah. we feasted on potato latkes, apple sauce, parsnip soup and brisket all home made by my lovely husband. also, i made this super easy chocolate cake. and it surprised us all by how easy and good it was.

essex, massachusetts.

2012-01-05T18:45:00.000-05:00

i was born with a desire to explore. it certainly helped that my parents were always plotting the next destination. as a family, we were often on the road. i have some of the best memories from those long car rides. (or short, depending on the locale.) to this day, i love exploring nearby towns. having lived here for almost my whole life, you'd think that i've seen it all. well, far from it.

essex is a small town along the coast. i've been before, but there's always something new the second (or third or fourth) time around. isn't that the beauty of it all? the center of town is filled with antique shops and barns - and many rest stops to grab a bite of food fresh from the sea. even in the midst of a cold winter, coastal new england towns have such a warm and inviting vibe - one that just keeps pulling me back for more.

christmas.

2012-01-04T15:07:00.000-05:00

christmas already feels like forever ago. that's what jumping ahead into a new year will do to you. i'd still love to share a few photos from our celebrations.

we celebrated christmas (and hanukkah, but more on that later) pretty much the entire month of december. my sister was home at the beginning of the month so we celebrated a lot then - and opened our gifts early, which was really nice as it took lots of pressure off any last minute craziness. then our french cousins came to town to spend the holidays in boston. we celebrated christmas eve at my parents' annual party (my favorite. one year we lost electricity, and it was even more magical lit by candles alone.) and then christmas day at my grandmother's.

i love the holiday season. there is so much magic in the air. and fires in the fireplace. and i love that as we get older, my family focuses less on all the 'stuff' and more on being together. spending time with those i love is all i could ask for.

hello 2012!

2012-01-03T13:34:00.000-05:00

hi! happy 2012! i hope you had the most wonderful, relaxing holidays. it felt so good to disconnect for a few weeks. a little time away from the 'net can bring about a lot of clarity.

i am beyond excited for this upcoming year. i've got a lot on my plate and i am so excited to see what else is in store. i've made a few (pretty boring, yet pretty important) resolutions, including to worry less. so much easier said than done. but worrying gets you nowhere. except perhaps a bit further away from where you want to be... :)

do you make resolutions? i try to make tiny goals throughout the year, but the new year always brings about an extra push of motivation and enthusiasm.

ps. in case you missed my 2011 recap, you can check it out here! so much fun to look back on the year.

two thousand and eleven.

2011-12-30T12:32:00.000-05:00

2011 was a year of many ups and downs. since i quit my day job back in 2010, i've started a few exciting new projects, spent a lot of time reflecting on the little things, and have spent a year in mourning. we've also spent a lot more time at home this year, something i really treasure. it's been good, for the most part, but suffice to say, i am really looking forward to a new january, to a new year.

as most good years begin, 2011 began with time spent in the kitchen. the mr. attempted to perfect the croissant and we had more pasta nights than i can count. in january we went to two beautiful places to enjoy winter: new york city and charleston. in new york, we drank coffee out of bowls (my favorite) and giggled in front of the camera. then we hopped down to charleston for a lovely weekend with friends by the beach. i love charleston in the winter. it's so serene. we celebrated our friends' marriage underneath the swaying oak trees. i could have stayed forever.

we celebrated my love's birthday in the snowy dunes of maine. it's difficult to say who had the most fun, so i'll just settle to say that it was the most relaxing, fun weekend away. it's so important to escape the hustle + bustle of everyday.

last winter, i spent a lot of time outside with weber. just the two of us. often in the snow and cold. i treasured these walks, where my thoughts would bring clarity and i would be in awe of the astounding beauty right outside our door. sometimes, we would walk to the beach or in to the city. we would go wherever our hearts took us. often times, we had no destination (those are the best types of walks).

we went on a 'skiing' trip with good friends - where we mostly ate lots of pancakes, braided each other's hair, slept in bunked beds and made snow angels. it was the perfect winter weekend.

in march, the mr. and i met elvis. he remarried us. it was perfectly vegas. then i spent a wonderfully cold weekend in montreal with my sisters. we did all of our favorite montreal things: drank beer, ate bagels, lots of walking. and lots of sister time. i am so lucky to have the best sisters in the world.

as always, i welcomed spring with open arms. we celebrated passover with twenty of our good friends. then, we took our party loving family on the road to woodstock, where we celebrated my mom's birthday. we stayed at the home of our dear friend, kerry, whose space is a true refuge. spring always brings about reflection. i reflected on places, both near and far, that have so much meaning.

in may, we went to france. we had picnics in front of the eiffel tower, we ate moules frites and stood in front of my favorite places. we visited my grandparents in the southwest and felt home. we drank champagne and made pâté. we walked, a lot. through the cemetery where unruly flowers blossom (where i am related to almost everyone), through the winding vineyards and dirt roads. i could take photos of the farm forever. we spent an afternoon by the sea and ate moules frites, again.

we went to tucson to see my sister-in-law graduate from college. we also saw the sun. it was glorious. we celebrated webby's first birthday, had our first ever bdb picnic, the mr. and i began celebrating friday (early) mornings.

and then it was summer. i celebrated by going to the farmcoast. where country meets sea is my favorite place. we went to bar harbor, maine and ate lots of fresh mussels, relaxed with good friends and just let the breeze take us over.

for father's day, we celebrated the best dad we know. we're so lucky to call him our own. we went to a wedding in vermont. we camped out and as the thunder rolled in, so did the party. we spent an afternoon in montreal visiting my sister and brother-in-law and drinking fresh mojitos with mint from their flourishing garden.

we celebrated july 4th on nantucket. we snuggled on the sand dunes (and took a few naps), drank lots of local beer, and enjoyed a perfect summer weekend. along with my sister and good friend, we went to the library for an afternoon of high tea and girl chat.

we went to pennsylvania for our annual blues fest with the greatest friends. our weekend included delicious food (including corn!), lakeside views and trips to the local brewery - and of course, some music. weber had a blast cooling off in the lake. my sister and i went back to woodstock for a weekend away (we swam in the lake, slept in and did a whole lot of nothing), my brother-in-law came to town for a few weeks and webby and i took a lot of walks.

then we took a little summer vacation. we had lunch in vancouver and took a stroll, had an amazing adventure on a seaplane (it was so fun!), and spent a few days in victoria. we went to a lot of local breweries, spent time by the water, and relaxed. it was heavenly. we took the ferry down to seattle and explored the markets, the waterfront and all of the neighborhoods. as usual, we ate our way around. we celebrated our good friends' wedding and had a marvelous time dancing the night away.

we have a thing about surprises. for my august birthday this year, the mr. took me to newport and block island. it was hot. so hot. luckily, we were close to the water. we ate fried seafood, had fun with weber in a bustling seasonal town, and covered ourselves in clay. it was an amazing getaway. and a wonderful birthday.

then hurricane irene came. or did she? either way, we were prepared.

as always, late summer includes many barbecues. and trips to new york city where we stayed with good friends. we ate mexican food, drank beer on an isolated rooftop bar, frequented juice bars, and had a few jam sessions on the roof. i love new york city.

the fall included one very big home improvement project. we searched high and low for a dog-friendly apple orchard. it was totally worth it. weber loves apples. and frolicking in dewy grass.

in october, we drank champagne for lunch, took lots of walks to our neighborhood park, and went to the beach. new england weather, you're crazy! we celebrated my sister's birthday and watched many beautiful sunsets.

my older sister, lola, came home for a few days and i met some of my favorite bloggers. our little family took a lot of evening walks to the beach, just in time to catch the sunset. oh, and how could i forget - weber won second place at a local halloween parade.

in november, we went to the finger lakes to taste wine. and taste wine, we did. it was such a fun weekend with such a great group of people. i also went to wine school. which was so much fun. and i learned a lot. (and it was a great excuse to eat a ridiculous amount of cheese).

we celebrated thanksgiving. and the sky was bright with perpetual gratitude.

then i surprised my love with a helicopter lesson. he was so excited. and it was so fun to plan. and i was so proud of myself that i was able to keep the secret.

and then it was december. i took many walks to think and take in the beautiful late fall colors. i had a difficult time deciding whether i preferred sunrises to sunsets. the verdict is still out. cecilia came from sweden to visit and it was so fun showing her around my hometown. we drank the best hot cocoa and introduced her to the finest clam chowder.

then we took a mini vacation to arizona where we saw family and lots of sunshine. we had fun planning a celebration dinner for my brother-in-law. i really love arizona. the horizon and landscape is so beautiful in contrast to new england.

and just like that, 2011 wrapped up with catching up with the best of friends over dinner, celebrating the holidays with my family (and french cousins in town), sleeping in a bit later than usual, hot cocoa with ridiculously oversized marshmallows and evenings spent cuddling with the best little family i could ask for.

needless to say, i am really looking forward to the year ahead. just like 2011, this year will be focused on little things. because those are the things that really count - the moment when you're just waking up in the morning, the cinnamon powder atop your cappuccino, savoring the second by second color changes as the sun goes down to sleep. life is all about the small moments - and those are what i want to remember, what i want to share.

so, thank you, for being here. i am so grateful for this space to create, to catalog all of the things i hold dear. to connect the dots - with you, with the events of my life. so, thank you. and cheers to an even more fabulous 2012! xo

ps. to see my 2010 recap, go here.

all wrapped up.

2011-12-23T11:52:00.000-05:00

little fête is all ready for the holidays.

we've been celebrating hanukkah these past few days, and now we get to throw christmas in the mix. whatever it is you celebrate, i hope that you have the most joyous and wonderful time. happy happy! xo

ps. i can't stop listening. this is one of my favorite songs of all time.

dinner with friends.

2011-12-22T09:26:00.000-05:00

evenings spent with good friends who you've known forever are the best. there's nothing i love more than reminiscing about our shenanigans as kids. we were ridiculous. and i love that time will never change that. :)

ps. i am on my seventh day of being sick. i've been guzzling tea, vitamin c, lots of steam room action and sleep. help! any other good ideas out there? i'm starting to get desperate!

a celebration dinner.

2011-12-21T09:45:00.000-05:00

while we were in arizona, we were celebrating my brother-in-law's graduation from college. we had a beautiful dinner with piña coladas, a most delicious meal, and homemade amaretto cheesecake. to end the night, we played a hilarious game of cranium. it was a great end to a wonderful trip.

weekend in arizona.

2011-12-19T11:57:00.001-05:00

over the past few years, i've spent quite a bit of time in arizona. i love the contrast between arizona and new england. the dusty brown hues, the mountain tops, cacti and roses, and the sweet, sweet sunshine.

it's so refreshing to escape routine for a few days. this time around was filled with family visits, dinner parties, and a lot of relaxing. i've actually been a little sick all week, so it was nice to be in a familiar place. plus, with gorgeous views like this, having a cold doesn't seem so bad.

happy weekend!

2011-12-16T06:00:00.003-05:00

happy friday! i have been enjoying a mini vacation in arizona these past few days - and i am looking forward to soaking up even more glorious sunshine - and views this amazing - for the rest of the weekend. i hope you have a wonderful few days. see you on monday! xo

ps. also, i'll be wishing my very special sister, a very special birthday on sunday. love you, lola.

cecilia visits, part two.

2011-12-15T06:04:00.001-05:00

oh, cecilia, come back soon.

ps. part one of cecilia's visit here.

cecilia visits, part one.

2011-12-14T06:00:00.003-05:00

it can be so heartwarming when friends visit, especially friends whom you haven't seen in years. a few weeks back, my friend cecilia came to boston. as it was her first time here, we had the honor of showing off our beloved hometown.

it is so wonderful to see a friend after so long - and feel as though nothing has changed. well, obviously, we both have, but our connection hasn't. and i find that continuity so beautiful.