{ macys thanksgiving }

I've always thought I hated parades. I'm not sure who put this into my mind but I've always said I didn't like them...but today, I've seen the light.  Despite having to wake up at 6am (I will never be a morning person!), and wait on the pavement for 2 1/2 hours for the show to start...I LOVED it. The clowns, the balloons, the people, nautical mickey mouse, a gorgeous NYC Thanksgiving

day...it was PERFECT, all of it.

There will definitely be a next time...

{ pre turkey }

I'm really looking forward to thanksgiving this year.  Not that the prior two years haven't been amazing...last year in Peru and the year before in Spain (yes, I know how lucky I am)...BUT the thought of sitting down at a table and having a real, traditional Thanksgiving dinner makes me giddy.  Last years turkey and mint jelly sauce just didn't satisfy.  I have to give Peru credit...I didn't think I could find turkey, but the green mint jelly sauce...I'd be happy if I never ate turkey and slimy green sauce again...

well, unless I was living in a Dr. Seuss book.

two days to turkey day!!!  YES!

{ rochester in 24 }

what do you do when you have a nice boss, a vacation day to spare and a fabulous friend who wants you to fly up to rochester last minute?  you GO.

you get a ticket last minute, pack your bag, hop on an early morning flight, have your friend pick you up right on time, make a new friend, drive to palmyra, spend a chilly but perfect afternoon touring the smith family farm, b.o.m. publishing shop, hill cumorah, make friends with all the missionaries, play in the leaves, take pictures, eat bad diner food (they had creamed cod on the menu! sick!), try on a bonnet so you can feel more like a pioneer, drive back to your fabulous but ghetto hotel room, get ready for a little show in rochester, dine at a chain restaurant (much better than the diner "garbage" plate the concert security guard tells you about), your fabulous friend tells the waiter he has beautiful arms, he says thank you, you sleep, fly back to NYC, and get ready for a little birthday party for said fabulous friend...

...and then you smile, because you had the most perfect weekend.

THANKS CJ!

the end (until next time)

{ beantown! }

beantown: back in colonial days, a favorite boston food was beans baked in molasses for several hours. Back then, Boston was sort of awash in molasses - it was part of the "triangular trade" in which slaves in the Caribbean grew sugar cane to be shipped to Boston to be made into rum to be sent to West Africa to buy more slaves to send to the West Indies. Even after the end of this practice, Boston continued as big rum producing city - the Great Molasses Flood of 1919 (which killed 21), ocurred when a tank holding molasses for rum production exploded (wikipedia).

LOVED my boston weekend! girl talk. guy talk. road trips. getting lost. being found. plush hotel beds. NY friends. CA friends. reunions. speakers. witches. salem. bus friends. bad costumes. good costumes. pei wei. cartwheels. truth or dare. masks. thriller. masquerade ball.starbucks oatmeal. cheers. the el. new friends. old friends. hugs. commons. friendly toast. leaves. fall. ray. PERFECTION.

{ truth or dare }

I gave in and got an iphone this summer so I could be like the rest of the cool kids. I knew I would love it and I do but my love grew when I discovered the truth or dare application in boston...thanks H! It was the perfect distraction while waiting for our food at the Friendly Toast (if you're in beantown...go!).
I always chose truth but next time, I'm ready for a dare.

{ faith }

{ you, me & ray }

ray lamontagne.

if you haven't heard of him, you should.

warning though!

listen to ray and you will fall in love.

he has that effect on people.

LOVED the concert

LOVED the Beacon

GOOD

GOOD

night!