when friends come to nyc

For the past two weeks, my friends and family from the west coast have been parading through New York City. One by one, they march through JFK, armed with heavy suitcases, great expectations, and a glow that only comes with the bliss and freedom of knowing that you're on Spring Break.

Friends have visited, my favorite cousin stopped by, and this week my mom is in town for nine luxurious days (!). This is all very exciting for me, you understand, because I still don't really know anyone in New York, so this stampede of visitors has left me feeling like the most popular girl in school.

When friends come to New York:
- we eat crepes
- and ride the Staten Island Ferry
- we wade through Times Square (and immediately regret it)
- we visit the Met, the MoMA, and grab a $2 hot dog on the way to the Museum of Natural History
- we talk about seeing a Broadway show
- and since nobody brought 10 billion dollars, we treat ourselves to the world's greatest bbq instead

When my mom comes to New York:
- we have lunch at ABC Kitchen
- and wander through the Chelsea Market
- we order champagne with every meal
- and pretend we're in You've Got Mail
- we take romantic strolls through Central Park
- and walk along the High Line
- then we eat fancy cheeses at Eataly (to reward ourselves for all the walking and strolling)
- and fall asleep dreaming about cannolis from Caffe Palermo

Basically, when people come to visit, I find that the best way to show them around New York is to eat our way through the entire city. It really is the only option, you know? The way I see it, New York has the best of everything. The best pizza. The best delis. The best donuts. If we try little (or not-so-little) bites of everything, then they can go back to Oregon and California knowing that they've had The Best of Everything. (Think of the bragging rights!) More importantly, if I've done my job properly I can send them all home with a few extra pounds around the belly - a gentle, ever-present reminder of me, and the Most Delicious Spring Break Of Their Lives.

christmas in california (sort of)

* merry christmas from me & my brother matthew, circa 1999 (aka my glory days)

i really can't believe it's christmastime and i've decided to blame the entire state of california.

for the past week i've been home in southern california, spending time with family and friends before i jet off to new york. as someone who was born and raised here, you'd think i'd be used to wearing sandals on christmas eve. but i'm not. it's an outrage! oregon and new york have spoiled me with cold weather (and real seasons), so now every time i come home i'm offended to have to trade in my sweaters for tank tops. (california can't tell me what to wear!) this morning my brother and i were driving around town with the windows rolled down and sunglasses on. (sunglasses!!!) everyone here is walking around in shorts and tank tops and sporting very mysterious tans. christmas in california is a strange thing.

to make up for this weirdness, my mom (in the true spirit of christmas) has been trying to trick us into thinking that it's wintertime by keeping her house at a nice, comfortable 35 degrees*. i'm serious - you can't walk around this place without socks on. it's amazing. she has the a fire roaring, christmas music playing, and apples boiling on the stove. as long as we don't look outside, it actually starts to feel like december!

*looking just as fashionable in 1998, only this time in red.

to escape the heat, tomorrow we'll be flying to portland to spend the rest of 2013 with family in the pacific northwest. (i really just can't be away from oregon for too long) it's going to be a very cozy week of pajamas, movies, and the world's best coffee. i'm also going to be on a mission to find the world's warmest coat so that i can survive winter in new york. (i think 60 degrees is freezing, so i'm talking heavy heavy heavy duty) i have no shame in riding the subway looking like this guy if it means i'll be warm. any suggestions?

merry christmas! happy new year! and thank you for reading this silly little blog. i am always amazed by the sweet comments that people leave around here. enjoy your holiday! don't work. sleep in. relax. eat all your favorite foods. enjoy that extra cookie. snag yourself a bottle of wine. hang out with your favorite people. be merry!

* my mom would probably like me to reassure you that her house isn't actually 35 degrees. it's 60. but still.

instagrams + life lately (for real this time)

01. fall, showing off its best and brightest colors

02. a welcome-home banner, hand painted by an army mom & army son

03. two pumpkin spice lattés to celebrate two very good years 

04. one dozen roses + a handful of beautiful lilies 

uh oh. it's happening again - that thing that happens when school and work start to swallow up all my time and this poor little blog gets left all alone. wah wah waaahhh. i like to think that juggling a million things at once is my area of expertise (you know, my true calling in life) but then this happens. maybe my juggling skills need some work.

but anyways. hi!

a fair amount of big-life-things have happened since we last saw each other, little blog. j & i celebrated our two-year anniversary. he surprised me with a dozen roses, a massage, and a facial and i... wrote him a stupid letter... (apparently when people say we aren't doing any gifts this year! they don't actually mean that) (now i know) despite my complete failure in the gift department, we still had a really great day. two years. when i say it outloud it sounds really small. but it isn't. it feels like we've been together a lot longer than two years (in the very best way, of course) so no matter how small it might sound, i think it was something worth celebrating.

what else. what else. what else. a few weekends ago i took a trip back to california for my cousin's arrival home from Afghanistan. now that was something to celebrate. my whole family is rarely in the same place at the same time, so it was really great to have all of us there under the same roof. that wasn't an occasion that any of us were about to miss. he had a whole house-full of people + one very fabulous welcome-home banner waiting for him when he arrived (courtesy of his son and his mom, of course). that was a good day.

also, i got bangs. i like to think that that counts as a big-life-thing.

life is busy. but everyone's life is busy! so i'm going to try and be a better blogger. stay tuned!

advice for daughters

by now, you've probably read caitlin moran's letter to her daughter but if not, it's worth a few minutes out of your day. (and your mom's day!) i bookmarked it right after reading, but wanted to save it here too, just in case. enjoy.

‘Nine times out of ten, you probably aren’t having a full-on nervous breakdown – you just need a cup of tea and a biscuit’

My daughter is about to turn 13 and I’ve been smoking a lot recently, and so – in the wee small hours, when my lungs feel like there’s a small mouse inside them, scratching to get out – I’ve thought about writing her one of those “Now I’m Dead, Here’s My Letter Of Advice For You To Consult As You Continue Your Now Motherless Life” letters. Here’s the first draft. Might tweak it a bit later. When I’ve had another fag.

“Dear Lizzie. Hello, it’s Mummy. I’m dead. Sorry about that. I hope the funeral was good – did Daddy play Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen when my coffin went into the cremator? I hope everyone sang along and did air guitar, as I stipulated. And wore the stick-on Freddie Mercury moustaches, as I ordered in the ‘My Funeral Plan’ document that’s been pinned on the fridge since 2008, when I had that extremely self-pitying cold.

“Look – here are a couple of things I’ve learnt on the way that you might find useful in the coming years. It’s not an exhaustive list, but it’s a good start. Also, I’ve left you loads of life-insurance money – so go hog wild on eBay on those second-hand vintage dresses you like. You have always looked beautiful in them. You have always looked beautiful.

home sweet home

hey blog!

things have been extra quiet around here in lieu of a top secret mission. I'm spending a week at home in California and decided it would be fun to surprise my best friend a whole week before she thought I was coming to town. knowing me, I'd wind up spoiling the whole thing by posting anything on here or instagram or facebook, so I figured total internet stealth-mode was the way to go.

after lots of plotting and planning, I'd like to report that the suprise was a great success (and really, is there anything more exciting than a surprise reunion?). we haven't seen each other since Christmas, so this has been a long awaited day. there was lots of screaming and jumping and hugging involved. reunited at last!

it feels so good to be home. there's always something therapeutic about it, as I'm sure you know with your own homes. it's so easy for me get caught up in a routine of work and responsibilities and to-do lists, that coming home is like a little escape from reality. everything seems to slow down. these past few weeks have been pretty hectic, so I'm looking forward to a week's worth of friends and family and doing a whole lot of nothing. sometimes no plans are the best plans, you know?

so stay tuned! lots of California-y photos coming your way. be prepared for a bombardment of sand, sun, and sunburns.

speaking of sunburns. this photo was taken the first day of my trip. my mom and I went straight from the airport to go ride bikes along the beach (classic Californians!) and somehow it didn't occur to us to put sunscreen on until we were a few hours into our ride. needless to say, I think I got more sun (and burns) within one hour of being back in California than I have my entire summer in Oregon. oops.

a weekend in seattle

you'd think that after almost four years of living in oregon, by now I would have visited seattle (or washington, at least!). but, you'd be wrong. maybe I'm just too loyal an oregonian. 

with our work schedules, it can be tricky for j & I to really take any significant vacation time, but magically, we were able to take a mini vacation this past weekend and escape to seattle. j has family that lives in town, so we got to spend the weekend with them and see (what felt like) every corner of the city.

(okay, maybe not every corner)

and now, lots of photos! 

the fourth of july was really fun. it started off with a tour around the space needle (obviously), a visit to the lake union market (where we got to explore some pretty cool boats and also where I inhaled the world's largest bag of caramel corn), a trip to the ballard locks, a deeeelicious bbq, and finally, an oh-so-casual fourth of july party on one of their friend's house boats. a house boat, people! it was very festive indeed.

somehow, we managed to score prime firework-watching-spots when the sun finally set (lately, it's been staying light out until almost 9pm!). we all piled into one of the boats outside the house and had the absolute best view of the fireworks over the water. I was convinced we were on the set of a movie.

the only downside of this trip was that we couldn't stay longer. four days definitely felt luxurious, but sunday rolled around much quicker than I would have liked. it's always great to explore a new city and spend time with people who really know the area. j's family took us all over the place - to all their favorite restaurants, bars, parks, shops. so even though we "only" stayed for four days, they packed in (what felt like) a week's worth of activities. there was no stopping us! onto the next great thing! 

pike place market was (of course) really cool to see. naturally we chose to go on the busiest day of the week, but it was fun to be around so many people and get to see all the little nooks and crannies of so many shops. (you would not believe their flower market. $10 for the most beautiful bouquet you've ever seen!)

and of course, our trip wouldn't be complete without a visit to the gum wall. mmmmmmm.

one of my favorite parts of the trip (though, there were many) was taking the ferry to bainbridge island. it was kind of a spur of the moment decision, but it ended up being one of our favorite memories of the trip. timing was really on our side. we set sail (ahoy, matey!) in the late afternoon, got to leisurely wander around the island, and by the time we caught another ferry back to downtown, the sun was just about to set.

it was very romantic indeed. ;)

(actually, it was freezing more than anything else. i'd say 70% freezing, 30% romantic) how d'ya like that! 

not pictured above:
01. the day we spent kayaking around lake union. talk about a serious arm workout! (j might have done most of the paddling. I wasn't a very good boat-mate... I don't think he was too happy about that)
02. the best ice cream i've ever had in my life (and I'm an ice cream connoisseur, so. think about that)
03. the best hot dog i've ever had at 2am.
04. the amazing, tangled monster that my hair became after our windy ferry ride.
05. the absolutely gigantic (and delicious) meal we had at the crab pot that sent all of us into an instant food coma.

all in all, I'd say it was a pretty great trip. I woke up monday morning already feeling nostalgic, and I think that's the sign of a vacation well spent.

Have you ever visited Seattle? What are your favorite parts of the city?

I'm back!

hey, blog! remember me?

i've been away for the past couple days on account of graduating from college! wooooooo! 

it hasn't really sunk in yet. oddly enough, i still have to take a few summer classes which might explain why it seems so surreal. you graduated! now, back to school. still, it was a big day. caps and gowns, balloons, bouquets, pomp and circumstance, and lots of tears (mostly from me). also, lots of family.

j & i have both had family in town for the past week.
there's something nice about having a house full of people. it was loud and crazy and just what i needed. i'm already feeling nostalgic for the past  week. there are little reminders all around the apartment of the past few days - bouquets of flowers from family and friends, leftover cake and watermelon in the fridge from different parties, graduation cards sprinkled across our windowsills. i'm not ready for it to be over!

having my mom here was so nice. like mother like daughter, she has been just as busy as me, so by the time her plane landed we were both ready for a little vacation. there was a handful of things we wanted to do while she was here, and we were able to do them all! (except for wine tasting - we took a rain check on that one) sometimes no matter how much you plan, vacations can end up being more stressful than anything else. but luckily for us, this week was pretty perfect. things just fell into place. we took our time, didn't rush, and played things by ear. we went on long walks, enjoyed late breakfasts, watched movies, and even spent an entire day at the spa. it was very luxurious indeed.

as far as pictures go, stay tuned.
if you don't already know, my life is a constant comedy. so to nobody's surprise, my camera died right in the middle of the ceremony. classic me! (who forgets to charge their camera before their own graduation?) thankfully there were plenty of iPhones in the crowd, so my phone has been beeping all day with snapshots from different camera phones.

it's amazing how quickly vacations fly by (and how slowly our work days can drag on). hi ho hi ho, today it's back to work i go. i can't complain, though. this has been a pretty great week.

What have I missed? What have you been up to?

home sweet home

It's been a long time since I've been home. 

Remember when I realized (here) that getting older means not having the whole summer off for playing? Ha. Well. As summer continues to get closer and closer - only a few more weeks! - I've been realizing that it also means not going home. This isn't exactly news to me. After my first year of college, I went home for the whole summer. But not the second year. Or this year. I managed to escape for 2 weeks last year, but this summer I'm working full-time and as it turns out, you can't exactly ask for 3 months off. Who knew, right? 

There are certainly worse things in the world, so I know I can't  throw a pity party over here. But hey! If my master plan works out, by the time I do get home, it'll have been 8 months since I last saw my family and best friend (and dog!). For me, that's a long time to go without seeing my people. Sometimes you just need them, you know? Sometimes you just need to go home. 

In the spirit of being overly sappy and sentimental, I've been going through some old photos. I came across a few that were taken last summer at my aunt & uncle's house. They may not be pictures of my home, but they certainly make me feel the most at home. I'm telling you, this is probably my favorite house in the world. It's one of those places you thought could only exist in movies. Know what I mean? There are freshly cut flowers on the table, twinkle lights on the patio, and Norah Jones and Cat Stevens always seem to be playing in the background. Words wouldn't do their garden justice. Words also wouldn't do their cooking and baking abilities justice. Seriously. Something heavenly is always baking in that cozy kitchen. 

Whenever my family gets together, this is usually where we go. Sometimes we just spend the day by the pool, dipping our toes in the water and enjoying each other's company. Sometimes we play games. Or go on walks. We always make too much food and leave with way too many cookies in our bellies (it's inevitable). These are the things I miss. All the little things. This is where I want to be, right now. 

Being there with them is like getting a big hug. That's what going home feels like. 

(and I want my hug!)

happy mother's day

Happy Mother's Day to all mom's everywhere, but most especially to this mama of mine.

When I was little, my mom used to let me transform our bathroom into a beauty salon and she'd pay me an entire 25 cents to braid her hair (25 cents!). When the only thing I wanted in the whole world was a puppy, she was the one who took me to pick out the perfect one. When I turned 13, I turned into a major brat. I'm talking classic full-blown, awful, terrible teenager. And somehow, my mom put up with me through all those torturous years. And a few years later, when we realized (much to our dismay) that out-of-state-tuition was going to be a part of our lives, she just said, "Let's do it!"

This mama of mine has done more for me than I could possibly wish to do for her in return.
She does a lot for me and a lot for everyone else, and she doesn't always do enough for herself.
She is my biggest cheerleader, my first phone call, and my best friend.

These verses are read for all sorts of reasons, but today, I think they do a pretty perfect job of describing my relationship with my mom. (And to be able to say that makes me pretty lucky, don't you think?)

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.

Happy Mother's Day!