christmas time was here...

christmas was cozy.
it was a wonderful time with family and friends.
we had some rain and some clear weather (the golfers, they were thankful!)
a favorite gift...amazing warm fuzzy sweater to keep warm, and i've worn it every night since i received it from my m-i-l. (thank you!)


mom and dad bought us all personalized coffee mugs for our visit.
i think mom did it on purpose so we couldn't plead the 5th when she found a stray mug in the living room, or in the bathroom or in the laundry room... dave and i left ours behind so we have personalized mugs for each visit. :)



jenga was the game of the weekend. oh my what a hit.
and fun for all ages!


and some LCR


grandma was really cute, and thankfully healthy while we were home...i enjoyed getting time with her, even if she followed me around the house with her little swiffer.
she said having everyone home makes the floors dirty:)

finley was showing off her new walking skill all weekend long;
and silas received a new farm set and so we played a lot of "farmer silas"

going home is always grand. we like it...even when its rainy.

off to union square we went, a beautiful day in the city

i am so excited this christmas we get to go home and be home for christmas; no work, just relaxing times at home.
maybe i'll turn my cell phone off for the 3 days...maybe.
i'm looking forward to going home, more than i truly let on; as i don't want to get my hopes up as something could come up or happen that might prevent us from making the trip; but if all goes according to plan...it'll be great to be home for christmas!
(the first time in 6 years!)
im planning on bringing my cook books so that i can to bake and cook; and my mom will probably sit at the bar stools and chat with me while i create. we'll probably sneak onto the golf course christmas day so that the golf-lovers can get a few holes in before dinner. we'll probably play with all the nephews and niece; maybe take them for a walk through the park. we'll probably build a puzzle. we'll probably go to the movies, and dad will buy everyone some popcorn (my favorite) love that he thinks of such things!
seriously...going home for christmas this year.....can't wait!!

on another holiday note...
dave has been wanting to make cookies for our neighbors, and we did just that, last night!

don't you wish you were our neighbor?

i am on the count down to 30.
i think that the 30's are going to be amazing and i truly am excited for the next decade of life!
this past weekend was my half birthday...and dave bought me flowers to celebrate!
18 months; 540 days until i turn 30.


happy monday...im off to bed, its been a work filled, work christmas-party monday; and i have an early alarm set for work tomorrow:)

tis the season

we are off to union square today to shop, to be apart of the hustle and bustle of all the holiday shoppers, to see the largest gingerbread house, to watch the ice skaters, to see macy's christmas tree and most likely finish up our day at a little trattoria for some delicious italian food for dinner.
its hard to believe that christmas is less than 2 weeks away; its hard to believe that this year has gone by so quickly.
there is much to be thankful for (graduation, jobs, family, friends, our cozy little apartment, our cars, our health) much to appreciate and much to continue to enjoy!
happy sunday...take time off to enjoy what the day has to offer!

this week we went and picked out our fabulously pine smelling christmas tree.
shannon has joined us the past few years with our christmas tree hunting and decision making (do we put it in the stand out side, or inside? do we cut the ties inside or outside?)
shannon always helps with the decisions and is an excellent mediator.
but this year, we truly missed our friend shannon joining in on our adventure.
but she'd be proud, we didn't disagree on where to put the tree, or how to put it in the stand....becuase i let dave take care of the tree...while i was in the kitchen, i with my favorite kitchen aid mixer, my apron and made a pumpkin pie!!
it was a wonderful evening.
our tree is still undecorated and unlit; but in due time it'll be standing in all its glory...until then, these pics will have to suffice.


sunday evening while we are driving in the rain to go get our christmas tree,
dave looks at me and says, "i miss hanging out with ruby"
awwww. he is so cute!
here is our latest evening with ruby...we love her.
and we loved her skinny gap jeans:) such a styling little friend we have!
we love that her parents just drop her off so we can hang out with her, and they can have a date-night in the city sans little ruby.
isn't she just precious? she liked to feel dave's beard :)

to be thankful

thanksgiving was wonderful.
time with family and friends, great food and some killer desserts.
im thankful for family, DB and I are so blessed that our families are so incredibly welcoming to each other and enjoy celebrating holidays together!
as tradition has it, we played golf.
unfortunately mom had to stay back with grandma, but dad still came to the bay for they day.

i drive the cart really well, and also keep score for the golfers:)





as another tradition has it; db and i made the desserts this year, and its always a good time.
this year it took 4 hours thanksgiving eve, 3 different recipes, 3 different pies; and what i love is watching everyone enjoy the post dinner deliciousness with a cup of coffee:)

jill's birthday

happy birthday jill!

love your new shoes, and loved meeting up for brunch!


may you have a wonderful year ahead!

happy thanksgiving!

distracted by beauty

on my way to a 6pm appointment this evening i thought i had just enough time to take a few pairs of jeans to my seamstress; which have been folded up waiting to be fitted for more than a few weeks now; but as i was enroute, i was totally distracted by this..


(disclaimer: photo taken while driving)

rarely, if ever, do i deviate from my plans and whimsically change plans
(i should do that more often, but it kind of goes against my dna)
but this evening i couldn't help it.
i started racing to the beach in attempt to catch the sunset which was quickly disappearing. the entire sky and the reflection upon the clouds was just stunning.
luckily i had my camera in tow, and a few free moments to enjoy the beauty.



i didn't quite get to the beach in time for the true sinking of the sun, but it was still very much worth the detour.

happy birthday db2

this week we celebrated the 55th of my father in law.

dinner in palo alto with our favorite new york relatives


warning: this is what happens when you give your camera to someone outside the restaurant willing to take a group picture for you, but fails to put his cigarette down :)


the 55th birthday celebration continued at the Cogs for dinner and pool

burgers and beer

just a fun evening with friends



@ the holy grill

a lovely rainy sunday afternoon

its a bit rainy here where i am.
the streets are wet, and the skies are grey; but i am truly loving it.
i made a breakfast quiche this morning, and i baked an apple tart/pie/delicious little treat for us this afternoon.
i like these kind of days, one where we are encouraged to slow down, to pick up a good book, to drink a glass of red wine, and head to the kitchen to create some good food to share...to simply love and enjoy the rainy-slow-paced-inside-day to its fullest!

a recap: the month of october has been a fun filled month, and its not even over yet!

we had his birthday...and great friends came out to celebrate with us!




shannon came home for her birthday weekend...we had so much fun!



we had my daddio come visit for fleet week weekend.
we truly enjoyed spending time with him! we had beautiful weather and my dad was so willing and happy to walk all over the city!



we picked up snacks at the farmers market!






we've been to a few giants games


we had a quick visit to chico to visit the parents, the nephews and my brother and his wife, and their baby girl Finley, my litle grandma (who didn't want her picture taken...grr) and to meet little Brianna.




and november, here we come!!