Fall is here!

all is my favorite season of the year. But it doesn't last very long in New York, and I will make the most of it! I refuse to let work or other obligations get in the way of me enjoying my Fall. This weekend, the Boyfriend and I took a day trip up towards Nyack to scope out the town the foliage. Unfortunately, it was a bit too early to catch the changing of colors, but we did see some red ones poking out amongst the many green ones.

Here is my ever growing list of things I love about the Fall:

1) Foliage (obviously). I grew up in San Francisco, and leaves don't really change colors over there in the bay area. So imagine my look of amazement when I saw a red leaf for the first time! I was literally staring at the ground of wet leaves, with my mouth open in awe. By myself.

2) Apple Cider. Preferably spiced, with a little bit of whip cream. This is a must!

3) Day trip adventures with the ever exciting Boyfriend!

4) Fall clothes. I love funnel neck sweaters, cardigans, boots, and coats. Speaking of...I need a Fall coat...

5) Walking/running outdoors and hiking.

6) Fall decorations. I have a stash of faux Fall leaves in my closet waiting to come out.

7) Fall scented candles. I have one burning right now!

8) Thanksgiving.

9) Our anniversary! We will be hitting the 4 year mark...a true milestone for both of us!

10) You've Got Mail. I love this movie, I will never get sick of this movie, and this is the only movie I have seen over 6 times. This movie takes place in the Fall, and Fall would mean just a little less without it.

There ya have it! Am I missing anything?

Hello 2010, I hope we get along this year...

ello all and a Happy New Year to you! I can't believe how quickly this year has passed by but I suppose that's what everyone says at the end of the year. I remember time moving much more slowly back in high school...when you're just waiting for the clock to hit 2:30 so you can get out of class. Now I can barely catch my breath!

The Boyfriend and I have been away for the last 1.5 weeks on a whirlwind of family visits. We spent Christmas in Vancouver, his hometown (and my home away from home) and enjoyed really good quality time with his family. Sometimes I feel like traveling to Vancouver is like a breath of fresh air and we both leave feeling so renewed and re-energized, ready to take on the world. Then we spent 3 days in San Francisco, my hometown, where we had so many dates scheduled in that I left feeling a bit frazzled and a bit wishing that we had spent more time with the people we love (mainly her and him and my middle school buddies). Currently, I am posting from LaLa Land where I rung in the New Year's with the grandparents. My grandpa and I insisted on staying up until midnight while my grandma went to bed. We watched the ball drop together and jumped up and down, whispering "Happy New Year!" and hugging and kissing. It was fun and memorable and I'm glad I have that moment for keeps.

I have a bunch of resolutions that I'd like to post about but I still haven't had time to myself to think about them and commit them to....commitment. One of them is definitely to center my life around my health (spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally). I've been living my entire life putting my health last and believing that my body was invincible. These last 5 months have shown me that it is in fact, not. My 5 month long headache (and still going) is evidence that my body is angry with me. A deeply rooted anger. So I will make an attempt to exercise more, eat better, take time to de-stress and relax.

Anywhoo this year is a year of change and I don't know about you but I'm excited! I'll post more about the holiday treats I made but I wanted to leave you with some eye candy. Mainly, cake stands. Beautiful ones that I have been looking around for forever! I will definitely be making some of these sometime soon.


{Photo courtesy of Style Me Pretty}

It's a pretty simple DIY and doesn't cost much money at all. I already have a plate in mind and some bottom stands picked out! I'm thinking these:

Recipes of the Week!

ust when I thought I was finally catching up with my life I take a look at the calendar and see that there is only one week until Thanksgiving! I can't believe it, time sure flew by! November has been quite a busy month for me. I volunteer 2 days a week for a couple of hours at a non profit organization in Brooklyn and I tutor a 7th grader in New Jersey. The commute alone is very long and eats up a large chunk of my days. Plus, the boyfriend and I have had 3 groups of visitors within a month (2 back to back for a total of 10 days) and we also went to Puerto Rico less than a month ago! Whew!
One of the ways I regroup is by cooking. I won't have a chance to do any of that until this weekend but I'm looking forward to trying some new recipes. I want to try a new pumpkin bread recipe, the Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread, and stock up on some jars of my own marinara. This time, I'm going to take a stab at incorporating this recipe with my own.
But til then, take a look at Heart of Light's post on making your own pasta. It sounds so amazing!

{Photograph from Heart of Light}

Home Sweet Home

uerto Rico was amazing! The weather was gorgeous--lots of sun but not blistering heat. Our resort had it's own private beach and hammocks so we did a lot of laying around, but we definitely stuck in a few adventures as well. Horseback riding on the foothills of the Rain Forest, a dip in the river, kayaking in the ocean at night through a mangrove tree forest to the bio bay (if you touch the water it lights up!), and lots of laying out on the beach and seeing Old San Juan.

It was so refreshing being away but as always, I wish I had one more day! Being back home is good too, but I was met with a ton of emails from my new volunteer position. Exciting and interesting, but I wouldn't mind hanging at the beach a little more.

I used my "Recipe for a Comfortable Plane Ride" and it was quite a success! I also downloaded several podcasts and listened to them on the plane. All in all this trip was a great and much needed. I think the picture below captures it all...

Recipe for a Comfortable (and fun) Plane Ride

This one goes out to all my homies...lol. I just wanted to say that. So this weekend the boyfriend and I are getting away from the city to our long long (long) awaited vacation to Puerto Rico! I'm very excited because I have never been to a beachy vacation and we are going ALL out here. I'm also excited because I have been patiently waiting since the third grade to visit the Rain Forest! My dreams are all coming true this weekend and I am giddy as a kid in a candy shop!
So the one thing I absolute hate about vacations is the plane ride. I can't stand them, the air pressure goes straight to my head and I get an instant headache. Right now I've been struggling with a very bad case of chronic tension headache that has been going on for about 2 months and getting on a plane is the last thing I want to do. But, I vow to be prepared. Here is a check list for what I hope to be a comfortable and happy plane ride.
1. Bring your own headphones. Don't forget this!
2. Ipod with your music set to go
3. A good book
4. A magazine
5. A journal
6. Soft, fluffy and warm socks that you can change into on the plane (also, wear shoes that are easy to slip in and out of. And try not to wear jeans, they're uncomfortable).
7. Once you get on the plane, ask for a pillow and blanket ASAP. The plane runs out very quickly and if you ask even right before take off they are out.
8. Bring a snack. I am usually starving mid plane ride and sometimes those tiny snacks just won't do!
9. Eye mask. One of those night mask things. I know you can just close your eyes, but having a night mask really makes a huge difference.
10. An airplane pillow is a really good alternative to the regular pillows the plane provides. Gives proper neck support
11. Remember to bring a pill case with advil, pepto, tums, etc.
12. I bring girly things like makeup, tweezer, etc just to do some tedious beauty things that normally are time consuming.

Mon ami and I are both flying this weekend (her to LA and me to PR) so I thought this would be good for both of us. Don't forget to check your flight and make sure you have good seats!