New York

We went to New York over Easter to visit Abby and Jason, it was the perfect trip.  I could go there a thousand times over and over again and still love every single moment.  We basically ate the entire time, what we do best in New York.  We also spent most of our time in Brooklyn, which I loved.  Just to name a few, we went to the Meatball Shop, the Donut Shop, Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery for Banana Cream Pudding (I think it's better than Magnolia's), Ample Hills Creamery, and Ippudo Noodle Bar.  WE LOVE to EAT!

Eating at the Meatball Shop in Brooklyn, I love the pesto and chicken!  

We Love BROOKLYN.

Ippudo Noodle Bar.  It was delicious.

Mitch is handsome.  Can you see the Statue of Liberty?
I love the Staten Island Ferry.  

We went to see Once and both loved it.

January Randomness

January went by in a blink.   

During the middle of January we went with some of Mitch's classmates skiing at Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia.  Totally different skiing from the west (super icy!), but it was so much fun!

It snowed 7 inches the day before we got there!  Lucky us.

Emily and I went to Inauguration in January and I failed to take any good pictures.  It was pretty amazing to attend an Inauguration, but it was SUPER freezing and we couldn't get on the metro when it ended, so we walked home!  Thank goodness we only live 5 miles away.

We were really far away.

 January also brought some fabulous weather,
I was even able to ride my bike a few times to work.  

I love my work, I am really going to miss it starting in Mary.

 And how could I forget Mary Kate.  She is the absolute cutest.

Christmas away from home.

Before going home at the end of December we tried to celebrate a little around the city.  We:

1.  Went to see the White House Christmas Tree and the Capitol Christmas Tree.
2.  Went to see A Christmas Carol at Ford's Theater.  (This is one of my favorite things I have done in DC).
3. Went to breakfast at Old Ebbitts Grill.
4.  Made Gingerbread Men (Mary Kate tried to eat them, she is the cutest).
5.  Went to the Botanical Gardens to see the Christmas display.
6.  Made gingerbread houses with Mitch's classmates.  As you can see below, we've got serious talent.
7.  Discovered the perfect Christmas store (it's actually called The Christmas Store!) in Old Town Alexandria, the ornaments are amazing.

Miss Mary Kate.  i am slightly obsessed

Mitch and the Botanical Gardens

Our award winning gingerbread houses

The White House Christmas Tree

The Christmas Store in Old Town

Claire and Mary Kate

Thanksgiving

So, I am obviously a little behind on my blogging, but Thanksgiving was so fun that I wanted to make sure not to forget it!

Macy's Day Parade

We went to New York to visit Abby and Jason for Thanksgiving and I fulfilled one of my life long goals/dreams to attend the Macy's Day Parade and let me tell you it was seriously fabulous.  The floats were huge and I was so glad we were able to go!

We went a little crazy on Thanksgiving and cooked everything in Abby's perfectly (but slightly small) Brooklyn apartment.  We made rolls (Shelley's of course) with homemade jam, stuffing (my absolute favorite part), yams, potatoes, salad (my second favorite dish), cranberry cake, and we bought a turkey (least favorite part).  It was perfect.

Cooking - Me, Abby, and Mitch (in a flannel of course)

Our delicious food

We also braved the crowds and went Black Friday shopping at Target, let me give everyone a little piece of advice...NEVER take Mitch Black Friday Shopping, he lasts less than a minute.  We got new sheets for a fabulous price (I hope everyone thinks it's hilarious that we bought sheets - for the second year in a row).

The Meatball Shop

The day after Thanksgiving we went into the city and ate at the Meatball Shop, went to see Starry Starry Night (one of Mitch's favorites), went to see the Spider Exhibit at the Natural History Museum (slightly scary, but so awesome), saw Lincoln, and of course stuffed our faces with Levain cookies.  It was a perfect day.

Hawaii

Mitch and I went to Hawaii a few weeks ago with his brother Joel and his wife Lindsay.  It was fabulous.  It was my first time in Hawaii and I loved every single minute of it. 

Mitch snorkeling 

Queen's Bath

Mitch golfing at The Prince

Joel & Mitch

Poipu

Hiking the Kalalau trail

End of Kalalau Trail.  The cairns were my favorite part.

My favorite cairn.

Poipu

Joel & Lindsay

Farmer's Market

1, 2, 3, 4 ....43

Do you ever count days?

I do.  But I think I am more likely to count minutes.

When I count days it’s usually waiting for something to end.

Like waiting for the workweek to end.

I am always counting minutes.

Minutes until I have to leave for work.

Minutes until I will be late.  I really hate being late. 

Minutes until I can eat lunch (I make myself wait until at least noon).

Minutes until class ends.

Minutes until I finish running.

I am always counting minutes.

Chase, my brother, he counts days.

But he is not counting for something to end.

He is counting the number of days he has been sober.

It’s 43 today.

I am so proud of him.

I think I should start counting days with him and stop counting things that don't really matter in life.

What are you counting?

New York

I went to New York last weekend with some of the Henriod girls and I loved every second.  I am so lucky my in-laws are the best.  I am hoping that Mitch will get a job in New York, so I can fulfill my life long dream of living in New York.  

While in New York we:

Went to the Tenement Museum

Ate at Clinton Street Bakery

Walked the High Line

Ate at Dount Plant

Ate at Gramarcy Tavern, a Henriod favorite

Saw Porgy and Bess

Went on a Circle Line Tour, totally enjoyable

Went running

Ate Levain Cookies

Saw Newsies

Late night Shake Shack run

Spent more time than I ever would want to in Time Square

Ate a Gotham Bar & Grill, best beet salad

Went shopping

Saw Once

Met Steve Kazee

Ate Churros from La Churreria

Saw the filming of Smash

Fishs Eddy

and took the train home

It was the perfect New York trip. 

Clinton Street Bakery, delicious blueberry pancakes.

Donut Plant.  Amazing.

I want to be a Newsie.

Levain Bakery, the cookies are amazing.

Statue of Liberty with Abby.

Steve Kazee, lead singer from Once.  I was so excited to meet him.  

Lindsay, Abby, Shelley and me.

Happy Birthday Mitch!

We finished celebrating Mitch's birthday this past week, here's how...

Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream.  First of the season.

Trifle,  Mitch's favorite dessert.

Happy Birthday Mitch.  I love him so much.

Mitch turned 29 on Wednesday, we are getting so old!  We celebrated by eating at Pupatella, it's just as delicious as Punch in the Twin Cities, and ended the night with Trifle.  I love Mitch so much and I can't imagine my life without him.

 Our weekend update:

DC Temple.
(We don't know the people in the picture, just happened to be standing there.)

Baby Sam and Shelley.
We are going to be so sad when Shelley leaves this week.
We are obsessed with Baby Sam.

Weekend project #1.
I finally recovered our chairs with the help of Shelley and Abby.
Can you tell which one is new?

Project #2.  Still working on hanging up pictures 13 months after we moved in.

Besides projects and holding babies, we had a sleepover with Abby, Jason, and Shelley - I felt like I was 10 and loved it, ate a lot of food, and got caught in an awesome/terrible/typical DC rain shower.  We are really good at eating, we went to eat brunch at the Carlyle in Shirlington and I took Abby and Shelley to the Dairy Godmother in Del Ray.  It was a fabulous weekend.

Happy Monday. 

Weekend Update

Our weekend was quick and fabulous.  

Here is our life in photos.

Cafe Rio Burrito.  Delicious.

Air & Space Museum with Mitch's Parents.

Baby Sam.  I am obsessed with him.  

Miss Mary Kate.

Day 1 of Mitch's Birthday week.  Dinner at Founding Farmers.

Day 2 of Mitch's Birthday week.  "True" Homemade shortcake, according to Shelley.

Watching mission videos.  Love this video of Jenna.

Mission happiness.  Remember how I gained 30 pounds on my mission?  Totally worth it.